Last September, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding Argo after its TIFF debut. Aside from the fact that the film gave almost sole credit to the CIA for the elaborate scheme that got the Americans out of dodge, when Canadian diplomat Ken Taylor was primarily responsible, director Ben Affleck also snubbed Ken by failing to invite him to the première. While the film tells the story of the lucky six who managed to escape the embassy, more than 50 American hostages were at the centre of the global power struggle that lasted for over a year. C.I.A. operative William Daugherty was just 32 years old when he arrived in Tehran on his first foreign posting. The story of how he managed to survive against all odds is finally coming to light in Our Man in Tehran, a documentary featuring the real life heroes of this infamous event.
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The Background
In the late 70’s, Iran was in political turmoil. The Shah’s cruel regime was quickly losing public support, in part because of U.S.-Iranian relations. The Kennedy and Carter administrations’ efforts to cosy up to the Shah, in hopes that he’d become their ally in the Middle East, had not gone unnoticed by civilians. They were displeased to see Iranian money flowing out of the country, as American culture increasingly permeated Tehran. Once exclusively supported by Islamic extremists, the Shah’s rival Khomeini soon began gaining followers of moderates who were desperate for change.
Bill Daugherty’s Story
As an ex-Marine having spent the last eight years flying off of aircraft carriers in Vietnam, Bill was relatively unfazed by the chaos he encountered arriving in Tehran. The Shah’s fall from power was beginning to manifest itself, with protesters wreaking havoc on American businesses. On November 4, 1979, William received word that the embassy grounds had been infiltrated by a group of student rioters, led by Khomeini’s extremists. When the head of security was brought to the embassy’s front door with a gun to his head, diplomatic staff gave up control of the building.
Along with 50 others, William was handcuffed, blindfolded and left for days. During this past TIFF, where Our Man in Tehran had its world premiere, we had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Daugherty to discuss these events with him.
“We very quickly became pawns in this game of seeking power between the Islamists and the so-called-moderates,” Bill explains. “And whoever controlled us actually controlled the government.” In early December, William was brought into a room alone to be interrogated. The leader pulled out a secretive, high-level state document containing his true name and details about C.I.A. coverage operations, including Iranian officials they were targeting for recruitment. “I was really stunned,” Bill recounted. “I looked at the cable, read it, looked up at him and said, ‘Okay, I’m C.I.A.. So what?’ The guy got frustrated with me, threw down the documents and said, ‘Get him out of here.” From that point on, William was subject to frequent interrogations and torture. “I’ve had three back surgeries,” Bill explains. “The last time they put more hardware in than they have at the Home Depot, and I’m telling you that pain wasn’t anywhere near what this was.” After being held in solitary confinement for months, William had the chance to communicate with his fellow hostages through an air vent one night when a guard was asleep. “A number of colleagues on that cell block were really surprised I was still alive,” he explains.
After 444 days in captivity – and just hours after Jimmy Carter was defeated in the Presidential race by Ronald Reagan – Khomeini decided to release the hostages. As he boarded the plane on his way home, Bill had no idea what would be waiting for him. The entire world was watching and celebrating the hostages’ return to American soil. After learning about the yellow ribbon campaign, which had spread throughout the country as a sign of support for the hostages, Bill was overwhelmed, and left feeling speechless for months. Within a year, William was on another dangerous foreign posting for the C.I.A.. For his unshakeable courage, he was ultimately awarded with the State Department Medal of Valor and the C.I.A. Exceptional Service Medal.
To learn more about his story, see Our Man in Tehran, opening theatrically at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto today. Or read William’s autobiography called In the Shadow of the Ayatollah: A CIA Hostage in Iran.
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