I rescued Argo hostages in my orange Austin Maxi with a GB sticker on the back...

The Daily Mail ^ | 3-3-13 | Martin Williams

[afraidfortherepublic]

Martin Williams was a First Secretary at the British Embassy in Iran when militants invaded the US Embassy in November 1979, taking 52 hostages and sparking an international crisis that lasted 14 months.

In his Oscar-winning film Argo, director and star Ben Affleck tells how six American diplomats hid in the Canadian Ambassador’s house in Tehran until the CIA arranged an ingenious escape plan – after they had been callously turned away when they sought shelter at the British Embassy.

Here Mr Williams, 71, who later was High Commissioner to Zimbabwe and New Zealand, says this is a gross misrepresentation of the part he and other British representatives played in rescuing five members of the group from anti-Western mobs roaming the streets .  .  .

IT WAS on a cold evening in January that my wife Sue and I set off from our home in Kent to watch Argo at the Odeon in Earls Court, West London. We had arranged to meet several colleagues who had also served in Tehran and were, naturally, looking forward to seeing how the film would depict what had been a significant and dramatic time in our lives.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Pictures at source.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Honoured: Martin, with his wife after receiving the OBE in 1980, says he is upset by the film's 'inaccurate representation'

[MuttTheHoople]

If we’d have sent in a rescue force within a week of the hostage takeover, Jimmy Carter would’ve been reelected in a landslide. The new Iranian government was terrified that they had wakened a sleeping giant when the “students” took the hostages. Their fear turned to glee when they realized that Jimmah was a complete pu$$y.

[Oratam]

Don't get your striped pants in a twist. It's just a movie, Mr Williams.

No knighthood at 71 after a lifetime of service? I'd say Her Majesty's government agrees with Mr Affleck.

[al_c]

What? Hollywood rewrote history? I’m shocked! /s

[Venturer]

For many Americans the only history they learn is from mpovies. They should be a litle bit accurate.

[Fzob]

Bump for a great story

[Truth29]

"If we’d have sent in a rescue force within a week of the hostage takeover, Jimmy Carter would’ve been reelected in a landslide. The new Iranian government was terrified that they had wakened a sleeping giant when the “students” took the hostages. Their fear turned to glee when they realized that Jimmah was a complete pu$$y."

Absolutely correct and Obama is inviting the same type of attack and disaster with his appeasement and encouragement of the Muslim Brotherhood and arming of Al Qaeda.

[MuttTheHoople]

He already tried it at Benghazi. If it wasn’t for two former Navy SEALS who kicked some serious ass before getting killed, there’d have been about 30-40 American hostages.

[Robert DeLong]

No, it is a movie supposedly based on facts. I can understand clearly why Mr. Williams wants to set the record straight. On the other hand I can understand why the film worngly depicts British involvement. The fact that the British chose to not trumpet what thet had done means no one would have know these facts when creating the movie. Though I am not sure where they got the "facts" that the British out-an-out refused to help.

I for one am relieved to know that British diplomats did not just turn their backs on our people in this time of need.

[Robert DeLong]

Also, he was the recipient of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Awrad, so I doubt the British Empire agrees with Ben Affleck. I know I can’t stand the creep.

[heylady]

“Don’t get your striped pants in a twist. It’s just a movie, Mr Williams”

Ben is that you? Unfortunately I have know too many people that believe everything that Hollywood feeds them. The movie is either true or it isn’t. You do notice that the disclaimer says BASED on true events. Being familiar with Clooney and Affleck I am more inclined to go along with the British version of events.

I grew up right after WWII and all I saw were movies depicting Americans fighting. It wasn’t until recently after watching Foyle’s War, a British production, that I understood the great sacrifice the British people made during the WWII.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I took them to my home, where Sue and Maria cooked pasta, with a sauce of ham, mushrooms and tomato

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

One of my favorite British delicacies.

[silverleaf]

Did you even read his account?
That diplomat, his wife and all the other Brit diplomats and employees involved - and few other foreign nationals (Swedish ambassy, Thai cook) were all damn HEROES.
So what prompted Ben Affleck and his people, including producer George Clooney, to portray the Brits in such a derogatory way, I don’t know. If the film had portrayed what they did, it might have added even more dramatic tension

And this man is a gentlemen and true diplomat (a dying breed) who kept his mouth shut all these years to avoid stirring up trouble in UK-Iranian relations and endangering other Brits with an Iranian govt headed by one of those “student” islamist extremist kidnappers - Achmadinejad
That is what “classified” information is about. Keeping secrets.

So why did Cooney and Affleck make a movie “based on fact” that included an inaccurate gratuitous slur against brave allies? Its holywod- it guess we should expect no less than constant agendas in place of history

[silverleaf]

It has already started in Benghazi and in Algeria

Any loose cannon, civilian- diplomat murdering hostage-taking islamists out there want to embarrass the Great Satan, make headlines and diminish our national image in the muslim world by showing that sock monkey and our diplomats groveling to their murder and terror done to honor the “religion of peace”

Now is the time! The formerly greatest defender of freedom on Earth is now led by a manchild hostile to his own people, their nation, their values and US history

The so-called Free World is now led by a sock puppet who will send Mr Pompous John effin’ Kerry over to any foreign nation on earth to sympathize with the “freedom fighter” and apologize for Americas way of life, prosperity, and strength that make the 3rd world so upset

[PeteePie]

Why you ask? Could it be that Ben and George, Obamatans that they are, oblige themselves of the same disdain for the British that comes from this bit of history:

Onyango Obama, believed to be born in 1895, was a member of the Luo tribe who worked for years as a servant for white colonialists in Kenya. His son, the first Barack Hussein Obama, was the future president’s father. Onyango Obama was described as a strong-willed and stern man, abusive of the multiple women he would marry over his lifetime.

Ever notice how scum on the top of a pond attracts and bonds to other clumps of scum until it covers the whole surface?

[jaz.357]

30-40 American hostages?

Has ANYONE of them seen or heard from?

Who, WHERE are they?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Forget it, Jake. It's Ben Affleck.

[mtnwmn]

The movie Argo was terrible. Cannot believe it won an Oscar for Best Picture!!

[binreadin]

Iranian ambassador was on CNN today and predictably slammed the film, which I was ready to simply chuckle over, but then he went into detail about how the producer didn’t even take the time to insure the Farsi language was used appropriately. He mentioned a few other, non-political mistakes that should have been caught. I’m not ordinarily inclined to give the Iranians a lot of credence when they put down Americans, but this fellow had a few good points in his Argo criticism. Sloppy and dishonest in a film that purports to be based on facts is, in my mind, unforgivable.

[Moltke]

The Daily Mail feigns outrage over a gross misrepresentation?

Oh, the irony!

[the scotsman]

Austin Maxi:

http://davefarmersblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/800px-austin_maxi_1980.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Maxi

[Verginius Rufus]

I had the good fortune, many years ago, to see the movie Mrs. Miniver, and learned that the Brits were also involved in WWII.

Maybe Clooney and Affleck are dissing the Brits because they won't let the Argentinians have the Malvinas, or is it the Maldives, back. After all, they are Hispanics so we are supposed to consider them the good guys.

[afraidfortherepublic]

That’s hard to miss, isn’t it?

[CodeToad]

No kidding, it was terrible.

*** PLOT SPOILERS ***

Highlight the following text between the lines below to read my comments.

---

The movie built up the whole idea that the hostages would be questioned later on their fake identities, yet, nothing later in the movie of them having been questioned at all.

Since when do vehicles travel at take off speed of a 747, which is around 170mph? That chase scene was just plain dumb.

The entire movie production studio had but one scene later of any significance when they simply answered the phone. All that work up in the movie for the movie production office just for that? Weak, just plain weak.

---

Really, it was a terrible movie. No real character development or plot development to speak of.

[the scotsman]

My uncle had one. Ugly car.

[the scotsman]

If it took film and TV to make you aware that Britain fought in two world wars, and the immense sacrifice and contribution we made, one has to ask:

‘god almighty, whats in the history you are taught?’.

[heylady]

god almighty, whats in the history you are taught?’.

WWII was the last section in our History books but we never seemed to have time in the school year to cover it. There is little difference between the reporting in WWII and our current conflicts in the Middle East. If you don’t pay very, very close attention you would think that it was only Americans fighting over there.

[Rebelbase]

What year did you graduate High School?

I only ask because we had some employees who graduated in the late 90’s who had no clue who Stalin or Mao were.

[heylady]

1966

[Trailerpark Badass]

As an example, from the brief period I spent in public (govt) schools, I would have thought the Founding Fathers were George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, and Cesar Chavez.

And that was 40 years ago.

[Verginius Rufus]

Good grief. I didn't think I needed to insert a sarcasm tag.

I don't know when I first became aware of the British role in WWII, but I was reading history on my own at least by second grade, long before I had it as a subject in school in fourth grade. My high school history course only got as far as the 1930s and I don't think any of my college history courses got as far as the 20th century. My mother had a large dictionary which included maps--one showed Europe as of shortly after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 which they had tried to bring up-to-date. I'm sure I had heard of Munich, Hitler, Churchill, Dunkirk, etc., when I was still in grade school.

My father was a WWII veteran but fought in the Pacific Theater (Guam, Okinawa), not in Europe.

[Rebelbase]

My sarcasm meter has been off lately. I didn’t realize you were being factious about not knowing Britain was our ally in WWII until recently.

[the scotsman]

On this site, and sadly dealing with people Stateside, I cant assume anything, sorry.

Your Dad was/is a hero. If he still alive, thank him for me.

[dennisw]

not bothering with that stupid Argo movie which is about Hollywood’s favorite subject. Itself, and how clever and fantastic they are

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Since when has Hollywood ever portrayed Britain in a positive light? Britain and the British have been their favourite resource pool for drawing baddies from since day one. If they aren’t out and out villains, they’re supercilious idiots and fools who ignore the advice of the quick-witted American hero and get themselves and others killed as a result...