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    The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA
    Unavailable
    The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA
    Unavailable
    The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA

    Written by Antonio J. Mendez

    Narrated by John Pruden

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of Argo comes an unforgettable behind-the-scenes story of espionage in action. In the first ever memoir by a top-level operative to be authorized by the CIA, Antonio J. Mendez reveals the cunning tricks and insights that helped save hundreds from deadly situations.

    Adept at creating new identities for anyone, anywhere, Mendez was involved in operations all over the world, from "Wild West" adventures in East Asia to Cold War intrigue in Moscow. In 1980, he orchestrated the escape of six Americans from a hostage situation in revolutionary Tehran, Iran. This extraordinary operation inspired the movie Argo, directed by and starring Ben Affleck.

    The Master of Disguise gives us a privileged look at what really happens at the highest levels of international espionage: in the field, undercover, and behind closed doors.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Audio
    Release dateJan 6, 2014
    ISBN9781452688527
    Author

    Antonio J. Mendez

    Tony Mendez is a retired CIA officer who worked undercover for 25 years, participating in some of the most important operations of the Cold War. He earned the CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit and was chosen as one of 50 officers to be awarded the Trailblazer Medallion. He is an award-winning painter and the author of The Master of Disguise and Spy Dust, which he co-wrote with his wife Jonna Mendez, also a retired intelligence officer. His most recent book is Argo, which tells the story of the operation he ran to rescue six Americans hiding in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran during the hostage crisis. The operation inspired the Warner Brothers feature film of the same name. Mendez currently lives and works in his studios and gallery on his farm in Maryland with his wife.

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    Reviews for The Master of Disguise

    3.5/5

    49 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A couple chapters of this book was the basis for the movie "Argo." I have always been fascinated by tales of spies and espionage, and this is the true story of one of the CIA's finest - an artist by training and inclination, a Cold War spy in action. The story is that of Tony Mendez, told by him and a co-author. Parts that are still classified are glossed over, and it is clear he is only telling what he can. It is not dramatically told, but realistically. I found it fascinating, but it is told very matter-of-factly, not dramatically.
    • 4/5
      Tony Mendez was a struggling graphic artist when he applied for a job at the CIA. At first, he reproduced passports and all sorts of official documents, but eventually ended up supplying spies with costumes and prosthetic makeup disguises straight out of Hollywood. Mendez was the mastermind of the operation to free American Embassy personnel trapped in Iran as seen in the movie ARGO. This book was a fascinating look behind the scenes of the CIA in the 60s through 80s, a world of dead drops, micro dots, double agents, secret codes, fake passports, etc.
    • 2/5
      OK, I read this book because of the movie ARGO. Rather a disappointing read, though. Having lived through the era that he describes (cold war and beyond) it brings back memories. It also makes the Spy Museum in DC much more interesting. It is hard to believe that adults (on all sides of the political, nationalistic fences) played these games in the "defense" of freedom, our way of life, culture, etc. etc.
    • 4/5
      Mendez is in the news again because of the part he played in smuggling six U.S. diplomats out of Iran in early 1980, but don't read this book merely to get that story. Read it because Mendez manages to write 300 pages of fascinating stories without revealing any trade secrets, keeping the suspense up while juggling your curiosity with his pledge to protect classified material. This is a Cold War memoir, one that captures the spirit and attitudes of those times. A true tale well told.
    • 4/5
      This was a neat book. It introduces you to a portion of the CIA that you never knew existed. There was a TV show on a couple of years ago called "The Agency" that featured some of the forgery and disguise work, but I don't know how much of that was real and how much was Hollywood. This book talks about the Cold War and the various ways we collected intelligence against the Soviet Union and vice versa. I wish I could take a look at some of the classified disguise gear that the author mentions. It sounds very interesting. I especially liked this book because it focused more on the support side of life in the CIA as opposed to the 007 James Bond stuff you see in the movies.
    • 4/5
      mendez' book throws a new light on the spy business which has not been exploited very well in other fiction about spycraft - the value of disguise. not since watching 'the killing fields' in which dith pran keeps mumbling 'ankertill brewer' over and over, has the drama of exfiltration been so dramatically portrayed. i found it very interesting to consider the possibilities now open in identity theft and spoofing given the role of hollywood effects artists in disguise anticipating the technology mendez describes (which must already be quite dated). if eddie murphy can do it, the cia could be having a field day. think about it, does anyone know what michael dorn (worf) really looks like?in these days as we chase down individuals in a global 'war' on terrorism, understanding this bag of tricks add a new and fascinating dimension to our thought process. this is a very worthwhile book to consume.