Voting Station

Ken Taylor

Please vote to return to collections.

Diplomat

The Resume

    (May 10, 1934-October 15, 2015)
    Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Canadian ambassador to Iran (1977-80)
    Sheltered six Americans who had avoided being captured when Iranian students seized the US embassy
    With the CIA, arranged for their escape in the guise of members of a Canadian film crew scouting locations
    Received the Order of Canada and the Congressional Gold Medal
    Portrayed by Victor Garber in the Oscar-winning film 'Argo' (2012)

Why he might be annoying:

    He scouted landing sites for Operation Eagle Claw -- the unsuccessful Delta Force attempt to rescue the hostages from the US embassy -- without bothering to inform the Canadian government.
    He initially opposed the CIA plan to disguise the Americans as a film crew, preferring to mix them in among Canadians who were leaving Iran.
    He kvetched a lot that 'Argo' downplayed the Canadian role in the hostages' escape and focused too much on the CIA.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and Patricia Lee were married for 55 years.
    He personally sheltered two of the Americans in his home. (The other four stayed in the home of another Canadian diplomat, John Sheardown.)
    He arranged for the Americans to receive false Canadian passports and other documents.
    To test airport security procedures, he sent embassy staffers on unnecessary flights from Tehran.
    His complaints about 'Argo' resulted in one change: a postscript implying that the CIA let him take credit for political reasons was changed to read, 'The involvement of the CIA complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day the story stands as an enduring model of international co-operation between governments.'
    In the wake of the 'Argo' controversy, Jimmy Carter said, 'Ben Affleck's character was only in Tehran a day and a half. The main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor who orchestrated the entire process.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 83 Votes: 43.37% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 199 Votes: 49.25% Annoying