Iran-Contra

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Iran-Contra
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• Reagan administration- wanted to eradicate the
  world of Communism
• Reagan Doctrine- CIA trained and assisted
  anti-Communist insurgencies worldwide

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Who were the Contras?

• freedom fighters who were working to overthrow
  the democratically elected Sandinista government
  of Nicaragua

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• Reagan felt the Contras were the moral
  equivalent of our Founding Fathers

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• Reagan wanted to help them- told National
  Security Advisor Robert McFarlane I want you to
  do whatever you have to do to help these people
  keep body and soul together.

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• 1982- Democratic sweep of Congress
• passed the Boland Amendment

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Boland Amendment

• Restricted CIA and Department of Defense
  operations in Nicaragua specifically

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1985

• Iran and Iraq were at war
• Iran- secret request to buy weapons from U.S.
• McFarlane needed Reagans approval
• Embargo against selling arms to Iran

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• Reagan- upset there were 7 American hostages
  being held in Lebanon by Iranian terrorists
• Reagan felt he had a duty to bring those
  Americans home.

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• Shipping arms would violate embargo to Iran
• Dealing with terrorists would violate Reagans
  campaign promise
• Arms-for-hostages proposal divided the
  administration

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• Secretary of State George Schultz and Secretary
  of Defense Caspar Weinberger objected to the plan
  but (MacFarlane testified) Reagan agree to it

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• July 1985- U.S. would send 508 American made TOW
  anti-tank missiles from Israel to Iran for the
  safe exchange of a hostage- Reverend Benjamin Weir

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• After that successful transfer- Israelis offered
  to ship 500 HAWK surface to air missiles to Iran
  in Nov 1985, in exchange for the release of all
  remaining American hostages being held in Lebanon

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• February 1986- 1000 TOW missiles were shipped to
  Iran. From May to Nov there were more shipments
  of various weapons and parts

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• Hezbollah terrorists who had kidnapped the
  original hostages planned to kidnap more hostages
  following the release of the previous ones- which
  made any further dealings with Iran meaningless

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Lebanese newspaper Al-Shiraa

• November 1986
• Confirmed reports the United States secretly sold
  arms to Iran

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• Reagan went on TV and denied any operation had
  occurred
• Went on TV a week later and said sale of weapons
  had not been an arms-for-hostages deal

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• 14 of Americans believed Reagan when he said he
  had not traded arms for hostages

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• Found that 12 million of 30 million Iranians
  had paid had reached our government
• Where was the rest of the money? Funding the
  Contras

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• This directly violated the Boland Amendment

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• Oliver (Ollie) North (U.S. Marine Lt. Col)
  proposed the plan to funnel arms money to the
  Contras
• National Security Council

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(No Transcript)
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• Secretary Fawn Hall- helped funnel shredded
  documents out for North
• Testified after given immunity about role in
  scandal

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• November 18, 1987- Congress issued a report on
  the affair that stated the president bore
  ultimate responsibility.

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• Hearings about the scandal were televised from
  May to August 1987
• Found that National Security Advisor Poindexter
  had personally authorized the diversion of money
  to the Contra rebels

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• Poindexter was withholding information from
  President Reagan
• CIAs William J. Casey played a part in
  conspiracy, but he died during hearings

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(No Transcript)
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• North had been a military aide to the National
  Security Council- he had been the main negotiator
• During his hearings he repeatedly explained he
  was under orders from his superiors

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• In the end- President was not charged with any
  offense
• North was convicted on 3 of 12 criminal counts,
  but convictions were set aside on appeal

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• Convicted of obstructing Congress, unlawfully
  destroying government documents
• Conviction was expunged on grounds he had acted
  strictly out of patriotism

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• Poindexter convicted in April 1990 on five counts
  of deceiving Congress and sentenced to six months
  in prison
• Weinberger convicted of five counts of deceiving
  Congress
• Convictions overturned

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• All were pardoned by George H. W. Bush- Christmas
  Eve 1992

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• When Reagan left office- had highest approval
  rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt