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He describes the undercover mission to rescue six Americans
Tony Mendez, the retired CIA spy who inspired the Academy Award-winning film "Argo," discusses the film's Oscar win and describes the undercover mission to rescue six Americans from Iran. The report will be broadcast Tuesday, Feb. 26, on the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" (6 p.m.), on the CBS Television Network.
In 1997, Mendez revealed the rescue mission for the first time in an interview with CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin. In Tuesday's report, Mendez, who was portrayed by Ben Affleck in "Argo," tells Martin about his experience at the Oscars this weekend and provides insight on the fake production he used as a cover in 1980 to smuggle six Americans out of Iran.
"It's like robbing banks, except in our case, we had to make it look like the money was still there," Mendez tells Martin.