News

A Canadian diplomat hailed as a hero for his role in the “Canadian
caper” – a 1979 plot in which Canada helped six American diplomats
escape Iran – was a U.S. spy who helped the U.S. plan an armed invasion
into Iran, says a media report.

Former Canadian ambassador to
Iran from 1977 to 1980, Ken Taylor, told the Globe and Mail he was “the
de facto CIA station chief” in Tehran after the U.S. embassy was seized
by students on Nov. 4, 1979. At the time, 63 Americans were taken
hostage.

Taylor told the newspaper this week that “the Iranians
wouldn’t have tolerated it” had his espionage been discovered – “and
the consequences may have been severe.”

His spying was kept a secret by an agreement between the Canadian and the U.S. governments, The Globe reported.