IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR: ANOTHER WATERGATE?

INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN: 1.A PRESIDENT STATING HE WILL NEVER NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS? 2.THE TERRORIST GROUP HEZBOLLAH TAKING AMERICANS HOSTAGE IN LEBANON? 3.A WAR BETWEEN IRAQ AND IRAN IN WHICH THE U.S. PUBLICLY SUPPORTS IRAQ AND SADDAM HUSSEIN? 4.A REVOLUTIONARY GROUP IN NICARAGUA THAT TRAFFICS IN COCAINE AND PRACTICES SYSTEMATIC MURDER? 5.A DISTRUSTFUL AMERICAN PUBLIC THAT REMEMBERS WATERGATE BUT LOVES RONALD REAGAN?

BACKGROUND: NICARAGUA

CIVIL WAR IN NICARAGUA U.S. SUPPORTS ANTI- COMMUNIST REBELS (CONTRAS) AGAINST COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT (SANDINISTAS) CIA INVOLVEMENT: –Give $ TO CONTRAS –CARRIED OUT ACTS OF SABOTAGE TO SUPPORT CONTRAS

SANDINISTAS

CONTRAS... ALSO RAISED MONEY THROUGH DRUG TRAFFICKING!

BOLAND AMENDMENT CIA FAILED TO GET APPROVAL OF CONGRESS FOR ITS “ACTIVITIES” IN NICARAGUA CONGRESS RESPONDED BY ATTEMPTING TO CUT OFF FUNDING FOR THE CONTRAS BY PASSING THE BOLAND AMENDMENT: –PROHIBITED U.S. GOV’T (INCLUDING THE CIA) FROM PROVIDING MILITARY SUPPORT FOR “OVERTHROWING THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA”

BACKGROUND: HOSTAGES IN LEBANON HEZBOLLAH: –ISLAMIC ORGANIZATION BASED IN LEBANON –CONSIDERED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION BY U.S. –TOOK 7 AMERICANS HOSTAGE TO TRADE FOR CAPTURED TERRORISTS REAGAN COMMITTED TO FREEING THE HOSTAGES BUT... OFFICIAL U.S. POLICY WAS NOT TO NEGOTIATE OR TRADE WITH TERRORISTS

HEZBOLLAH

AMERICAN HOSTAGES HELD BY HEZBOLLAH

BACKGROUND: IRAN-IRAQ WAR IRAN WAS IN THE MIDST OF AN 8-YEAR WAR WITH IRAQ: –IRAN WAS DESPERATE FOR WEAPONS –U.S. GOV’T PUBLICLY SUPPORTED IRAQ & SADDAM HUSSEIN! WHY? WANT TO CONTAIN THE SPREAD OF RADICAL ISLAM (IRAQ HAD A SECULAR GOV’T)

REAGAN ADMINISTRATION GOALS AID THE CONTRAS IN NICARAGUA DESPITE THE BOLAND AMENDMENT APPEASE “MODERATES” IN THE IRANIAN GOV’T TO: –HELP IN GETTING HEZBOLLAH TO RELEASE THE HOSTAGES

THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION PLAN! SECRETLY SELL WEAPONS TO IRAN IRANIAN MODERATES WOULD THEN TRY TO GET HEZBOLLAH TO RELEASE HOSTAGES USE THE PROFITS FROM THE WEAPONS SALES TO FUND THE CONTRAS THUS... ALL THE GOALS COULD BE MET WITH A SINGLE PLAN!

THE SCANDAL BREAKS! AMERICANS WERE SHOCKED THAT WEAPONS HAD BEEN SOLD TO IRAN IN VIOLATION OF U.S. POLICY OF MAKING NO CONCESSIONS TO TERRORISTS REAGAN’S INVOLVEMENT WAS VAGUE: –AT FIRST HE SAID HE HAD APPROVED THE SALES OF THE ARMS TO IRAN –LATER HE SAID HE HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF APPROVING THE SALES –IN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY HE SAID HE HAD AUTHORIZED THE SALES –IT APPEARS REAGAN WAS UNAWARE THAT THE MONEY WAS BEING DIVERTED TO THE CONTRAS

THE SCANDAL GROWS MEMBERS OF REAGAN’S STAFF TRIED TO COVER-UP THEIR INVOLVEMENT (SOUND FAMILIAR?)

OLLIE NORTH MARINE COLONEL OLIVER NORTH, A SECURITY ADVISOR, WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE SCHEME. HE SHREDDED OR HID INCRIMINATING DOCUMENTS. (SOUND FAMILIAR?)

OTHER CULPRITS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR ADMIRAL JOHN POINDEXTER DEFENSE SECRETARY CASPER WEINBERGER

REAGAN REACTS ADMIRAL POINDEXTER “RESIGNS” REAGAN FIRES OLLIE NORTH (SOUND FAMILIAR?) REAGAN TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS SUBORDINATES ACTIONS REAGAN CREATES A “SPECIAL REVIEW BOARD” TO LOOK INTO THE MATTER (SOUND FAMILIAR?): –KNOWN AS THE TOWER COMMISSION

CONGRESS REACTS CONGRESS HELD ITS OWN HEARINGS ON THE SCANDAL AND APPOINTED ITS OWN SPECIAL PROSECUTOR (SOUND FAMILIAR?)

TESTIMONY NORTH SAID HE BELIEVED REAGAN WAS AWARE OF THE SECRET ARRANGEMENTS

SPECIFIC RESULTS THE TOWER COMMISSION: –CRITICAL OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL (COUNCIL THAT ADVISES THE PRESIDENT ON SECURITY MATTERS): –CRITICAL OF REAGAN’S LACK OF SUPERVISION CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS UNCOVERED: –OFFICIAL DECEPTION –MISMANAGEMENT –ILLEGAL ACTS CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS: –NORTH, POINDEXTER, & WEINBERGER AMONG OTHERS –GEORGE H. W. BUSH PARDONED WEINBERGER AND OTHERS WHEN HE BECAME PRESIDENT (SOUND FAMILIAR?)

GENERAL RESULTS CONCERNS OVER THE ROLES OF CONGRESS AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IN CONDUCT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CONCERNS OVER REAGAN’S MANAGEMENT (OR LACK THEREOF) OF HIS STAFF TEMPORARY DROP IN REAGAN’S POPULARITY

MORE DISTRUST OF GOV’T! WHICH IS WORSE? 1. REAGAN KNEW AND WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE DIVERSION OF FUNDS TO THE CONTRAS AND LIED, OR REAGAN HAD LOST CONTROL OF HIS STAFF AND WAS BECOMING FORGETFUL AND UNINVOLVED.

Iran-Contra & Watergate Comparison Iran-Contra 1.Reagan’s staff tried to cover up their involvement 2.Colonel Oliver North (security advisor) was directly involved and shredding incriminating evidence 3.Reagan fired North 4.Reagan created a special review board- Tower Commission 5.Congress held its own hearings & appointed their own special prosecutor 6.George Bush pardoned some of those involved before he left office in Watergate 1.Creep paid “hush money to the “plumbers” to stop them from talking. 2.Shredded documents 3.Saturday night massacre (a lot of people were fired/resigned) 4.Nixon appointed special prosecutor Archibald Cox (& later fired him) 5.Senate set up its own investigation. 6.Ford pardoned Nixon

How were the two scandals different? Nixon directly tried to impede the Watergate investigation, whereas Reagan just pleaded ignorance. Why did President Nixon resign after Watergate but President Reagan did not resign after the Iran-Contra Scandal? Reagan wasn’t going to be impeached because he just said he didn’t know anything about it. He didn’t try to cover anything up.