Taylor dies, aided USA in 1979 Iran hostage crisis

Taylor sheltered two in his home, with his wife Pat, while Sheardown took four.

Former Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor, whose role in rescuing US diplomats in a covert operation in 1979 during the Iran hostage crisis was featured in the movie “Argo”, died on Thursday, his son told CBC television. But six Americans who were outside the embassy compound escaped capture and got back to the United States because they called friends for help. Taylor facilitated their escape by arranging plane tickets and persuading the Ottawa government to issue fake passports.

PAGE LEONG: (As Pat Taylor) Sahar’s on the bus.

“It’s why that incident in Iran happened”, she said. “On the other hand, he did it. He just did what he thought was right”.

Mark Lijek, one of the Americans in Iran whose life was saved in part by Mr. Taylor’s generosity, echoed this sentiment in an interview with the Globe and Mail.

“It is with sadness that I learned of the passing of Ken Taylor”. Prior to the rescue that came to be known as the “Canadian Caper”, he had been more familiar with grain deals than with security briefings. With his embassy closed, Taylor left as soon as he confirmed the Americans were safely out.

He was heralded as a hero in both the USA and Canada for helping save the Americans in the clandestine operation.

The neighborly goodwill spread to Canada at large. “But I realize this is a movie and you have to keep the audience on the edge of their seats”.

Yet this spirit of gratitude was notable absent from “Argo”, which was criticized for downplaying Canada’s role in the mission.

MONTAGNE: According to Ken Taylor, that film wasn’t a very accurate depiction of his time in Iran.

As Taylor explained to the Toronto Star in 2012, several details of the film’s plot were fiction. Taylor and others, however, contended that the film didn’t give Canada enough credit for helping the Americans, and said the film glorified the CIA’s role in the process. When Affleck heard about the controversy, he met with the Taylors and ultimately removed the offending postscript and replaced by a new one stating: “The involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day, the story stands as an enduring model of global co-operation between governments”.

BEN AFFLECK: (As Tony Mendez) Thank you.

The humble former ambassador, who went on to found a public consulting firm and serve as Nabisco’s senior vice president, was granted a green card in 1985 but told reporters he had no intention of becoming an American citizen. Ford later mentioned that “Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper honored Taylor in a statement, praising the former ambassador for risking his own life by shielding the diplomats from capture”.

Taylor’s wife of more than 50 years said he was diagnosed with cancer in August and that friends from Canada, the USA and elsewhere visited him at New York Presbyterian hospital where he was being treated. As of Friday morning, ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight, along with NBC’s Today and NBC Nightly News, have yet to cover Taylor’s death.