The American public showed a high degree of gratitude for Canadian efforts in rescuing American diplomatic staff in wake of the Iran hostage crisis.

The Canadian Caper was the unofficial name given to the covert rescue by the government of Canada of six American diplomats who evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran by Iranian students on November 4, 1979, precipitating the Iran Hostage Crisis.^[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 126 KB) US State Department, Canadian Caper File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 126 KB) US State Department, Canadian Caper File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A blindfolded American hostage is paraded by Muslim student followers of the Imams line. ... Secrecy is the condition of hiding information from others. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... Tehran (IPA: ; Persian: تهران, also transliterated as Teheran or Tehrān), population (as of 2005) 7,314,000 (metropolitan: 12,151,000), and a land area of 658 square kilometers, is the capital city of Iran (Persia) and the center of Tehran Province. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... A blindfolded American hostage is paraded by Muslim student followers of the Imams line. ...

Sanctuary

Three of the six diplomats were working in an outbuilding of the embassy when the students swarmed over the wall. They hastily fled into Tehran's streets along with an American who had been getting a visa fixed (he was able to fly out by himself). Through the efforts of U.S. Chargé d'affaires Bruce Laingen, the Canadians were contacted, and by November 10, the three diplomats, two of whom had found their spouses, made their way to the Canadian embassy.^[2] A fourth joined the group some two weeks later, having spent the interim sleeping on the floor at the Swedish embassy.^[3] Chargé daffaires (Fr. ... Bruce Laingen was the senior American official held hostage during the Iran hostage crisis. ...

The operation itself was initiated at great personal risk by then Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, and Canadian Immigration officer John Sheardown who provided sanctuary for the six endangered American diplomats in their own private residences. Two "friendly-country" embassy officials assisted as well, and an unoccupied diplomatic residence was used for several weeks. Kenneth Douglas Ken Taylor, OC , BA , MBA , LL.D (born October 5, 1934 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was a Canadian ambassador to Iran. ... Sanctuary has multiple meanings. ...

Ambassador Taylor contacted then Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs, Flora MacDonald and Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark for assistance, who expressed support for the effort. The decision was made to smuggle the six Americans out of Iran on an international flight using Canadian passports. To achieve this, Canada's Parliament convened its first secret session since World War II to pass special legislation allowing Canadian passports to be issued to the American diplomats in Canadian sanctuary. The granted passports, feigning Canadian citizenship and a set of forged Iranian visas prepared by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency would be used to attempt an escape from Iran. Canadas Secretary of State for External Affairs was, from 1909 to 1993, the member of the Cabinet of Canada responsible for overseeing the federal governments international relations and the former Department of External Affairs. ... Flora MacDonald (1722 – March 5, 1790), Jacobite heroine, was the daughter of Ranald MacDonald of Milton in the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and his wife Marion, the daughter of Angus MacDonald. ... Charles Joseph Joe Clark, PC, CC, AOE, MA, LLD (born June 5, 1939) was the sixteenth prime minister of Canada, from June 4, 1979, to March 3, 1980. ... The title page of European Union member state passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the official languages of all EU countries. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... An entry visa valid in all Schengen treaty countries issued by France A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Government. ...

The CIA enlisted its disguise and exfiltration expert Tony Mendez to provide a cover story, documents, and appropriate clothing and materials to change their appearance. Mendez worked closely with Canadian government staff in Ottawa, sending as much as he could in the diplomatic pouch, before flying to Tehran with an associate to assist with the rescue. There were alternate passports and identities for a variety of scenarios, but the cover story selected had the six being a Hollywood crew scouting movie locations. The elaborate back-story involved a film named Argo, for a Middle-Eastern feel, and a post office box in Los Angeles for "Studio Six", backed by display ads. (The movie scenario was considered one way to get an armed team into Tehran to retake the embassy.)^[3] Tony Mendez (also known as Antonio Mendez) is a former CIA technical operations officer. ... Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario County Established 1850 as Bytown City Mayor Bob Chiarelli Governing body Ottawa City Council MPs / MPPs Members of Parliament (MPs) Mauril Bélanger (LPC), Paul Dewar (NDP), John Baird (CPC), Royal Galipeau (CPC), David McGuinty (LPC),Pierre Lemieux (CPC... // Diplomacy A diplomatic bag is a shipping container having diplomatic immunity from search or seizure. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor's sketched-out escape plan for the Americans taking sanctuary with Canadian embassy staff.

As the weeks passed, the Americans read and played games, mainly Scrabble, while Taylor made efforts both to fly out non-essential personnel, while sending others on fake errands to both establish erratic patterns and case airport procedures. The tension rose as suspicious telephone calls and other activity indicated the possibility that the concealment was known.^[2] Taylor sketched out the escape plan himself using a felt-tip marker. Image File history File links Taylorssketching. ... Image File history File links Taylorssketching. ... Kenneth Douglas Ken Taylor, OC , BA , MBA , LL.D (born October 5, 1934 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was a Canadian ambassador to Iran. ... Scrabble is a popular word game and board game in which 2-4 players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a 15×15 game board. ...

Rescue

On January 27, 1980, the American diplomats, now posing as Canadians with valid Canadian passports boarded a flight for Zürich, Switzerland at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. They arrived in the friendly nation safely. The Canadian embassy was then closed the same day with Ken Taylor and remaining staff returning to Canada.^[4] January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Tehran (IPA: ; Persian: تهران, also transliterated as Teheran or Tehrān), population (as of 2005) 7,314,000 (metropolitan: 12,151,000), and a land area of 658 square kilometers, is the capital city of Iran (Persia) and the center of Tehran Province. ... Mehrabad International Airport (IATA: THR, ICAO: OIII) is an airport that serves Tehran, Iran. ...

The six rescued American diplomats: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

• Robert Anders, 34 - Consular Officer
• Mark J. Lijek, 29 - Consular Officer
• Cora A. Lijek, 25 - Consular Assistant
• Henry L. Schatz, 31 - Agriculture Attaché
• Joseph D. Stafford, 29 - Consular Officer
• Kathleen F. Stafford, 28 - Consular Assistant

Ambassador Taylor, Sheardown, and their wives Patricia Taylor and Zena Sheardown, were awarded the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian award. Zena Sheardown, a Guyanese-born British subject would normally be ineligible, and was awarded the membership on an honorary basis due to the intervention of Prime Minister Trudeau. Ambassador Taylor was subsequently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor by the United States Congress for his assistance to the United States of America. Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country. ... Trudeau redirects here. ... Congressional Gold Medal presented to Navajo Code talkers in 2000 The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is the highest award which may be bestowed by the Legislative Branch of the United States government. ... Seal of the U.S. Congress. ...

Jean Pelletier, Washington correspondent to the Montreal La Presse newspaper, uncovered the situation before the "Canadian Caper" had reached its conclusion but refused to allow the paper to publish the story in order to preserve the safety of those involved, despite the considerable news value to the paper and writer. Pelletier's story ran as soon as he knew the hostages had left Iran, but by exposing the operation, demolished plans by the U.S. to secretly house the six Americans in Europe while the hostage drama continued.^[2] The Argo story was blown, but the CIA role was kept secret by both the U.S. and Canadian governments at the time for the safety of the remaining hostages; its full involvement was not revealed until 1997.^[3] Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ... Motto: Concordia Salus Coordinates: Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 City Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area    - City 366. ... La Presse, founded in 1884, is a large-circulation French-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec. ...

Officially, the U.S. had maintained for negotiation purposes that all of its missing diplomats were held hostage, so the rescue came as a complete surprise to the public.^{[citation needed]} American gratitude for the Canadian rescue effort was displayed widely and by numerous American television personalities and ordinary people alike. Thousands of businesses flew the Maple Leaf flag or changed their outdoor signage to phrases like "Merci Canada", and Canadian tourists were treated to free meals and hotel stays.^{[citation needed]}

Portrayals

In 1981 the Canadian Caper was made into a television movie called Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper, directed by Lamont Johnson, with Ken Taylor and John Sheardown played by Gordon Pinsent and Chris Wiggins, respectively. "The Canadian Caper" was also the name of an episode from the second season of The Dukes where the characters rescue a girl from poachers while in Canada.^[5] A television movie (also known as a TV film, TV movie, TV-movie, feature-length drama, made-for-TV movie, movie of the week (MOTW or MOW), single drama, telemovie, telefilm, or two-hour-long drama) is a film that is produced for and originally distributed by a television network. ... Gordon Edward Pinsent (born July 12, 1930 in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor. ... Chris Wiggins was born on January 13, 1931 in Blackpool, England. ... For the British Army regiment nicknamed The Dukes, see the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment. ...

References

1. ^ Canadian Caper helps Americans escape Tehran. CBC Archives. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Canada to the Rescue", TIME magazine, February 11, 1980. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Antonio J. Mendez (Winter 1999-2000). CIA Goes Hollywood: A Classic Case of Deception. Studies in Intelligence (CIA professional journal). Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
4. ^ The Canadian Caper. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2006-04-25.
5. ^ The Dukes: The Canadian Caper. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Government. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ...

Further reading

• Pelletier, J. & Adams, C. The Canadian Caper, Macmillan of Canada 1981, illustrated, 239 pages. ISBN 0-7715-9583-2

External link

• Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper at the Internet Movie Database