<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On November 4, 1979, Iranian students overran guards to take over the US embassy in Tehran, starting a 444-day hostage crisis.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The students, with the support of the new hardline regime ruling Iran, seized 66 American diplomats in a move that stunned the world and left the US government powerless.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But unknown to the hostage takers, six US diplomatic officers had fled through the embassy's back door as the revolutionary students smashed their way in.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/theresa-binge-murder-police-announce-1-million-reward-to-help-find-murdered-nsw-mother/5c3abcdd-1d54-4528-a21b-6ee31675c92b" target="_blank" title="Police announce $1 million reward to help find NSW mother's killer"><strong><span>Police announce $1 million reward to help find NSW mother's killer</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They found refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador in Tehran, but they were at risk of being discovered, either by Iranian authorities or the international media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The then US president Jimmy Carter and his advisers realised they had to get them out of the chaotic country, and turned to the CIA.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The spy agency put Tony Mendez, an officer specialised in freeing people from hostile environments, known as exfiltration, on the case.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-november-4-what-happened-on-this-day/3eb71262-1c04-4a49-bfbd-4a31a63107b5" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He considered all options; upmost in his mind was that few of the six Americans could speak the Iranian language.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mendez then concocted an improbable scheme about a fake movie.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/lung-cancer-screening-call-for-more-help/bd313473-93c8-4158-9342-1b27efe93a42" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Mother with stage four cancer's heartbreaking act for daughter</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Posing as a Hollywood producer, he planned to fly to Iran and connect with the six under the guise of scouting locations in Tehran.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Following months of preparations, Mendez has his escape plan in place.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It involved the Canadian government agreeing to issue the six US diplomats fake Canadian passports.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The CIA also spent thousands of dollars setting up a phoney film production company in Los Angeles. The cover story was that it wanted to film an futuristic movie, called Argo, with locations including a bazaar.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mendez later told the BBC, his operation was a "hairy" mission, with no plan B if things went wrong.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In January 1980 as the hostage crisis dragged on, Mendez and a fellow agent flew to Tehran and made contact with the hiding diplomats.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sticking to the cover story as a member of the film production company, he made contact with Iranian officials and toured Tehran apparently looking for movie locations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Then in late January 1980, Mendez accompanied the diplomats, holding their Canadian passports, arrived at Tehran airport booked on an early morning flight.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mendez hoped that by arriving at dawn, the group would raise little attention to the tired immigration officers, and it paid off.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Swissair plane took off, and on arrival at Zurich airport, the six Americans were whisked away by US officials.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mendez was personally thanked by Carter at the White House, but the operation remained a closely guarded secret for 17 years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2012, an Oscar-winning film about the audacious rescue, </span><em><span>Argo</span></em><span>, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, was released. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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