Our Man In Tehran Sparknotes

The Iranian Islamic Revolution took place during 1979. The people of Iran under the influence of Ayatollah Khomeini came together to enforce Islamic laws in Iran and dethrone the Shah. Many countries participated in the revolution including Canada and America. America created a bad reputation for themselves when they favoured the Shah, whom Iran was against. This encouraged several Iranian students to oppose America by holding the people in their embassy hostage**(rephrase). Out of those hostages, six had managed to escape from Iran by the help of a Canadian ambassador who risked his life in taking them in. Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador, was a hero to America due to his courageous effort to rescue several Americans from the U.S embassy

after the Islamic revolution in Iran.
The revolution in Iran created an antagonistic relationship with the U.S, which caused the U.S. to be in a hostage crisis during the revolution. Ruhollah Khomeini was an Ayatollah, which is an Islamic leader that holds the highest level of knowledge in the religion of Islam**(incomplete sentence). He had a reputation for disagreeing with the views of the Shah, and made several bold speeches against the shah (Wright 22). These speeches sparked interest and passion within the Iranians and soon the majority of the country was in support of the Ayatollah. The shah had plans of westernizing Iran because he was inspired by America (Farber 62). At that time, the president of America was a man named Jimmy Carter, who had a close and friendly relation with the Shah. When the Iranians finally overthrew the Shah, they exiled him from the country. Upon hearing this news, Jimmy Carter publicly invited the Shah to seek sanctuary in America (Farber 120). Little did he know that this angered many Iranians as they believed that America was keeping the Shah in power for all those years, and decided to keep some Americans from the embassy hostage**(reword). This became known as the “Hostage Crisis.”
The hostage crisis was a defensive act for Iranians to protect their revolution from American interference (Ken Taylor Daily Telegraph). Iran’s distaste in America became quite clear to America and the rest of the world. Ayatollah Khomeini even said himself that he thought the president of America was the most repulsive human being ever (Wright 23). Iran’s attitude towards America made everyone turn away in fear and abandon the hostages. Everyone except Ken Taylor. When the six Americans escaped the embassy, they roamed the streets in hopes of finding some security or shelter. **Luckily, The Canadian embassy came through in the end and Ken Taylor took the hostages in and helped them escape Iran (Ken Taylor daily Telegraph). Ken Taylor's efforts in aiding the hostages to safely escape truly show how much of a hero he is to America. Firstly, he risked his life by keeping the hostages hidden for 79 days while initiating a plan on getting the hostages out (Ken Taylor daily Telegraph). He even received a phone call asking if they knew the whereabouts of the American escapees (Wright 194). Taylor also did a huge favour for America by sending information on the crisis and the U.S embassy when it was dominated by the Iranian students (Wright 148). He endured obstacles to just confirm a rumour of the hostages being moved to the infamous Evin Prison (Wright 148). He contacted several ambassadors and Iranians to confirm this information, and then sent it to Ottawa, where it was later forwarded to the white house (Wright 148). Another thing Ken Taylor had done that shows his undeniable efforts was arranging the 6 escapees with fake Canadian passports and forged Iranian visas created by the CIA so that they can flee (Globe and Mail “Canadian caper”). In addition, he would send some of his staff on unnecessary flights out of Iran, to establish a travel pattern (Rhodan n.p). Thanks to Taylor's efforts the six Americans flew out of Tehran to Zurich with no problems at all.
The hostage crisis and Ken Taylor's hard work did not go unnoticed by the media.

There were many news articles and stories written talking about the hostage crisis. Many people were inspired by Ken Taylor’s heroic work in Iran, and created books, documentaries, and movies on his story. "Our Man in Tehran" is a book written by Robert wright that contains all the details on the hostage crisis and Ken Taylor's involvement in Iran. The book included the specific details on what he had done to accomplish his goals, his personality, and even the positive comments people had about him. This quote from the book exhibits Ken Taylor’s charisma, “He was a very skilled and well-regarded diplomat. No one with those qualities would have gone to a situation like Tehran.” (Wright 5) A documentary was also created based on that book which highlighted Ken Taylor’s role in Iran and how he had resolved the hostage crisis. It aired in 2013 and won five screen awards; best documentary, best direction in documentary, best photography, best picture editing, and best sound (Wikipedia “Our Man in Tehran”). These awards portray the Canadian hero in a positive light. Another form of media that recognizes the hardships of the Canadian ambassador was the Oscar award winning film, Argo. The film was created by famous celebrity Ben Affleck and talks about Iran and the hostage crisis; however, Ken Taylor’s role in the movie was not significant and gave less credit, but through criticism and comments made showed that people still believed that Ken Taylor deserved much more credit than what he was given. Former president Jimmy Carter was one of the many people who addressed and corrected Ken’s characterization in the movie by saying, “The main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor, who was the Canadian Ambassador who orchestrated the entire process” (“Ken Taylor Daily

Telegraph”).
When the 6 hostages returned safely to America Ken Taylor became somewhat of a celebrity. His courageous efforts in keeping the Americans safe was publicized and had many honorary mentions, medals, acts of kindness, and gained recognition. In America, Canadian flags were being flown everywhere and many billboards held a “Thank You Canada!” sign to show their appreciation of him saving their people (Gervais “Windsor Star”). Ken Taylor arrived home in Canada and met many Canadian Officials, reporters, and journalists that were all waiting on his arrival hoping for more information on the hostage crisis and his hard work (Wright 292). Many Canadians in America were also being treated with free meals from thankful restaurants who wanted to join in expressing their appreciation for their northern friend (Wright 298). These acts of appreciation from America are usually done for people who have done well to their country and made a significant impact. The Mayor of New York also gave Taylor the keys to the city along with other cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas which is another way to honour a hero that had a notable impact on the community (Wright 309). There was a news article in the Toronto Star that quoted, “ The performance of Ambassador Ken Taylor…shows precisely those qualities all of us would most wish to find in our country’s representatives abroad: skill, courage and compassion” (Wright 298). Ken Taylor showed these qualities in times of hardships and risks which further prove how much of a hero he is. In 1961 President Ronald Reagan presented Ken Taylor with the congressional gold medal, a medal that is rarely given to foreigners and is one of the highest civilian awards in the U.S. (Wright 336). This medal is awarded to people who performed achievements and made an impact on American History. Ronald Reagan presented in his speech that he was honouring act of courage and thanking Ken Taylor of his efforts in saving the Americans (Wright 337). All these mentions on Ken Taylor outline his outstanding brave personality and emphasize his valiant achievements in Iran, which makes him a hero in the eyes of the Americans.
There is no denying that America sees the Canadian Ambassador, Ken Taylor as a hero for his dauntless efforts in rescuing Americans from the U.S embassy when they were held hostage. His achievements made a great impact on America’s history and were shown through the amount of effort he put in saving the Americans, the media’s representation of him, and all the recognition that he gained when the crisis was over. Ken Taylor’s work in Iran gave a positive image upon Canadians and gave them pride. His personality always instilled a sense of hope in times of situations. This particular diplomat created a friendly and positive relationship to Canada’s neighbour below through his compassionate actions and determination. Ken Taylor is a hero to both Canada and America and as Former prime minister stephen harper said, “ Ken Taylor represented the very best that Canada’s foreign service has to offer” (Globe and Mail “Ken Taylor dies at age 81).