The irancontra scandal of 198687 was one of the most promi. It becomes clear that the iran contra affair was allowed to mature through several major foreignpolicy errors. National security archive electronic briefing book no. At the center of the discussion of the irancontra scandal in the three decades since. Neither a conspiracy theory nor unproven, this book highlights the obscene lack of attention given by the press to the government admissions of culpability in the iran contra affair. Irancontra affair print article world book student. A candid inside story of the iran contra hearings 1989 former senators william s. The contras were fighting the leftist nicaraguan government headed by the. Men of zeal a candid inside story of the iran contra hearings. Senate mkultraera hearings in 1977 it took the deaths of millions of people to secure our freedoms in america, but it only took the death of 2,752 1 people on 911 to surrender our rights to the new world order.
The contra operations from 1984 through most of 1986 involved the secret governmental support of contra military and paramilitary activities in nicaragua, despite congressional prohibition of this support. The iran contra affair of 19841987 was not one, but two separate covert foreign policy issues concerning two different problems, in two separate countries, that were dealt in two very different ways. The hidden government group linking jfk, watergate, iran. Iran contra affair iran contra affair is the name of a major united states foreign policy scandal in the 1980s. Despite some flaws in the writing style, this book is a terrific read. The iran contra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal. Theodore drapers very thin line is a neardefinitive and still. Country and orders above all, new york times, july 8, 1987, ab. Specifically, it will discuss what the iran contra affairs were, how they developed, how they were discovered, the congressional hearings, and the aftermath of the affairs. The iran contra affair was really a series of covert operations initiated by the reagan administration and carried out first by the cia and then the nsc. According to staff members of the senate foreign relations committee, which will oversee kimmitts con firmation hearings, a dossier is being prepared by the general counsel. Pdf during the iran contra hearings the following exchange occurred between lewis a. The reagan administration repeatedly denied any involvement. The irancontra affair and the cold war tufts digital library.
Two tales of human rights chapter 6 reagan, congress, and. In the case of the jfk assassination, i wish to focus on two men who functioned as part of the communications network of the office of emergency planning oep, the agency renamed in 1968 as the office of emergency preparedness to which mccord was attached, and renamed again in 1982 as the national program office for which oliver north was the action officer. The american deep state, deep events, and offthebooks. Secrecy in the irancontra affair as an effect of power isu red. The iran contra scandal of 198687 was one of the most promi. This electronic briefing book is compiled from declassified documents obtained by the national security archive, including the notebooks kept by nsc aide and iran contra figure oliver north, electronic mail messages written by highranking reagan administration officials, memos detailing the contra war effort, and fbi and dea reports.
In the televised iran contra hearings, north was asked by congressman brooks to discuss the alleged contingency plan to suspend the american constitution. Dec 04, 2006 questions about his involvement in the iran contra scandal scuttled his first nomination to head the cia, in 1987. The robert gates file the national security archive. December 19, 1986 at the request of attorney general meese, a three judge panel appoints lawrence walsh, a former judge and deputy attorney general in the eisenhower administration, to be the independent counsel. Senate foreign relations committees subcommittee on terrorism, narcotics, and international operations, chaired at the time by senator john kerry, held a series of hearings from 1987 to 1988 on drug cartels and drug money laundering in south and central america and the caribbean. Investigating irancontra louis fisher1 e arly in the 1980s, the reagan administration initiated a supposedly secret war against the sandinista government in nicaragua. Irancontra investigation day part 1 felix rodriguez answered questions about his discussion of the contra supply network with donald gregg, an aide to vice july 24, 1987. One staffer told eir that the kimmitt hearings might. The ensuing iran contra hearings before a joint house senate committee examined issues of possible illegality as well as the broader question of defining american foreign policy interests in the middle east and central america. House and senate committees deliver opening statements in the hearings. The irancontra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal.
Inouye, during the iran contra hearings and former chair, u. Irancontra affair definition, history, oliver north. The operations were 1 the sale of military equipment to iran, an enemy of the united states. During the administrations of president jimmy carter 19771981 and president ronald reagan 1981. Tower commission, irancontra congressional hearings, and the office of the. Nov 24, 2006 twenty years later, the iran contra affair continues to resonate on many levels, especially as washington gears up for a new season of political inquiry with the pending inauguration of the 110th congress and the seeming inevitability of hearings into a range of bush administration policies. In 1981 and 1982 the united states had provided covert assistance to the contra rebels, but the operation was too large to remain hidden. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. A catalogue record for this book is available from the british library. In 1991, he won confirmation, but not before getting roughed up in one of the. Reagan did, however, manage to push humanitarian aid through. The irancontra scandal, 1991 confirmation hearings, and excerpts from new book safe for democracy.
Beginning on may 5, 1987, joint congressional hearings were broadcast in an effort to gather the facts and determine who was involved. It provides an insight into the hidden truth and lost history that remains unknown. In my opinion, these hearings have caused serious damage to our national interests. Congress about the role and importance of plausible deniability in the illegal sale of weapons to the nicaraguan contras. Plausible deniability and the production of conventional history in the iran contra hearings, social problems 36 3 jun. Our adversaries laugh at us and our friends recoil in horror. In the iran contra hearings north was asked about planning to suspend the constitution, but the chairman would not allow discussion in an open session. Michael lynch and david bogen take the example of the iran contra hearings to explore these questions. Warren rudman as the vicechairman and the house select committee to investigate covert arms transactions with iran chaired by democratic rep. On may 5, 1987, the world tuned in to watch the joint hearings of house select committee to investigate covert arms transactions with iran and the senate select committee on secret military assistance to iran and the nicaraguan oppositionsoon to be known as the iran contra hearings. Foreign affairs under reagan and bush reading with. Norths book under fire written in 1991 states that reagan knew everything about the.
Congress responded to the affair in january 1987 by forming the senate select committee on secret military assistance to iran and the nicaraguan opposition chaired by democratic sen. Tower commission, iran contra congressional hearings, and the office of the. National archives and records administration iran contra hearings, 07141987 u. President reagan to investigate the irancontra affair. A candid inside story of the iran contra hearings 1989. Under the management of the same few officials, both the iran and the contra. Jfk, watergate, irancontra, 911 linked by hidden government. This overview of the irancontra affair is organized into the following sections.
The irancontra affair, 1986 noam chomsky chomskys brief account of the us selling arms to iran via israel in order to fund farright paramilitary contras in nicaragua. May 29, 1991 a very thin line the iran contra affairs by theodore draper 690 pages. Iran contra affair persian gulf war nafta european union 326 the trend towards conservatism section overview after the upheaval of the 1960s, richard nixon tried to take the nation into a new direction, but the watergate affair led to his resignation. To investigate covert arms transactions with iran, 100th cong.
The iran contra affair, the latest in a line of disturbing american foreign. Iran contra hearings during the reagan administration 1987 senate banking committee begins its investigative hearings on the whitewater scandal during the clinton administration 1994 former fema director michael brown testifies before the house select committee on hurricane katrina, sept. Dec 19, 20 iran contra independent counsel walsh described these cash drops in a brief section of his final report in 1993. The american deep state in the last chapter, i described an ambiguous symbiosis between two different aspects of the american deep state. The attacks and the response september 2001january 2002 171 11. Representative thomas foley discussed testimony from the iran contra hearings. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the. These hearings, held in 1987 by the joint housesenate select committee on secret military assistance to iran and the nicaragua opposition, provided the nation with a media spectacle and a rare chance to see a struggle over the writing of history. These claims have led to investigations by the united states government, including hearings and reports by the united states house of representatives, senate, department of justice, and the cias. This overview of the iran contra affair is organized into the following sections. Iran contra affair scandal that erupted after the reagan administration sold weapons to iran in hopes of freeing american hostages in lebanon. Ambiguity as strategy in organizational communication.
A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in the nicaraguan contras cocaine trafficking operations during the 1980s nicaraguan civil war. National archives and records administrationiran contra hearings, 07081987u. In 1981 and 1982 the united states had provided covert assistance to the contra rebels, but the operation was too large to. His successors, gerald ford and jimmy carter, struggled with lingering economic troubles. Iran contra affair was not quintessentially a presidential scandal, but a. Prior to the start of the hearings, reagan spoke to the american public. The iran contra scandal, 1991 confirmation hearings, and excerpts from new book safe for democracy. I had just graduated high school when the iran contra hearings began, and i voted in my first u. Take notes on when the events occurred and in what order.
Letter of notification of presidential records release. Jul 26, 1991 the iran contra scandal, and in secret armstrafficking deals with iran. The birth of the enhanced interrogation program 2002 181. Oct 05, 2014 for example, one factor linking dallas, watergate, iran contra, and 911, has been the involvement in all four deep events of personnel involved in americas highestlevel emergency planning, known since the 1950s as continuity of government cog planning, or more colloquially inside the pentagon as the doomsday project. Caso iran contra, popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal, or simply iran contra, was a political scandal in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. It involved two secret operations by the executive branch of the government. This article examines a segment of oliver norths testimony before joint congressional committees investigating the irancontra affair during the summer of 1987. The major elements of the irancontra story were well known long before the 1986 exposures, apart from one fact. The hearings were called to order about two months after the release of the tower commissions report that was ordered by president ronald reagan, which did not blame reagan directly for.
Foreign affairs under reagan and bush reading with questions. You can also purchase this book from a vendor and ship it to our address. This ebook is made available at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Many of the sources including newspaper articles, books, magazines, and congressional hearings found throughout the research were instrumental in providing a clear description of mcfarlanes character and his involvement. The iran and contra operations were merged when funds generated from the sale of weapons to iran were diverted to support the contra effort.
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