Escaping Iran: A True Account of the Best Bad Idea

by Mark Lijek

Escaping Iran is a first-person account of a daring CIA operation to extricate six American diplomats caught up in the 1979 Iranian revolution. With their comrades held hostage at the embassy compound, the author and five others managed to slip away and find refuge with the staff of the Canadian embassy, where they became known in communications with Ottawa and Washington as the houseguests. The Hollywood-based escape plan, the CIA's best bad idea, has become famous as the subject of the 2013 Oscar best picture Argo. The author provides an insider's perspective on the true details of the plan, but also focuses critical attention on the courage, ingenuity, and genuine hospitality of the Canadians. In addition to hiding them for three months, the Canadians provided the all-important Canadian passports, and ultimately made the rescue possible. The book summarizes the background to the attack on the US embassy, providing an up-close description of life in revolutionary Iran prior to the takeover. It discusses the errors and misjudgments that led to the crisis, as well as the aspects of the history of US-Iran relations that served to make the US the "great Satan" in the eyes of many Iranians. This is a thoroughly revised and expanded version of the author's previous book, The Houseguests, containing much new information.

Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Khris Sellin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Argo" story as told by one of the few embassy employees who managed to escape before hostages were taken but who then found themselves trapped in Iran, wondering when, not if, they would be found. Luckily, the Canadians stepped in and housed them and kept them hidden for a few months while a plan was made to get them out. Fascinating minute-by-minute account of the day of the embassy takeover, then day-by-day accounts of the ensuing months. You really get a feel of how frightening the whole situation was for all involved and the thought processes and decisions, good and bad, that were made that day and why.
The author includes some of the history with the shah and Ayatollah Khomeini and U.S. diplomatic relations leading up to that day to give some background and context for what happened.
This also serves as a brief memoir about his life in the Foreign Service and gives us an interesting look at what it's like to work for the U.S. Embassy.