Tony Mendez

Antonio Joseph Mendez (November 15, 1940 – January 19, 2019) was an American technical operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He worked in support of covert CIA operations. He wrote three memoirs about his CIA experiences.

Mendez was known for his on-the-scene management of the "Canadian Caper" during the Iran hostage crisis. He helped rescue six American diplomats from Iran in January 1980 by arranging to have them pose as a Canadian movie crew. As part of their cover, the diplomats carried passports issued by the Canadian government to document them as Canadian citizens. This was loosely made into the 2012 Academy Award-winning movie Argo.

In 2009, Mendez was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He died on January 19, 2019 from complications of the disease in Frederick, Maryland, aged 78.

References

Category:1940 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:American military people
Category:CIA people
Category:People from Nevada