The 2012 film “Argo,” which was based on the successful rescue in 1980 of six Americans in hiding in Tehran following the Iranian takeover of the U.S. Embassy, went on to win the Academy Award for “Best Picture.”
The CIA has revealed what’s fact vs. fiction in the movie:
We love #Argo, @TheAcademy award winning film by @BenAffleck. Today we tell you what’s "reel" vs. "real". pic.twitter.com/QgFC014kUe
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: All involved in the operation were innovative, brave, & creative. Thank you @BenAffleck for making a film that reflects this.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: When the US Embassy is overtaken the 6 US diplomats go right to the Canadian ambassador's residence to live for the 3 months.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: 5 of them went to many different places until they ended up at the homes of the Canadian Ambassador & the Dep. Chief of Mission.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: 1 American slept on the floor of the Swedish embassy before making his way to the Canadian Ambassador’s home after 2 weeks.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Only one CIA officer goes to Tehran to help exfiltrate the six American diplomats. pic.twitter.com/iFEcrBzlyb
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Two CIA officers with notable forgery and exfiltration skills used their talents & knowledge to get the six out of Iran safely.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The CIA officer and the six diplomats go into town to scout locations. pic.twitter.com/2gx2sHjPBO
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: They never went to the marketplace to scout a location. The six hid in the Canadian’s homes for 79 days. pic.twitter.com/szTgt9stvb
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The mission is called off the night before they are scheduled to depart. pic.twitter.com/j4h0at57Sq
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Carter gave approval prior to the CIA team flying to Tehran, Iran. The details were approved by policymakers in Ottawa and DC.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: The night before the exfiltration the team received final approval; last line in that approval: "See you later, exfiltrator."
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Airline tickets are not waiting at the counter and have to be rechecked before the tickets are authorized and confirmed.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: The Canadians had already purchased the tickets for the Americans. There were no issues at the counter nor the checkpoints.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The Americans are detained at the airport by security guards & a call is made back to “Studio Six” to verify their identity.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: It didn’t happen. An early flight was picked so airline officials would be sleepy & Revolutionary Guards would still be in bed.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: Shredded documents are pieced together to reveal the face of one of the Americans & the plane is chased down the runway.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: Skilled carpet weavers did reconstruct shredded documents, but they didn’t reveal one of the Americans at the last moment.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: There was an hour long mechanical delay, other than that the escape could not have gone better. #nochase pic.twitter.com/a0TnVeBgBt
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Reel #Argo: The plane clears Iranian air space and the Americans cheer and celebrate.
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #Argo: That happened; there was even a round of celebratory Bloody Marys. #ThankYouCanada
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #ARGO: For the full firsthand account read: http://t.co/7mkia9HU1Z pic.twitter.com/0JOYK4NalK
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Real #ARGO: An exciting movie that it kept us on the edge of our seats. Letting @BenAffleck film here? Best bad idea we've had. #ThanksBen!
— CIA (@CIA) November 7, 2014
Actor Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad,” who also portrayed Jack O’Donnell in “Argo,” pointed out one the CIA missed while quoting one of the film’s more famous lines:
@CIA reveals REAL vs REEL of #Argo on Buzzfeed. With misspelled prop they could've said "Argo fuck yourself" pic.twitter.com/n4k7R0yzkV
— Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) November 8, 2014
Oops! Add that to the “reel” list, CIA!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member