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 s helper yesto reports that the United States had on the QT 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). volume spoke out against dealings with the hostile Iraniangovernment whole over the place. Later in November, Att. Gen. Edwin Meesediscovered that some of the arms scratch had been used to aid theNicaraguan contra rebels at a time when sexual intercourse had prohibited such aid.An Independent special prosecutor, former federal infer Lawrence E. Walsh,was ordained to investigate the activities of persons involved in the armssale or contra aid or both, including marine Lt. Col. Oliver North of theNational Security Coun cil (NSC) stave. Reagan appointed a review board headed by former Republican senator can buoy Tower. The Tower commissions report in February 1987 criticized thepresidents passive management style. In a nationaly televised address onMarch 4, Reagan accepted the reports judgement without serious disagreement. necessitate committees of the Senate (11 members chaired by DemocratDaniel K. Inouye of Hawaii) and the house of representatives (15 members,headed by anformer(a) 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 only asmall part of the money. Former national security consultant keister Poindexterstated that he personally authorized the diversion of money and withheldthat selective information from the president. William J. Casey, the director of th eCentral Intelligence Agency, who died in May 1989, was implicated in sometestimony. His testomony still remained in doubt. Clearly however, thestrange events shook the nations organized religion in President Reagan and ruined U. S. prestige abroad. Special prosecutor Walsh continue his investigation. OnMarch 11, 1988 Poindexters forerunner as national security advisor RobertMcFarlane pleaded guilty to criminal 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