In the midst of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, the C.I.A. initiated one of its most successful publicly known operations. This operation involved the rescue of six American diplomats who had managed to escape the overrun U.S. Embassy. The cover story for this operation was a fake movie. The real-life 2012 movie “Argo” depicted this covert operation, with a single C.I.A. officer named Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck, infiltrating Tehran to rescue the diplomats. However, in reality, the agency sent two officers into Tehran. The C.I.A. has now revealed the identity of the second officer, Ed Johnson, in the season finale of its podcast, “The Langley Files.”
Ed Johnson, a linguist, accompanied Tony Mendez on the flight to Tehran. Their objective was to convince the diplomats to adopt the cover story that they were part of a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a science fiction movie called “Argo.” Johnson and Mendez aided the diplomats with forged documents and safely escorted them through Iranian airport security to bring them back home.
While Ed Johnson’s name was initially classified, the C.I.A. had acknowledged the involvement of a second officer. In his first book, Mendez mentioned being accompanied by a second officer, but he used the pseudonym Julio. An artwork displayed at the C.I.A.’s headquarters depicted a scene from the operation, showing a second officer sitting across from Mendez, their identities concealed. The C.I.A. publicly revealed its role in the successful rescue operation 26 years ago, hoping to highlight a clear success amidst some of the agency’s failed operations worldwide.
Ed Johnson preferred to keep his identity secret until recently. However, his family encouraged him to share his side of the story, recognizing its value to the world. The C.I.A.’s recognition of Johnson’s work meant a lot to his family, and after meeting with them at C.I.A. headquarters, the agency decided to feature his story on their podcast. Unfortunately, due to health issues, Johnson, now 80, was unable to discuss his career on the podcast or with The New York Times.
In delving into the C.I.A.’s classified archives, the agency discovered a prior interview with Johnson, which could be made partially public. Following the release of the movie “Argo,” the C.I.A.’s involvement in the diplomats’ rescue became widely known. The agency had a display on the operation at the C.I.A. museum, featuring various artifacts related to the fake movie cover story, such as the script and business cards of the fictitious production company. The museum did not identify Ed Johnson, but C.I.A. officials highlight his invaluable contribution to the mission.
When the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun by revolutionaries, six diplomats managed to escape and found refuge with Canada’s ambassador. The C.I.A. devised a plan to extract them, and Tony Mendez proposed using a fake movie as the cover. Although single officers were typically utilized in extraction operations, the agency determined that two officers would be required for this rescue mission. Ed Johnson, despite not speaking Persian, had vast expertise in languages and extricating individuals from challenging situations. He played a crucial role in the operation.
During the mission, Mendez and Johnson initially ended up at the Swedish Embassy by mistake but were directed to the Canadian Embassy. Johnson utilized his German language skills to communicate with an Iranian guard and was successfully guided to the correct location. Throughout the operation, Johnson’s linguistic skills came into play. In the oral history, Johnson revealed that the biggest challenge was persuading the diplomats to adopt the cover story as they were inexperienced in deception. However, the diplomats managed to convincingly portray themselves as a film crew, successfully navigating security checks and boarding the plane named Aargau, which reminded Johnson of the crossword puzzle clue featuring Jason and the Argonauts.
In reality, the climax of the operation involved a simple security check at the departure lounge, unlike the suspenseful events portrayed in the “Argo” movie. The diplomats, Mendez, and Johnson smoothly passed through the final checkpoint, with the diplomats staying in character and cracking jokes along the way. This successful operation remains one of the C.I.A.’s most notable achievements.