‘Argo’ was one of the biggest movies of 2012, ultimately winning that year’s Best Picture accolade at the Oscars and having seen it, I can vouch for it saying that it’s a thoroughly enjoyable well made thriller.
Featured Image VIA
The film told the true story of a CIA operation back in 1979 which was set up to smuggle six US diplomats out of Iran after they eluded capture following the takeover of the embassy. However, as is the case with many ‘true’ stories that have been adapted for entertainment purposes, there are always the questions of what exactly happened in reality and what has been dramatised for the big screen.
The CIA kindly decided to come clean about this via their Twitter, so here’s the truth. And yes, I know this is from three years ago, but I didn’t catch it at the time so figured the same was probably true for a lot of people and that those who did miss it would still want to know what actually happened. So here goes:
35th anniversary of Iran Hostage Crisis: The Release: January 20, 1981 http://t.co/lT8fQvPQYi
Tomorrow: #ARGO #HISTINT— CIA (@CIA) November 6, 2014
Real #Argo: All involved in the operation were innovative, brave, & creative. Thank you @BenAffleck for making a film that reflects this.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: When the US Embassy is overtaken the 6 US diplomats go right to the Canadian ambassador's residence to live for the 3 months.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: 5 of them went to many different places until they ended up at the homes of the Canadian Ambassador & the Dep. Chief of Mission.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: 1 American slept on the floor of the Swedish embassy before making his way to the Canadian Ambassador’s home after 2 weeks.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Only one CIA officer goes to Tehran to help exfiltrate the six American diplomats. pic.twitter.com/iFEcrBzlyb
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Two CIA officers with notable forgery and exfiltration skills used their talents & knowledge to get the six out of Iran safely.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The CIA officer and the six diplomats go into town to scout locations. pic.twitter.com/2gx2sHjPBO
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: They never went to the marketplace to scout a location. The six hid in the Canadian’s homes for 79 days. pic.twitter.com/szTgt9stvb
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The mission is called off the night before they are scheduled to depart. pic.twitter.com/j4h0at57Sq
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Carter gave approval prior to the CIA team flying to Tehran, Iran. The details were approved by policymakers in Ottawa and DC.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: The night before the exfiltration the team received final approval; last line in that approval: "See you later, exfiltrator."
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Airline tickets are not waiting at the counter and have to be rechecked before the tickets are authorized and confirmed.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: The Canadians had already purchased the tickets for the Americans. There were no issues at the counter nor the checkpoints.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The Americans are detained at the airport by security guards & a call is made back to “Studio Six” to verify their identity.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: It didn’t happen. An early flight was picked so airline officials would be sleepy & Revolutionary Guards would still be in bed.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Shredded documents are pieced together to reveal the face of one of the Americans & the plane is chased down the runway.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Skilled carpet weavers did reconstruct shredded documents, but they didn’t reveal one of the Americans at the last moment.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: There was an hour long mechanical delay, other than that the escape could not have gone better. #nochase pic.twitter.com/a0TnVeBgBt
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The plane clears Iranian air space and the Americans cheer and celebrate.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: That happened; there was even a round of celebratory Bloody Marys. #ThankYouCanada
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #ARGO: For the full firsthand account read: http://t.co/7mkia9HU1Z pic.twitter.com/0JOYK4NalK
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #ARGO: An exciting movie that it kept us on the edge of our seats. Letting @BenAffleck film here? Best bad idea we've had. #ThanksBen!
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
So there you have it – pretty much the whole movie was made up. I suppose we shouldn’t really be that surprised by this fact though – I mean who would want to watch a 2 hour movie about a bunch of people hiding out in a Canadian embassy and then having a relatively smooth exfiltration, aside from an hour long mechanical failure. That’s hardly entertainment is it, let alone Best Picture winning entertainment. Sometimes you’ve just gotta take the idea, grab the ball and run with it. And that’s exactly what Ben Aflleck did. Props.
For more CIA, check out this theory that makes out that Bob Marley was assassinated by them. Could it be true?
