Friday, April 19, 2013
Lee Schatz was one of the six American diplomats hiding for his life during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
If you’ve seen the movie Argo, while watching it you probably experienced an accelerated heart rate and edge of your seat suspense. Severna Park native Lee Schatz doesn’t need to see the film to experience the rush of danger—because he lived it. During the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Schatz, who served as an agricultural attaché, was one of six American diplomats hiding in the homes of Canadian diplomats in Tehran after anti-American protesters overran the U.S. embassy. With a candid and often humorous demeanor, Schatz spoke about this time in history, and his experience to a group of 11th-grade students at The Key School Thursday afternoon. “I knew what I was getting into when I took the job,” Schatz said. “The first few months [I was in…
Friday, April 12, 2013
Lee Schatz, a resident of Severna Park for 22 years, was one of the six American diplomats hiding for his life during the 1979 Iranian crisis.
Severna Park native Lee Schatz, whose role in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis was depicted in the film Argo, will speak at The Key School in Annapolis on April 18. During the crisis, Schatz, who served as an agricultural attaché, was one of six American diplomats hiding in the homes of Canadian diplomats in Tehran after the U.S. embassy was overrun by anti-American protestors. According to an announcement from the Key School, during his visit Schatz will spend the afternoon speaking with an 11th grade American Civilization class. The class is an interdisciplinary course that integrates the study of American literature, history and philosophy. The class will watch Argo as part of their curriculum on diplomatic relations and Jimmy Carter’s …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Lee Schatz, a resident of Severna Park for 22 years, was one of the six American diplomats hiding for his life during the 1979 Iranian crisis as depicted in a new thriller film.
Severna Park resident Lee Schatz said he was “caught up by the tension” in the movie Argo—but he didn’t need the dramatic tension offered by a Hollywood film. He lived it. He survived it. During the 1979 Iranian crisis, Schatz who served as an agricultural attaché, was one of six American diplomats hiding in the homes of Canadian diplomats in Tehran after fleeing the embassy as it was occupied by Iran. “I was one of the six people the CIA worked together with to get out of Iran in 1980 after the hostage crisis began in late 1979,” Schatz said. The details of the rescue are now resurfacing thanks to Argo. The thriller recounts the details of freeing of six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of Iran. The plan to rescue them involved …
