Mcfarlane returned for a secret trip to iran, which hed. The irancontra coverup marked the restoration of a cold war status quo in which crimes, both domestic and international, could be committed by the executive while the. Yet, despite the enormity of the issues, the affair dropped from the public radar due. Irancontra affair larry gilman in october and november of 1986, it was discovered that for several years, agents of the united states government had been running an illegal operation to sell weapons to iran and funnel the profits to the contras, a military organization dedicated to overthrowing the leftist government of nicaragua. The iran contra affair, also referred to as irangate, contragate or the iran contra scandal, was a political scandal in the. The irancontra affair involved a secret foreign policy operation directed by white house officials in the national security council nsc under president ronald reagan. Not simply an important public accounting of an egregiously misconceived policy, but a cautionary tale of power. The iran contra cover up marked the restoration of a cold war status quo in which crimes, both domestic and international, could be committed by the executive while the congress and the press. Mar 27, 2014 the iran contra affair, also referred to as irangate, contragate or the iran contra scandal, was a political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986.
It began in 1985, when president ronald reagans administration supplied weapons to irana. Caso iran contra, popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal, or simply iran contra, was a political scandal in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. What links them is that each is an area where us prohibitions apply. President reagan and national security adviser robert mcfarlane. On october 31, 1996, the washington post ran a follow up story to the san jose mercury news series titled cia, contras and drugs. The foreignpolicy scandal known as the irancontra affair came to light in november 1986 when president ronald reagan confirmed reports that the united st. 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. This documentary video looks inside the iran contra affair. North, oliver oliver north testifying at the irancontra. They would both see the cover up as a necessary way to preserve the political and economical structure inside and outside america and a necessary way to maintain, in their opinion. Apdennis cook the irancontra scandal, 25 years later. Reproduces on microfiche over 20,000 pages of documentation, much of it highlyclassified, pertaining to the iran contra affair,1983 1988. See the article in its original context from august 26, 1988, section c, page 8. Behind the iran contra affair west hollywood premiere on june 24, 1988 at the dga theatre in west hollywood, california.
Elizabeth montgomery, jack brooks, barbara honegger, david macmichael, george bush, sam. Behind the iran contra affair a tangled tale of politics, drugs, hostages, weapons, assassinations, covert operations and the ultimate plan to suspend the constitution of the united states. Buy irancontra reprint by malcolm byrne author isbn. North, oliver oliver north testifying at the iran contra. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Through the eighties, iraq attempted to sue iran for peace, but it wasnt until 1988 that iran accepted a ceasefire, and in 1990 final terms to end the war were agreed upon. The reagan administration was found doing what during the iran contra affair. Draper explains to us that the iranian revolution of 19781979 brought the. The irancontra affair, a serious blow to the reagan administration, combines in its name two far removed parts of the world iran and nicaragua, where the contras are conducting a guerrilla war against the sandinista regime. This documentary of the iran contra affair consolidates the evidence and conspiracy theories of the incident after the week congressional hearings proved inadequate, acting merely as damage control and failing to show any sincere effort to get to the real truth of the matter. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the. The irancontra affair the making of a scandal, 1983 1988.
It presents a tale of politics, drugs, hostages, weapons, assassinations, covert operations and the ultimate plan to suspend the u. Under the boland amendment, further funding of the contras by the. The irancontra affair of 19841987 was not one affair but two separate covert foreign policy. They would both see the coverup as a necessary way to preserve the political and economical structure inside and outside america and a necessary way to maintain, in their opinion. Coverup was the first film to reveal the october surprise hostage deal the reaganbush campaigndeal with iran to delay the release of the 52 american hostages until after the 1980 election, and is the only film which presents a comprehensive overview of the most important stories suppressed during the iran contra hearings.
Worldwide english title informal short title coverup. The film takes an obvious conspiracy theory approach, which, although sometimes entertaining, sometime relies too much on documents and information that arent actually seen. In 1987, amid the iran contra inquiry, investigators found that the scandal fit within a larger republican scheme for manipulating. Worldwide english title informal short title cover up. August richard norton, boston globe we would never have known the truth about irancontra without the tenacious sevenyear struggle by the independent counsel in the affair, lawrence walsh, to get to the bottom of itof firstrate historical importance. The two policies intersected when profits from the arms sales to iran were used to. To fully understand irancontra, you must know the history behind it. Although this diversion may be the most dramatic aspect of iran contra, it is important to emphasize that both the iran and contra operations, separately, violated united states policy and. Mcfarlane sought reagans approval, in spite of the embargo against selling arms to iran.
In 1985, while iran and iraq were at war, iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the united states. Congress or violated the stated public policy of the government. Many nationalist and neoconservatives would see the entire iran contra affair not as a cover up but a good use of political power, an end that justifies the means. Start reading irancontra on your kindle in under a minute. Fourteen people were charged with either operational or coverup crimes. The irancontra affair was a clandestine action not approved of by the united states congress. President ronald reagan makes his address to the nation on the iran arms and contra aid controversy nov. Reagan announces that profits from arms sales with iran were diverted to support the contras nov. Iran and israel the extent of iranianisraeli cooperation that came about as a result of the irancontra affair has been seen by some as even more surprising than the u. Iran contra affair legal definition of iran contra affair. Iran contra affair 1983 1988 the iran contra affair began as an internal u. Behind the iran contra affair is the third featurelength documentary produced by the empowerment project. Covered are the allegations of secret governments, drugs, cia involvement, assassinations and.
Congress established another investigation, which issued its more. The plan was for israel to ship weapons to iran, for the united states to. Behind the irancontra affair dvd coverup exposes several of the most disturbing chapters in the history of u. 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.
That clash continues under the presidency of george w. The iran and contra operations were merged when funds generated from the sale of weapons to iran were diverted to support the contra effort in nicaragua. The irancontra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal. Behind the irancontra affair 1988 cast and crew examines reagans alleged deal with iran that delayed the release of american hostages until after his inauguration. Oliver north en john poindexter werden op 16 maart 1988 aangeklaagd wegens. It had limited time, and could not question two key agents, north or poindexter. In 1987, amid the irancontra inquiry, investigators found that the scandal fit. This documentary video looks inside the irancontra affair. Understanding the irancontra affairs the irancontra. Irancontra focuses on the period from fall 1983, when congress first put limits on official u. Many nationalist and neoconservatives would see the entire irancontra affair not as a coverup but a good use of political power, an end that justifies the means. Retired lieutenant colonel oliver north responded to telephone callers questions on his involvement in the irancontra affair during the 1980s as well as other issues in. Behind the irancontra affair 1988 examines reagans alleged deal with iran that delayed the release of american hostages until after his inauguration. The irancontra affair the tower commission was named after its chair, former senator john tower, and was established by reagan to investigate the irancontra affair.
Behind the iran contra affair directed by david kasper. Many of these acquisitions are derived from the official bodiesinvestigating the irancontra affair, including the senate intelligence committee, the. What we saw in the irancontra hearings, was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name of security. But if fiers is correct, topranking cia officials not only knew about the operation and did nothing to stop it. Reagan appoints a commission, led by former senator john town rtx, to investigate the irancontra affairs dec.
Jun 24, 2001 the iran contra affair has been characterized by u. In 1984, the boland amendment passed, which said that the cia and department of defense could not give militaristic aid specifically in nicaragua. The irancontra affair american experience official. In retrospect that scandal was distinguished by two central, shaping. Irancontras affair legal definition of irancontras affair. The film reveals a shadow government of former cia operatives, drug smugglers, top us military personnel and others, revealing evidence of. Worldwide english title alternative spelling cover up. An investigation account and american history are mostly used to evaluate reagans role. Cover up behind the irancontra affair is a thorough investigation into information suppressed during the irancontra hearings in 1987 where it was found that senior officials in the united states government secretly facilitated the sale of arms to iran. Attorney general edwin meese iii requests that an independent counsel be appointed to investigate the iran contra affairs. Behind the iran contra affair loses force as the movie makers run out of. The iran contra affair, like the ciaorganized invasion of the bay of pigs in cuba in 1961, struck a global blow to american credibility. The shadow government of assassins, arms dealers, drug smugglers, former cia operatives and top us military personnel who were running foreign policy unaccountable to the public, revealing the reaganbush administrations plan to. The iran contra affair the iran contra affair was an underground operation within the cia that was interwoven between two foreign policy issues that were unlikely to connect had the players in the ordeal not utilized one to benefit the other.
Whenever president reagan shows up in the irancontra pop culture, it is always in the context of questioning the credibility of his stated knowledge of actions of his subordinates. Behind the iran contra affair 1988 what you saw in the iran contra hearings was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name of national security. 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. Reagan makes his address to the nation on the investigation of the iran arms and contra aid controversy. It presents a tale of politics, drugs, hostages, weapons, assassinations, covert operations and the ultimate plan to. The story drew on court testimony in 1990 of fabio ernesto carrasco, a pilot for a major columbian drug smuggler named george morales. With elizabeth montgomery, jack brooks, barbara honegger, david macmichael. The iran contra scandal, as this video illustrates in the beginning, is probably one of the most ignored events of the 1980s. President ronald reagan shortly after the irancontra scandal engulfed his administration in november 1986.
Apr 06, 2020 iran contra focuses on the period from fall 1983, when congress first put limits on official u. Officials at the highest level had been detected organizing international terrorism i. Covered are the allegations of secret governments, drugs, cia involvement, assassinations and even a plan to suspend the constitution. Despite the damage to his image, the president arguably got off easy, escaping the ultimate political sanction of impeachment. The film reveals a shadow government of former cia operatives, drug smugglers, top us military personnel and others. You will need to download and install the free adobe acrobat reader to view. The irancontra affair, also referred to as irangate, contragate or the irancontra scandal, was a political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986.
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