The Iran-Contra Affair :: American America History

The Iran-Contra Affair The tangled U.S. foreign-policy scandal known as the Iran-contraaffair came to light in November 1986 when President Ronald Reagan said yesto reports that the joined States had secretly sold arms to Iran. He saidthat the goal was to improve relations with Iran, not to get releases ofU.S. hostages held in the Middle East by terrorists (although he lateragreed that the arrangement had in fact turned into an arms-for-hostagesswap). People spoke out against dealings with the hostile Iraniangoernment all over the place. Later in November, Att. Gen. Edwin Meesediscovered that some of the arms profits had been used to aid theNicaraguan contra rebels at a time when Congress had prohibited much(prenominal) aid.An Independent special prosecutor, former national judge Lawrence E. Walsh,was appointed to investigate the activities of persons involved in the armssale or contra aid or both, including maritime Lt. Col. Oliver North of theNational Security Council (N SC) staff. Reagan appointed a review board headed by former Republican senatorJohn Tower. The Tower commissions report in February 1987 criticized thepresidents dormant management style. In a nationaly televised address onMarch 4, Reagan accepted the reports judgement without serious disagreement. Select committees of the Senate (11 members chaired by DemocratDaniel K. Inouye of Hawaii) and the house of representatives (15 members,headed by other Democrat, Lee Hamilton of Indiana) conducted televisedhearings in partnership from May to August. They heard evidence that a fewmembers of the NSC staff set Iran and Nicaragua policies and carried themout with secret private operatives and that the contras received notwithstanding asmall part of the money. Former national security advisor John Poindexterstated that he personally authorized the diversion of money and withheldthat culture from the president. William J. Casey, the director of theCentral Intelligence Agency, w ho died in May 1989, was implicated in sometestimony. His testomony still remained in doubt. Clearly however, thestrange events shook the nations faith in President Reagan and ruined U. S. prestige abroad. Special prosecutor Walsh continued his investigation. OnMarch 11, 1988 Poindexters forerunner as national security advisor RobertMcFarlane pleaded guilty to outlaw charges of witholding information fromCongress on secret aid to the contras. A year later, Peter McFariane wasfined $20,000 and given two years probation. On March 16, 1988, a federalgrand jury indicted North, Poindexter, and two other persons on a number of