FILE 013: PART I - The Side of the Argo Mission You’ve Never Heard - Infiltration

PART ONE: INFILTRATION. In this two-part finale of the second season of The Langley Files, Dee and Walter open up the Agency’s vault on one of the most famous declassified CIA operations in history: the plan to rescue six Americans stranded in hostile post-1979 Iran, under the cover of scouting for a film called “Argo.” The first twist: the most commonly understood version of these events is missing a key piece of the picture. When CIA master of disguise Tony Mendez snuck into Iran to exfiltrate the six Americans, he didn’t go in alone: a second CIA officer went in with him. The officer’s identity and role have never been revealed—until now. On this episode of The Langley Files, you’ll hear the inside story of this mission from a CIA historian, from the director of the CIA museum—and, for the first time ever, from that previously-unknown hero of the Argo operation himself.
 
Look Inside FILE 013

Want to dive deeper into this two-part episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:

For an overview of the ARGO operation, check out this story.

 

Want to see some of the artifacts from ARGO operation for yourself? Watch The Debrief: Behind the Artifact - ARGO.

 

For additional details on these unique ARGO artifacts, check out what the CIA Museum showcases on our website.

 

Can you find the references to ‘Julio’? Now you know the identity of the previously unidentified second CIA officer who joined Tony Mendez on the Argo operation, chronicled here by Tony himself.

 

The skills of the CIA officers who worked to exfiltrate those six Americans continue to live on in today’s CIA. Check out FILE 012 for an exclusive conversation with two currently serving CIA disguise specialists.

 

Interested in the art of disguise? See a piece of CIA disguise history with this disguise kit. 

Curious about some of the occupations CIA has to offer? Check out our website CIA.gov for more information.