Antonio mendez talked about his book the master of disguise. In the first ever memoir by a toplevel operative to be authorized by the cia, antonio j. The jazz is never more dangerous, the potential melodies never sweeter, than the operations and deceptions outlined in antonio mendezs remarkable book, the master of disguise. He invented a fake scifi film called argo from the actual name of the cia mission, a reference to jason and the. Mar 24, 2000 antonio mendez talked about his book the master of disguise. She participated in a number of training exercises, along with tony, which ultimately led to the. Tony mendez, former cia officer portrayed in argo, dead.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the master of disguise. Mendez was born in eureka, nevada, and worked as a plumber and illustrator before joining the cias technical services staff and ultimately becoming their chief of disguise. The escape plot was run by antonio mendez, head of the cias extraction team and a master of disguise. My secret life in the cia ebook written by antonio j. Mendez quotes showing 111 of 11 the trick is that you have to believe the lie and believe it so much that the lie becomes the truth. Like antonio mendez first book, master of disguise, this excellent entry in true espionage is filled with the nuts and bolts of daily intelligence work. My secret life in the cia 9780060957919 by mendez, antonio j and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Antonio mendez is, and presents, the real deal when it comes to life in the clandestine services. The retired, highly decorated chief of disguise for the cia highlights his adventurous 25year career.
The mendezs have written four books, the moscow rules, argo, spy dust, and the master of disguise, which are currently available on this site. Master disguise pb on the 50th anniversary of the cia, antonio j. My secret life in the cia 9780688163020 by antonio j. From the author of argo comes an unforgettable behind the scenes story of espionage in action. For both reasons, i was delighted to discover the master of disguise. Mendez gives an interesting behindthescenes look at what it is like to work for the cia. Broadway shows, and the author of numerous books on magic and historical. He has now retired with his wife to rural maryland, where he pursues his lifelong passion, painting. Mendez said that over the last few years she and her husband had been working on another book, the moscow rules.
The master of disguise the master of disguise audiobook, by antonio j. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Chicago turabian humanities citation style guide mendez, antonio j and malcolm. The book provides a comprehensive history of tony mendezs background in childhood and. Alberto alessi describes what his firm, alessi, stands for and the famous designers with whom he partners. The master of disguise audio cassette 1 november 1999 by antonio j. Mendez was named one of the 50 alltime stars of the spy trade, and was granted exclusive permission to tell his fascinating story.
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 book describes the authors twentyfive year career in the cia, from his. 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. Former cia agent unveils secrets that made him master of. Buy master disguise pb reprint by mendez, antonio j isbn. Jan 19, 2019 tony mendez, the former cia officer who famously supervised the rescue of six american diplomats from iran in 1980 and authored the memoir upon which the 2012 film argo was based, has died. Based on a wired magazine article by joshuah bearman, as well as mendezs own book the master of disguise, argo marks terrios first appearance as an academy award nominee.
These books are highly recommended reading for new recruits in the us intelligence community, and are part of the curriculum at universities and in the intelligence community. Preface i decided to write this memoir in september 1997, when the. Nevada man details his years as master of disguise for the. The master of disguise gives us a privileged look at what really happens at the highest levels of international espionage. Both books are recommended reading for new recruits. Tony mendez, the former cia officer who famously supervised the rescue of six american diplomats from iran in 1980 and authored the memoir upon which the 2012 film argo was based, has died. My secret life in the cia, was published by william morrow in november 1999 on the tenth anniversary of the wall coming down in berlin. This book was a fascinating look behind the scenes of the cia in the 60s through 80s, a world of dead drops, micro dots. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. Booklist an endlessly fascinating book, one that spy buffs will return to again and. Mendez came up with an idea so daring and potentially foolish that it seemed destined for hollywood.
The secret cia tactics that helped america win the cold war, to be. Two masters of disguise reveal the tools and operations. And the remainder of this book vetted by the agency is, in one sense, a justification of that claim. He takes credit for creating and deploying many of the most innovative techniques in the espionage trade. Antonio tony mendez, former cia officer portrayed in argo. 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. My secret life in the cia 9780060957919 by mendez, antonio j and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at. Jonna mendez is a former chief of disguise with over twentyfive years of experience as a cia officer working in moscow and other sensitive areas.
Antonio mendez is, and presents, the real deal while i was researching the cia background for my debut thriller, hunter, i devoured a host of books written by former agency officers. How the cia and hollywood pulled off the most audacious rescue in history by mendez, antonio, baglio, matt isbn. My secret life in the cia 1999, with malcolm mcconnell, a memoir of his cia experiences. He is an awardwinning painter and the author of the master of disguise and spy dust, which he cowrote with his wife jonna mendez, also a retired intelligence officer. He was an award winning painter with an international reputation. Mendez was the mastermind of the operation to free american embassy personnel trapped in iran as seen in the movie argo. Working as a chief of disguise, mendez and his workers helped secret agents remain secret through creating false documents and disguises, according to a biography for his first book, the master. Former chief of disguise for the cia, jonna mendez, explains how disguises are used in the cia, and what aspects to the deception make for an effective disguise.
The master of disguise is, in fact, a master of deception, and mendezs true stories of his cia operations are inspiring lessons in illusion. Learn more about the moscow rules, the most recent of their four books. From the author of argo comes an unforgettable behindthescenes story of espionage in action. Mendez reveals the cunning tricks and insights that helped save hundreds from deadly situations. Here, mendez gives a privileged look at what really happens in his field and behind closed doors of the highest levels of international espionage. The moscow rules book antonio and jonna mendez matt baglio. In 1963, she graduated from high school in wichita, kansas and went on to attend college at wichita state. A conversation about cellphone design with frank nuovo of nokia. Former cia operative explains how spies use disguises. Mendez wrote four nonfiction memoirs, two with his wife including. Antonio mendez and his future wife jonna were cia operatives working to spy on moscow in the late 1970s, at one of the most dangerous moments in the cold. Book signing for his new book, the master of disguise. The trick is that you have to believe the lie and believe it so much that the lie becomes the truth. Aug 30, 2002 author antonio mendez talked about his new book, the master of disguise.
He is the author of the new york times bestselling argo, the master of disguise, and spy dust. He responded to audience telephone calls, faxes and electronic mail. Antonio tony mendez, former cia officer portrayed in. The master of disguise, site of tony and jonna mendez, former cia intelligence officers with 52 years of combined service. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. See all 9 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
His cia memoir is rich with detail about operations, tradecraft, and the personal impact of living in a universe of lies, ruses, and manipulations. Entering into the secret service because of his artistic ability, tony mendez became a copier of documents first, then expanded his horizons into disguise to help with surveillance and countersurveillance. Mendez and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Dec 21, 2018 buy master disguise pb reprint by mendez, antonio j isbn. Working as a chief of disguise, mendez and his workers helped secret agents remain secret through creating false documents and disguises, according to a biography for his first book. In addition to writing the master of disguise, mendez and his wife jonna completed another book entitled spy dust chronicling their intelligence exploits in moscow during the last years of the cold war and their budding romance which ended in marriage after mendez retired in 1990. Mendez and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at. The books author and excia agent, antonio mendez, also wrote argo, which wasis, imho, just a.
The book also discusses the stories of the turncoats in the service and those defectors from the other side who lost big. Author antonio mendez talked about his new book, the master of disguise. It should not be a surprise that mendez is something of an amateur magician. My secret life in the cia, published by william morrow. Mendez has focused his energies on painting, on his book, and on spending more time with his wife, also a retired cia agent and former chief of disguise. My secret life in the cia by antonio j mendez online at alibris. Jonna hiestand was born in 1945 in campbellsville, kentucky. Be the first to ask a question about the master of disguise.
As described in the book, it is a life that is messy, frustrating, and in the odd rare moment, filled with coincidences that are all the more satisfying because they are true. This book could be more interesting to read the subject matter has a lot of potential hard to believe the very excitng movie came from the same. Two masters of disguise reveal the tools and operations that helped win the cold war 2003, with jonna mendez and bruce henderson. Mendez is not modest about his considerable accomplishments. Directed by ben affleck, argo tells the story of the canadian caper, the extraction of six hostages by cia agent tony mendez from the 1979 us embassy siege in iran.
625 1329 109 874 280 1572 920 999 1517 231 267 1469 898 1412 277 636 1107 553 556 750 1319 1060 1083 206 948 1248 1275 1194 1152 1425 176 377