Ken Taylor, Canadian former ambassador, faults whistle-blowing
Ken Taylor, Canada's man in Tehran who helped US colleagues escape – as told in hit film 'Argo' – says the diplomatic game needs veil of secrecy
Thirty-four years ago he was a central figure in the audacious plot to smuggle six US diplomats out of Iran at the height of the hostage crisis.
But such an adventure in today's world of smartphones and diplomatic leaks would be mission impossible, says Kenneth Taylor, who in 1979 was the Canadian ambassador to Iran.
Speaking on the 34th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran by Islamic students, Taylor said poor communication with the outside world was a key reason that the rescue operation, also known as the "Canadian Caper", was successful.
"Back then there was no interference," says Taylor. And the only communication with Ottawa was through a cipher machine the size of a conference table.
Hollywood's Oscar-winning version of the escape, , was criticised for having exaggerated the role of the Central Intelligence Agency. Taylor in fact played a central role in gathering and exchanging intelligence with Canada and the US. From planning the escape options to forging the US diplomats' identities, he said, it was "essentially a Canadian operation".
By the time Tony Mendez, the CIA agent played by Ben Affleck, arrived in Tehran, "it was all set", And unlike what was depicted in the movie, Mendez had no authority in the operation.
Three days after the US diplomats' escape through Tehran airport - a scene that Taylor says was far less dramatic in reality than in the movie - the saga was revealed by a Montreal newspaper, which had agreed not to report the event until it was over.
