Canadian Museum of History acquires Iranian hostage crisis collection

Canadian Museum of History has acquired a rich collection of video, audio and documents from when our country moved to centre stage during an international crisis.

The museum now holds the Les Harris collection, which includes film and audio reels, interviews and documents related to the “Canadian Caper," when the Canadian government helped six Americans flee Iran during the 1980 hostage crisis. The story was the basis for the Oscar-winning movie Argo.

In 1979 student protesters overran the American embassy in Tehran taking dozens of diplomatic staff hostage and holding them for over a year. Six Americans fled to the Canadian embassy at the start of the crisis and were sheltered there until a plan was developed to help them escape.

Les Harris was a filmmaker, who shot three documentaries and one docudrama on the incident.

Olivier Côté, curator of the new collection, said it was an important event that made people notice Canada.

“It shows Canada played an important role in a world event,” he said. “Canada has always been a middle power in a way, but this time Canada was at the forefront.”

Côté said the collection includes interviews with all of the major players in the incident, as well as a photo of the Americans at the Canadian Ambassador’s home.

“It’s the only known photograph of the Americans while they were hiding.”

There has been some debate about the role of Canadians versus the Central Intelligence Agency in the rescue effort.

Côté said because all of these interviews were done before the CIA’s role was public knowledge the collection might not help answer that question, but it is a good part of the debate.

The museum purchased the collection and an appraisal is currently underway to determine the final price.