¶ … Iran-Contra Affair. 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. These affairs were investigated by Congressional committees after they became public, and were as detrimental to the government as the Watergate affair, because they subverted the Congress and the Constitution.
THE IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR
In reality, there was more than one Iran-Contra Affair, but the entire turn of events has become known as simply the "Iran-Contra Affair." In fact, the scandal surrounding the arms deal to Iran, and to the Central American contras were many different undercover operations, led by a variety of members of the National Security Staff. The first event to take place in the affairs was the support of the Anti-Sandinista government in Nicaragua by the Reagan administration in 1981. Initially, the President approved covert operations in Nicaragua by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to undermine the Sandinista government, which was led by a "Castro-like" dictator, and was pro-Communist. The operation supported the "contras," who were different groups of counterrevolutionaries who opposed the Sandinistas from several different strategic areas around Nicaragua. In 1982, Congress got wind of the support to the Anti-Sandinistas, and passed the Boland Amendment, which basically said it was illegal for the CIA or the Department of Defense to use government funds to overthrow the government of Nicaragua. After signing the bill passing the law, President Reagan said, "We are complying with the law, the Boland Amendment, which is the law... But what I might personally wish or what our government might wish still would not justify us violating the law of the land,'" (Draper 18). However, by 1983, the CIA was again embroiled in plans to stockpile weapons for the contras before the funds dried up, and these subterfuges continued for over three years, with the CIA attempting to support surrounding contras without appearing to support them, and supplying weapons and other materials without appearing to supply them. To circumvent the law, the Reagan administration began to use the National Security Council (NSC) staff as go-betweens in the contra support. Thus, the CIA was not involved, and technically the Borland Amendment was not being broken (Draper 1-22).
Eventually, NSC staffer Oliver North, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps, became a key figure in the scandal. North began sending guns and other materials to Panama's military leader, General Manuel Noriega, who promised to get rid of the Sandinistas if the U.S. would help "clean up his image" (Kornbluh and Byrne 31). It seems Noriega was a notorious drug smuggler and arms dealer, but the U.S. trusted him enough to agree to pay him nearly one million dollars in exchange for several terrorist activities aimed at the Sandinistan government. The payments never took place, and neither did the terrorism, because the scandal broke into public view before they could occur. After the scandal became known, Noriega suddenly became an "enemy" of the American people, and was eventually caught and brought back to the United States as a political prisoner under the Bush administration.
Finally, a devious plan was developed to gain the necessary funds to help the contras, while attempting to placate the Iranian government and the hostage takers in Iran. Funds from the sale of munitions to Iran would be used to fund the Anti-Sandinista movement in Nicaragua. The CIA was not using its own funds, so the Borland Amendment was not a problem, and the covert actions were both secret, so they would keep both actions from gaining public attention and/or censure. When these actions by the administration became known, many felt it was a clear misuse of presidential influence and power, and went against Constitutional law. As one expert noted,
U.S. national-security operatives' use of funds from countries such...
Iran-Contra Affair think everyone knew we were walking a very thin line."(Owen) Not many Americans know the truth that lies behind the Iran-Contra scandals. Most would be surprised to know about the deception of our leaders. Still today, some truth of Iran-Contra lies hidden in the conscience of the people who organized, aided, and completed the operations. The entire affair is an example of the difficult task of balancing political
Iran-Contra Affair Historical Background of the Iran-Contra Affair Events Surrounding the Decision. Nicaraguan context. In the 1970s, dissatisfaction with a manipulative and corrupt government was escalating. All socio-economic classes were impacted and by 1978 the situation deteriorated into a short-lived civil war. Through violent opposition, the Marxist Sandinista guerillas achieved power in 1979. By September of 1980, the Sandinistas had suspended elections and taken control of the media. Leftist rebels in El Salvador
In the years following the Iran-Contra scandal, it seems there were many lessons learned. One, the government, when caught, is adept at covering itself and its own. Authors Lynch and Bogan note, "In the years since then, this conclusion was underlined by the fact that no one was impeached, few criminal convictions occurred, and no significant government reforms were enacted." In fact, high ranking officials, such as the president and his
Whereas Poindexter defended the President staunchly, North did not. North genuinely believed that his orders were issued by the President, via Poindexter and McFarlane before him ("United States v. Oliver L. North"). Poindexter testified that he "deliberately withheld the information from President Reagan because 'I wanted the President to have some deniability so that he would be protected,'" ("United States v. John M. Poindexter"). According to the National Security Archives, Poindexter's
Iran Contra Affair is the name commonly given to a secret arrangement that sold arms to Iran in exchange for funds that were given to Contra rebels in Nicaragua under U.S. President Reagan in the 1980s. The Iran Contra Affair had its roots in the President's commitment to help the contra rebels, who Reagan saw as "the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers" (cited in Wolf). Unfortunately for Regan, Congress,
Libya and the Iran-Contra Affair: Recent events of American intervention in Libyan affairs have sparked a debate upon whether or not support should include arms. Support for this measure can be found on both sides of the isle in Washington. The white house seems to be ignoring the issue for the present; however, it has come to light the CIA is on the ground, and some arms are coming from Egypt.
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now