On November 5, 1979, in...
Illustration
On November 5, 1979, in the heat of the Iranian revolution, Iranians stormed the American Embassy and took more than seventy hostages. The Ayatollah Khomeini demanded the return of the Shah and his bank accounts from the United States, to where he had fled.
But six Americans somehow had escaped detection. They found refuge at the Canadian Embassy. Two Americans went to live with Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and his wife Pat, and four lived with Canadian immigration official John Sheardown and his wife Zena. As time passed, it became evident that the Americans had to be smuggled out of Iran or be detected.
Fake Canadian passports were obtained for the six Americans, and a plan of escape was devised, calling for the Americans to navigate their way through the Tehran airport and quietly fly home. On January 27, 1980, the plan was put into effect. The Americans safely boarded a plane bound for Frankfurt and freedom. A few hours later, Taylor and the Canadian embassy staff, closed the Canadian embassy and left Iran.
Truly, a story of transfer from a kingdom of darkness into marvelous light.
But six Americans somehow had escaped detection. They found refuge at the Canadian Embassy. Two Americans went to live with Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and his wife Pat, and four lived with Canadian immigration official John Sheardown and his wife Zena. As time passed, it became evident that the Americans had to be smuggled out of Iran or be detected.
Fake Canadian passports were obtained for the six Americans, and a plan of escape was devised, calling for the Americans to navigate their way through the Tehran airport and quietly fly home. On January 27, 1980, the plan was put into effect. The Americans safely boarded a plane bound for Frankfurt and freedom. A few hours later, Taylor and the Canadian embassy staff, closed the Canadian embassy and left Iran.
Truly, a story of transfer from a kingdom of darkness into marvelous light.
