Tony Mendez
Encyclopedia
Tony Mendez is a former CIA
technical operations officer. His job was to support clandestine
and covert CIA operations. He is most famous for the Canadian caper
during the Iran hostage crisis
, when six American diplomats were smuggled out of Iran
by disguising them as a Canadian film crew with team leader CBC cameraman Dennis Packer and passports supplied by the Canadian government.
Prior to joining the agency, Mendez was an artist and now works on art full time. His work in the agency frequently dealt with forging foreign documents, creating disguises and handling other graphical work related to espionage.
Tony Mendez is the author of two books: Master of Disguise (ISBN 0-06-095791-3) and Spy Dust (ISBN 0-06-095791-3), both memoirs of his CIA experiences. Some photos of his works as a CIA chief of disguises was depicted in the January 2005 edition of FHM
magazine.
, a for-profit museum under the guidance of Peter Ernest, another CIA retiree.
His son, Toby Mendez, is a sculptor, having sculpted Nolan Ryan
for Arlington Stadium in Dallas, Texas
, and Thurgood Marshall
for BWI Airport.
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
technical operations officer. His job was to support clandestine
Clandestine operation
A clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed.The United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental...
and covert CIA operations. He is most famous for the Canadian caper
Canadian caper
The "Canadian Caper" was the popular name given to the covert rescue by the Government of Canada of six American diplomats who evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran and taking of embassy personnel as hostages by the Iranians on November 4, 1979.- Sanctuary...
during the Iran hostage crisis
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
, when six American diplomats were smuggled out of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
by disguising them as a Canadian film crew with team leader CBC cameraman Dennis Packer and passports supplied by the Canadian government.
Prior to joining the agency, Mendez was an artist and now works on art full time. His work in the agency frequently dealt with forging foreign documents, creating disguises and handling other graphical work related to espionage.
Tony Mendez is the author of two books: Master of Disguise (ISBN 0-06-095791-3) and Spy Dust (ISBN 0-06-095791-3), both memoirs of his CIA experiences. Some photos of his works as a CIA chief of disguises was depicted in the January 2005 edition of FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
magazine.
Personal life
Mendez is married to Jonna, another CIA chief of disguises and artist. Both Mendez and his wife serve on the Board of Directors for the International Spy MuseumInternational Spy Museum
The International Spy Museum is a privately owned museum dedicated to the field of espionage located within the 1875 Le Droit Building in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across the street from the Old Patent Office Building and one block south of the Gallery Place Metro...
, a for-profit museum under the guidance of Peter Ernest, another CIA retiree.
His son, Toby Mendez, is a sculptor, having sculpted Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
for Arlington Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
for BWI Airport.