{"product_id":"argo-how-the-cia-and-hollywood-pulled-off-the-most-audacious-rescue-in-history-9780147509734","title":"Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe true account of a daring rescue that inspired the film \u003ci\u003eARGO\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, sparking a 444-day ordeal and a quake in global politics still reverberating today. But there is a little-known drama connected to the crisis: six Americans escaped. And a top-level CIA officer named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them before they were detected. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDisguising himself as a Hollywood producer, and supported by a cast of expert forgers, deep cover CIA operatives, foreign agents, and Hollywood special effects artists, Mendez traveled to Tehran under the guise of scouting locations for a fake science fiction film called \u003ci\u003eArgo\u003c\/i\u003e. While pretending to find the perfect film backdrops, Mendez and a colleague succeeded in contacting the escapees, and smuggling them out of Iran.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAntonio Mendez finally details the extraordinarily complex and dangerous operation he led more than three decades ago. A riveting story of secret identities and international intrigue, \u003ci\u003eArgo\u003c\/i\u003e is the gripping account of the history-making collusion between Hollywood and high-stakes espionage. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAntonio Mendez\u003c\/b\u003e served in the CIA for twenty-five years and is a highly decorated CIA officer, one of the top 50 officers in its first 50 years and a recipient of the Intelligence Star for Valor for the ARGO operation. The author of \u003ci\u003eThe Master of Disguise \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Spy Dust, \u003c\/i\u003eMendez lives with his family in rural Washington County, Maryland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatt Baglio\u003c\/b\u003e has worked for a variety of news organizations and magazines. Author ofthe bestselling \u003ci\u003eThe Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist\u003c\/i\u003e, he divides his time between California and Italy.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50318171996434,"sku":"9780147509734","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b064c892-d237-4947-9256-c72899b9eede.jpg?v=1727549837","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/argo-how-the-cia-and-hollywood-pulled-off-the-most-audacious-rescue-in-history-9780147509734","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}