Tony Mendez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Mendez |
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Mendez (left) with Jimmy Carter
after the Canadian Caper |
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| Allegiance | United States |
| Active | 1963–1990 |
| Rank | Technical Operations Officer, SIS-2 |
| Operation(s) | Canadian Caper |
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| Birth name | Antonio Joseph Mendez |
| Born | November 15, 1940 Eureka, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2019 (aged 78) Frederick, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | University of Colorado |
Antonio Joseph Mendez (born November 15, 1940 – died January 19, 2019) was an American officer who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was an expert in creating special tools and disguises for secret CIA missions. Mendez wrote four books about his experiences working for the CIA.
Mendez became famous for leading a daring rescue mission called the "Canadian Caper" during the Iran hostage crisis. In January 1980, he helped six American diplomats escape from Iran. He did this by making them pretend to be a Canadian film crew. The Canadian government even gave them special passports to make their cover story believable.
Years later, after secret records were made public, the full story of the mission was shared. A 2007 article in Wired magazine by Joshuah Bearman told the whole tale. This story was later made into the 2012 movie Argo. The film won an Academy Award and was directed by Ben Affleck, who also played Mendez in the movie. Mendez even attended the 70th Golden Globe Awards to talk about the film.
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Early Life and Education
Antonio Joseph Mendez was born in Eureka, Nevada, in 1940. His parents were John George Mendez and Neva June Tognoni. He went to public schools in his hometown. His father had Mexican roots, and his mother had Italian and French family.
Mendez shared in an interview that his father passed away when he was very young. Because of this, he didn't learn to speak Spanish. He also didn't feel very connected to his father's Mexican-American culture.
When Mendez was a teenager, his family moved to Colorado. After finishing high school in Englewood, he went on to study art at the University of Colorado.
Career as a CIA Officer
After college, Mendez continued to work as an artist. His first job was as an illustrator and tool designer for Martin Marietta. This was a big company that built airplanes and spacecraft.
In 1965, Mendez saw an advertisement for a graphic artist. He applied and was hired by the CIA. He became a special artist for the CIA's Technical Services Division. His job was to create fake identity documents and clever disguises. He worked as an officer in different parts of the world, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. He served in the CIA for 25 years.
The Canadian Caper Mission
In 1980, Mendez took part in a very important mission known as the Canadian Caper. He traveled to Iran to rescue six American diplomats. These diplomats had found safety at the Canadian embassy after the U.S. embassy was taken over.
Mendez helped plan a way for the diplomats to escape. They pretended to be a Canadian film crew. The Canadian government helped by giving them passports and other documents to support this cover story. For his brave work in leading this rescue mission, Mendez received the Intelligence Star award on March 12, 1980.
Family Life
Tony Mendez and his first wife, Karen, had three children together. Sadly, Karen Mendez passed away from cancer in 1986. Their son Ian died in 2010. Another son, Antonio Tobias Mendez, became a well-known sculptor.
In the mid-1980s, Mendez worked with Jonna Hiestand Goeser. She was also a CIA officer. They worked together to improve security operations in the Soviet Union and later Russia. After Mendez retired from the CIA in 1990, he and Jonna got married in 1991. They had a son together.
Later Years and Passing
After leaving the CIA in 1990, Mendez and his wife Jonna stayed involved in the world of intelligence. Jonna had also worked for the CIA for 27 years. They both served on the board of directors for the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Mendez also continued his work as an artist.
Mendez wrote four non-fiction books about his experiences. Two of these books were written with his wife, Jonna:
- Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA (1999), written with Malcolm McConnell, tells about his time in the CIA.
- Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War (2003), written with Jonna Mendez and Bruce Henderson.
- Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History (2012), written with Matt Baglio, gives more details about the Canadian Caper.
- The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War (2019), written with Jonna Mendez.
His first book was praised in 2002 by John Hollister Hedley, who used to lead the CIA's Publications Review Board. Hedley called it one of three important memoirs by former CIA officers.
Mendez was also interviewed by film director Errol Morris for a TV show called First Person. He appeared in an episode called "The Little Gray Man."
In 2009, Mendez was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He passed away on January 19, 2019, at the age of 78, due to problems from his illness.
Tony Mendez in Movies and Media
In the early 2000s, information about the Canadian Caper mission became public. A journalist named Joshuah Bearman wrote a detailed article about it in Wired magazine in April 2007.
Bearman's article was later used as the basis for the movie Argo (2012). Ben Affleck directed the film and also played Tony Mendez. The movie went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 2013, Mendez was asked in an interview how he felt about Ben Affleck, who is not Hispanic, playing him in the movie. Mendez explained that because his father died young, he didn't learn Spanish or much about his father's culture. He said, "I don't think of myself as a Hispanic. I think of myself as a person who grew up in the desert."
Images for kids
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Mendez (left) with Jimmy Carter after the Canadian Caper
See also
In Spanish: Tony Mendez para niños
