Iran Contra Affair ScandalRuthann Wigfield

Period: 4May 24, 2013

One of the biggest scandals since

Watergate

Boland Amendment Boland Amendment: 1984

• The Defense Department, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or any other government agency, could not provide military aid to the contras, specifically in Nicaragua.

How it began.. Iran and Iraq were at war in 1985 and

Iran secretly made a request to buy weapons from the US• National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane

approved of this request

How it all began..November 1986

News reports said that the US had roles in both Iran and secret support for the Contras in Nicaragua

“Al Shiraa,” the Lebanese newspaper, told all about the activities going on in November about the arms to Iran and the aid to Nicaragua.

President Reagan Ronald Reagan confirmed that the US

had sold arms to Iran• To improve relations with Iran• Wasn’t really looking for Iran to release the

hostages being held by terrorists in the Middle East Later he said it was an arms-for-hostage swap

Later in November… Attorney General, Edwin Meese,

found that it was a diversion and the aid from the arms given to Iran was being sent to Nicaraguan “Contras”• This was a prohibited act

Federal Judge Lawrence E. Walsh was ordered to examine this behavior and the people involved

March 4th, 1987 President Ronald Reagan accepted

the judgment without disagreement• “A few months ago I told the American

people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that’s true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.”

National Security Council The Reagan administration used the

National Security Council because it technically wasn’t covered by the Boland Amendment• They used the NSC to give military aid to

the contras in Nicaragua. NSC staffer Marine Lt. Col. Oliver

North directed the operation• Also one of the central figures to secretly

ship arms to Iran.

Congressional HearingsMay – August 1987

The Congressional committees held televised hearings and heard from some different NSC staff members to find out the facts of the affair

They found out that the NSC staff set the Iran and Nicaragua policies and carried them out by lying to Congress

Oliver North and his secretary Fawn Hall became known nationally after their televised testimonies

Oliver North North was the one person who was

diverting the funds from the arms sales to the Contras

Oliver North said that National Security Adviser Admiral John Poindexter and President Ronald Reagan knew about the events and the cover up.

The Verdict Oliver was found guilty on 3 counts at

his trial• Overturned because his protected

congressional testimony was influenced by his trial and was thought to be used against him

October 24, 1992 President George H. W. Bush

pardoned all of the principals that were charged.

In 1994, Reagan and Bush were criticized for their roles but were never charged

President Reagan Reagan’s image suffered because of

the Iran Contra Affair• Rebounded and he had the highest approval

rating since Franklin Roosevelt

Works Cited http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexper

ience/features/general-article/reagan-iran/

http://coldwar.org/articles/80s/IranContraAffair.asp

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB210/

http://www.authentichistory.com/1974-1992/3-reagan/5-irancontra/

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/iran-contra-affair.html