Kenneth Taylor- Canadian Amabassador and American Spy

Kenneth D. Taylor


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kenneth Douglas "Ken" Taylor, OC (born October 5, 1934 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was a Canadian ambassador to Iran. Taylor helped six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis in 1979 by contacting Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark and getting him to issue the Americans Canadian passports to fool the Iranians into believing they were Canadians in a covert operation called the Canadian caper.

Iranian students invaded the United States embassy on November 4, 1979 (Iran hostage crisis). During the riot six Americans managed to escape. They hid for four days before reaching the Canadian embassy where they met Taylor who devised the plan to get them out of Iran safely. The other 52 hostages were released on the last day of U.S. President Jimmy Carter's term in office, in January 1981.

After returning from Iran, Taylor was appointed Canadian Consul-General to New York City. In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and was also awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal that same year.
Taylor completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and has since been honoured with its highest award, the Order of Constantine. He returned to the University of Toronto for several years as the Chancellor of Victoria College. Ken Taylor remains a Canadian citizen. He currently resides in New York.

Taylor would play a crucial role in providing intelligence on the hostage crisis to Canadian and American intelligence agencies.Taylor himself now confirms that the C.I.A. organized the rescue of the diplomats who were hiding in the Canadian embassy, a statement which echoes what former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said about the operation in 1986.

News


Former Canadian Ambassador Admits To Spying For CIA

January 24, 2010

(RFE/RL) -- Canada's former ambassador to Tehran has admitted to spying for the United States and serving as the "de facto CIA station chief" after the U.S. Embassy seizure in 1979.
The former diplomat, Ken Taylor, approved the disclosure in a book published this week and confirmed its details for a story in "The Globe and Mail."

Taylor, who says he also helped plan a possible armed incursion into Iran, was celebrated at the time for his publicly acknowledged role hiding six Americans and helping them escape Tehran in the midst of the Iranian hostage crisis.

He suggested officials expected to keep his role three decades ago under wraps, and told "The Globe and Mail" that he didn't think it would be disclosed "for another 30 years."

The book, "Our Man In Tehran" by Robert Wright, was released on January 23.
Taylor said the arrangement was set up by then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, whereby he would provide the CIA with information from his post at Canada's embassy in Tehran.
In November 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 60 Americans hostage, beginning a 444-day crisis situation to free