On the 25th anniversary of oliver norths sentencing, heres a look back at the the events leading up to the iran contra scandal. Officials at the highest level had been detected organizing international terrorism i. It began in 1985, when president ronald reagans administration supplied weapons to irana. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The san jose mercury news articles spurred renewed interest in the subject of drug trafficking in support of the contras, particularly the allegation that certain contra supporters described in the articles trafficked drugs with the knowledge and support of the cia and were responsible for the crack explosion in southern california and throughout the united states. On this day in 1986, attorney general edwin meese revealed that, on white house orders, the proceeds of secret arms sales to iran were illegally diverted to fund the contras. Irancontra scandal synonyms, irancontra scandal pronunciation, irancontra scandal translation, english dictionary definition of irancontra scandal. Caso irancontra, popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the irancontra scandal, or simply irancontra, was a political scandal in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. C in the case of nicaragua, the focus was on destabilizing the government and engineering the. Twenty years later, the irancontra affair continues to resonate on many levels, especially as washington gears up for a new season of political inquiry with the pending inauguration of the 110th congress and the seeming inevitability of hearings into a range of bush administration policies. How john kerry exposed the irancontra scandal and showed the. In 1979, a bitter war broke out in nicaragua between the sandinista junta of national reconstruction, the nicaraguan government, and the contras, a vicious rebel group. Nov 24, 2006 twenty years later, the iran contra affair continues to resonate on many levels, especially as washington gears up for a new season of political inquiry with the pending inauguration of the 110th congress and the seeming inevitability of hearings into a range of bush administration policies. The irancontra scandal the national security archive.
The irancontra affair 20 years on national security archive. It was a political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986. Jan 11, 2017 the lasting effects of irancontra are primarily these, and they are related to our national reputation. President ronald reagan shortly after the irancontra scandal engulfed his administration in november 1986. Webbs disclosure of the crack connection infuriated many africanamericans and. Iran contra scandalreagan dumps 2 top officials over iran cash sent to contras newspaper article by. Assessment of the iranian contra affair politics essay. Learn iran contra affair with free interactive flashcards. The irancontra affair american experience official site. Iran contra scandal synonyms, iran contra scandal pronunciation, iran contra scandal translation, english dictionary definition of iran contra scandal. A political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986.
Hepburn is the editorial page editor of the toronto star. According to the stories, the cia and its operatives used crack cocainesold via. October 10, 1984 the second boland amendment outlaws the use of the cia or third parties in aiding the contras in nicaragua. Hasenfus confessed that he was shipping military supplies into nicaragua for use by the contras, an antisandinista force that had been created and funded by the. Irancontra affair legal definition of irancontra affair. The irancontra affair was a clandestine action not approved of by the united states congress. Because the reagan campaign was willing to trade arms for hostages and even bargain to have the iranians hold the hostages until reagans inau.
Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine. The documented daybyday account of the secret military assistance to iran and the contras, and is. The irancontra affair, like the ciaorganized invasion of the bay of pigs in cuba in 1961, struck a global blow to american credibility. These plans were apparently aborted when the irancontra scandal broke in. Until last week the irancontra scandal seemed ready to fade from the courts, the news and the mind. But the illicit armsforhostages deals did leak, and eventually u. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Knowledge of drug trafficking and the contras the national security archive obtained the handwritten notebooks of oliver north, the national security council aide who helped run the contra war and other reagan administration covert operations, through a freedom of information act lawsuit filed in 1989. Irancontra scandal definition of irancontra scandal by. The lasting effects of irancontra are primarily these, and they are related to our national reputation. Iran contra affair exposed national geographic society. Iran contra affair president ronald reagan receiving the tower commission report, following the iran contra affair, february 26, 1987. Irancontra affair president ronald reagan receiving the tower commission report, following the irancontra affair, february 26, 1987. Cia involvement in trafficking is usually alleged to be connected to the contra war in nicaragua and the iran contra affair during the reagan administration.
Oct, 2003 additionally, he also helped orchestrate a secret deal later known as irancontra to send arms through honduras to help the contras overthrow the sandinista government. In the 1980s, as a national security council staffer, north became infamous for illegally diverting funds from the sale of weapons in iran, the subject of an arms embargo, to central american anticommunist rebels looking to overthrow the sandinista regime in nicaraguathe socalled iran contra affair. In october 1979 president jimmy carter made the decision to allow the exiled shah into america for medical treatment. He coedited the archives first book on the irancontra scandal, the chronology. Irancontra scandal article about irancontra scandal by. Big medias contracocaine coverup common dreams views. The irancontra scandal is one of those savored moments in history when everything becomes clear yet nothing remains the same. The documented daybyday account of the secret military assistance to iran and the contras, and is the author of numerous articles on the scandal. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s.
Former government officials and other sources confirm that the cia stashed money in a number of b. New nra president is oliver north, key figure in irancontra scandal. Nbc and abc news reports on the 1987 irancontra scandal. Choose from 52 different sets of iran contra affair flashcards on quizlet. Let hiphughes accompany you through a basic understanding of the reagan era scandal irancontra. The irancontra affair 19861987 the washington post. When the irancontra scandal story broke in november 1986, he ordered hall to destroy so many documents that the shredder malfunctioned, and she had to ask white house maintenance to come and fix. Reagan dumps 2 top officials over iran cash sent to contras as published by the toronto star.
Drug trafficking was a much less convoluted method of skirting the congressional ban on funding the contras, and the cias inspector general found that in the early years after congress cut off contra funding, the cia had alerted congress about the allegations of drug trafficking. Oliver north worked with cocaine traffickers to arm. The controversial dealmakingand the ensuing political scandalthreatened to bring down the presidency of ronald reagan. At ap, where i worked from 1974 to 1987, i was perhaps best known for breaking many of the stories that we now know as the iran contra scandal. Kornbluh and parry argue in their assessment of the lies and misinformation prevalent in the irancontra scandal that without accurate, honest information, citizens cannot participate meaningfully in democracy and cannot hold government officials accountable. The iran contra affair was a secret arrangement to provide funds to nicaraguan contra rebels from profits accumulated by selling arms to iran in the 1980s. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. There is much controversy surrounding this scandal, including the presidents knowledge of these. Iran contra scandal i agreed to sell tows antitank missiles to iran ronald reagan, diary entry, january 17, 1986 ronald reagan was inaugurated into the most powerful office in the world january 20, 1981.
Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Dec 17, 2010 the iran contra affair was a secret arrangement to provide funds to nicaraguan contra rebels from profits accumulated by selling arms to iran in the 1980s. Trumps russia scandal is more like irancontra than. The two most significant political scandals of substance since 1970 have been watergate and the irancontra affair, under the nixon and reagan administrations respectively. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. The iran contra affair was a controversial political scandal that dealt with senior us figures who had been facilitating the sale of arms to iran, that was under an arms embargo, to secure the release of the hostages and to fund the nicaraguan anticommunist rebel contras. A a sworn enemy a in hopes of securing the release of american hostages held in lebanon by hezbollah terrorists loyal to the ayatollah khomeini, irans leader. The irancontra affair, also known as the irancontra scandal and irangate, may not have happened were it not. Iran contra affair exposed on november 3, 1986, an iranian journalist reported that officials in the u. Subscribe to hiphughes history, its stupid easy and. These claims have led to investigations by the united states government, including hearings and reports by the united states house of representatives, senate, department of justice, and the cias office of the inspector general. Ronald reagans efforts to eradicate communism spanned the globe, but the insurgent contras cause in nicaragua was.
Along with a leading role in the irancontra scandal in which north helped. The history of the irancontra affair has a deeprooted connection to. Additionally, he also helped orchestrate a secret deal later known as irancontra to send arms through honduras to help the contras overthrow the sandinista government. The iran contra scandal is one of those savored moments in history when everything becomes clear yet nothing remains the same. Mar 18, 20 let hiphughes accompany you through a basic understanding of the reagan era scandal iran contra.
On the 25th anniversary of oliver norths sentencing, heres a look back at the the events leading up to the irancontra scandal. Iran contra scandal definition of iran contra scandal by. More often, presidents weather scandals but find themselves consumed in a struggle to limit the damage. In 2007, thencia analyst valerie plame wilson will describe. These included the first article about a little known marine officer named oliver north and with my ap colleague brian bargerthe first story about how some of the nicaraguan contras got themselves mixed up in the drug trade. I guess that makes them contras, and so it makes me a contra too. Jul 05, 2014 on the 25th anniversary of oliver norths sentencing, heres a look back at the the events leading up to the iran contra scandal. Welcome to understanding the irancontra affairs, the only comprehensive website on the famous reaganera government scandal, which stemmed from the u. C in the case of nicaragua, the focus was on destabilizing the government and engineering the overthrow of the marxistoriented sandinista regime. Malcolm byrne is the director of analysis at the national security archive. Titled dark alliance, the series linked drug smuggling by ciatrained contras to the crack epidemic that has ravaged america. A scandal from 1986 over secret deals to sell arms to iran and divert the proceeds to fund contra rebel forces in nicaragua.
Fears that the irancontra scandal could lead to reagans. The powerful discover their impotence, the arrogant are humiliated and the victims of both begin to find justice in the shambles left by high crimes. Nov 25, 2011 president ronald reagan shortly after the irancontra scandal engulfed his administration in november 1986. The announcement of his decision led to violent protests in iran culminating in the storming of the us embassy. Strategic disclosure watergate is the exception to the rule. Cia involvement in trafficking is usually alleged to be connected to the contra war in nicaragua and the irancontra affair during the reagan. In the 1980s, as a national security council staffer, north became infamous for illegally diverting funds from the sale of weapons in iran, the subject of an arms embargo, to central american anticommunist rebels looking to overthrow the sandinista regime in nicaraguathe socalled irancontra affair. Government involvement with the nicaraguan contras during a prohibition on military aid from october 1984 to october 1986.
Irancontra scandalreagan dumps 2 top officials over iran cash sent to contrasnewspaper article by. Apdennis cook the irancontra scandal, 25 years later. During the reagan administration, senior reagan administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to iran, the subject of an arms embargo in hopes of securing the release of hostages and allowing u. When you hear of the irancontra scandal you mostly think of the hostage. Allegations of cocaine trafficking by contras also arose during the investigation conducted by independent counsel lawrence walsh into the irancontra affair. The announcement of his decision led to violent protests in iran culminating in the storming of the us embassy in teheran which began the iran hostage crisis. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was. According to the report of the congressional committees investigating the irancontra affair issued in november 1987, the sale of u. Ciara sarao born in february 6, 1911 in tampico, illinois. May 21, 20 nbc and abc news reports on the 1987 iran contra scandal.
The underlying facts the contras independent counsels investigation produced a vast record of u. At ap, where i worked from 1974 to 1987, i was perhaps best known for breaking many of the stories that we now know as the irancontra scandal. The reagan administration sold arms to iran, a country desperate for materiel during its lengthy war with iraq. Iran contra scandal article about iran contra scandal by. Caso ira n contr a, popularized in ira n as the mcfarlane affair, the ira n contra scanda l, or simply ira n contr a, was a political scanda l in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. Oliver north, ronald reagan gettystaffhandout trumps russia scandal is more like irancontra than watergate which isnt good news unfortunately, the. The administration believed that changes to these countries that occurred in the 1970s threatened u. According to the report of the congressional committees investigating the iran contra affair issued in november 1987, the sale of u. Understanding the irancontra affairs the irancontra. Nov 25, 2016 on this day in 1986, attorney general edwin meese revealed that, on white house orders, the proceeds of secret arms sales to iran were illegally diverted to fund the contras.
The irancontra affairs of the 1980s stemmed from the reagan administrations foreign policies toward two seemingly unrelated countries, nicaragua and iran. Nov 27, 2015 kornbluh and parry argue in their assessment of the lies and misinformation prevalent in the irancontra scandal that without accurate, honest information, citizens cannot participate meaningfully in democracy and cannot hold government officials accountable. In it, he claimed the contra rebels in nicaragua were shipping cocaine into the us. The irancontra affair was a controversial political scandal that dealt with senior us figures who had been facilitating the sale of arms to iran, that was under an arms embargo, to secure the release of the hostages and to fund the nicaraguan anticommunist rebel contras. Heres how oliver north, the man at the center of the iran contra. These included the first article about a little known marine officer named oliver north andwith my ap colleague brian bargerthe first story about how some of the nicaraguan contras got themselves mixed up in the drug trade. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion webb, gary. What he accomplished during his eight year tenure will be remembered for a very long time. The first covert foreign policy initiative was the continued support for the democratic rebel contras against the communist sandinistas in nicaragua in a time when congress had cut off funds to the contras.
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