# The story Argo is based on **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248 "2012-10-09T19:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248/21 "2012-10-12T14:20:01Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Am I the only one who thought this would be about the song “Banned From Argo”? Am I the only one who thought about Jason and the golden fleece? ---
**Author:** ![Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/das_glasperlenspiel/32/2944_2.png) [@Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Das_Glasperlenspiel)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248/22 "2012-10-12T14:55:47Z")
> [@VanIsleScott](#): > > I was in the Canadian navy when the hostages were smuggled out of Iran, we pulled into Eureka Ca and couldn’t spend our money. The local folks there, like most americans everywhere, treated us really good. Walking back to the ship my buddy and I came across two USCG chicks who paid for the room and ‘thanked’ us. > > Eureka, good town Sorta similar thing happened to us - Herr 'spiel and I were stationed in Lahr, Germany and happened to be at the US base in Heidelberg when the news broke. We came back to our car (which had the Canada NATO plates) to find it covered in flowers and thank you notes. If anyone “thanked” him, I don’t want to know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248/23 "2012-10-12T17:50:05Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Let me be the first to say: > \* > “God I feel old…”\* > > The Iranian hostage thing happened when I was in High School, and it dominated the news for over a year (Ted Koppel’s \*\*\*Nightline \*\*\*show started because of it). Though to be fair I recall that the rescue of those six by Canada got almost _ **no** _ press for some reason. Maybe they were afraid that if we gloated too much about it the Iranians would retaliate by killing some Americans and/or Canadians. > > I also seem to recall that billionaire/looney Ross Perot had something to do with the rescue… The Ross Perot thing was different. He had employees stuck in Iran and contracted a retired Green Beret to get them out. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248/24 "2012-10-12T19:48:37Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The Ross Perot thing was different. He had employees stuck in Iran and contracted a retired Green Beret to get them out. Yep - this story: > **[On Wings of Eagles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Wings_of_Eagles)** > > On Wings of Eagles is a 1983 non-fiction thriller written by British author Ken Follett. Set against the background of the Iranian revolution, it tells a story based on the rescue of Paul Chiapparone and Bill Gaylord from prison in Tehran by a team of Electronic Data Systems executives led by retired Col. Arthur D. Simons. > The story, according to Follett, is not fictionalized or a 'non-fiction novel'. > Ross Perot contacted Ken Follett, who was paid by his publisher, to write On Wings of Eagle... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-argo-is-based-on/637248.md?page=1)