9-17-12: A Romantic Spy

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Argo-0917.mp3

In 1979, with the Iranian hostage crisis reaching a fever pitch and six American diplomats trapped in the Canadian embassy, the CIA devised a daring rescue mission to smuggle them out. And to pull it all off, they turned to the most unlikely of partners... Hollywood.

Now, over 30 years later, this heist is the subject of the new movie Argo, starring Ben Affleck. Tony Mendez, one of the masterminds behind the plot and a co-author of the Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History, lives in western Maryland. We talk with him about what happened.

To meet the man behind the plot, and get a copy of his book signed, visit the International Spy Museum on Friday September 21 at 6:30 p.m.

And for another account of the crisis, taken in light of recent events in Lybia, check out John Limbert, one of the hostages in Iran, on "Talk of the Nation." Here's the link.