97:, who apprised the Canadian government. Approval was quickly given. Sheardown and his wife Zena hid three of the Americans (Anders and married couple Cora Amburn-Lijek and Mark Lijek) in their rented 20-room home for 79 days at great personal risk, while Taylor sheltered two others (couple Joseph and Kathleen Stafford). On November 27, Taylor received a call from the Swedish ambassador
101:, asking him to take in American Lee Schatz. Schatz had been staying with a Swedish diplomat, but the Swedish ambassador felt he could better impersonate a Canadian. Taylor agreed, and placed Schatz in the Sheardown residence. The Sheardowns left Tehran days before the CIA smuggled the six Americans out of the country under fake Canadian passports on January 27, 1980.
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A group of five
Americans had escaped capture. After hiding for six days, one of them, Robert Anders, telephoned Sheardown, a friend he had played tennis with, for help. Sheardown immediately contacted his superior, Ambassador
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called to personally apologize to the
Sheardowns for having to leave them out due to plot and time constraints, stating in a later interview, "It really did break my heart a bit."
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Sheardown was married twice. He and his first wife, Kathleen Benson, divorced. He was married to his second wife, Zena Khan, from 1975 until his death in
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and other ailments. He was also survived by two sons, Robin and John Jr.; daughter
Jacqueline; and various grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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He later worked for the
Canadian immigration service, beginning around 1962, then in the foreign service for 27 years, retiring in 1989.
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27:(October 11, 1924 – December 30, 2012) was a Canadian diplomat who played a leading role in the "
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John and Zena
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began; 52 American diplomats and civilians were taken hostage by
Iranians in
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184:"John Sheardown, Canadian Who Sheltered Americans in Tehran, Dies at 88"
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For his part in the
Canadian Caper, Sheardown was made a member of the
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personally sheltered
Americans hiding in Iran during the
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about the
Canadian Caper was released in 2012, director
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235:"Obituary: John Sheardown was a diplomat, daredevil"
348:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II
16:Canadian diplomat known for the Canadian Caper
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118:Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper
264:"Ken Taylor and the Canadian Caper"
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338:Members of the Order of Canada
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81:On November 4, 1979, the
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143:Personal life and death
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20:John Vernon Sheardown
313:Canadian expatriates
333:Iran hostage crisis
318:Expatriates in Iran
153:Alzheimer's disease
83:Iran hostage crisis
37:Iran hostage crisis
31:". He and his wife
308:Canadian diplomats
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217:. January 8, 2013.
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303:2012 deaths
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137:Ben Affleck
292:Categories
278:2017-05-03
159:References
95:Ken Taylor
43:Early life
149:Ottawa
87:Tehran
51:(now
132:Argo
125:and
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