1. Reagan: Foreign Policy

2. I. Rejecting Carter
Carter: Vowed to reduce Cold War (cut military, slow arms race)& pay attention to 3rd World concern (no Vietnams) while curbing revolutionary nationalism: “Preventive Diplomacy”
Administration divided on foreign policy
Sec’y State Cyrus Vance push use of diplomacy, but Brzezinski (NSA) + hawks (Committee on the Present Danger, etc.) win over time w/ rigid Cold War perspective
SALT II (1979) attempt reduce tension
Détente deteriorates + Cold War deepens: human rights push + Jackson-Vanik Amendment (1974) + military buildup (to build domestic support for SALT II) + invasion Afghanistan (1979)
 Carter Doctrine: unilateral intervention defend Middle East
Camp David Accords (1978): Israeli-Egyptian peace

3. Panama Canal Treaties (1978)
Limited diplomatic relations Cuba (but 1980 Mariel incident)
Boycott 1980 Moscow games, ban grain sales to USSR
Evaluation:
1) More troops abroad
2) Inconsistent on human rights (pressure on some—USSR, Argentina, Chile—but not allies—South Korea, Iran, Philippines)
3) Successes in Middle East, Africa, Latin America
4) Did not restore economic + political hegemony sets stage for hawkish Reagan

4. II. Winning the Cold War
Best case: new rhetoric of “evil empire” (belief Soviets could be defeated rather than just contained, reject détente + Realpolitik + 40 years of entrenched bureaucracy) and building up military collapse Soviet Union
Worst case: dealt with the devil (Iran, Nicaragua, Bin Laden, Saddam, South Africa) and escalated tensions (Grenada) pointlessly + did harm (massive deficits)
Most likely: negotiation (discussed abolishing nukes; 1988 Red Square: term evil empire in the past) accelerated collapse of Soviets but in such a way that caused post-Cold War instability (and rise of Putin)
Or, both lost, US lost less
“imperial overreach”; sphere ally unrest; rise of 3rd world; anti-nuclearism

5. Iran-Contra Scandal

6. Why not Reagan? Worse than Watergate?
The scandal involved serious legal, constitutional, and moral “improprieties” much greater than the Watergate break in
When scandal first broke out, a majority of Americans called for Reagan’s impeachment
Why did Reagan survive when Nixon had fallen?

7. I. The Contra End A. Support for Somoza
Brutal dynasty of dictators who came to power in Nicaragua in 1934
Pro-US
Anastasio Somoza

8. B. The Sandinistas
1961: Sandinista National Liberation Front formed (FSLN)
Communist/nationalist
Led by Daniel Ortega
Ortega

9. 1978: US suspends military aid to Somoza regime
1979: FSLN overthrows Somoza and sets up communist regime (nationalize, redistribute land, etc.)

10. C. American Reaction Carter: fait accompli Reagan: 2nd Cuba
Rejected request for $75 million in aid (disliked revolutionaries)
Moderate regime but no action
Reagan: 2nd Cuba
Kill the bastards

11. D. Bay of Pigs Redux
Reagan orders CIA Director William Casey to plan overthrow

12. Casey: create and fund (1981: $19 million) counterrevolutionaries Contras
Started small (about 500) but grew (several thousand)

13. Contras’ small numbers guerilla tactics, assassination, terror
Murder, rape, and torture
Winning hearts and minds
US secretly mined Nicaragua’s harbors World Court rules US in violation international law
Reagan justified support by comparing the Contras to the American Revolutionaries
“moral equals of our Founding Fathers”
Well, Jefferson…

14. Increasingly angry, in 1984 Congress prohibits funding to Contras:
Boland Amendment to an appropriations bill
Reagan signed the bill: public, press, Congress believe that US out of Nicaragua
Election year polls showed majority opposition to Reagan’s Latin American policies
El Salvador ($1 million/day for death squads)

15. E. Ollie North Reagan decides to secretly evade/break the law
But how to get the money?
Casey delegates to NSC staffer Oliver North

16. Tactics Wealthy individuals: “charitable” gifts to Contras
State Department approaches foreign countries for $ aid
Contras sell drugs in US for $ (with CIA assistance?)
Just Say No, except not really because our allies need the money (Manuel Noriega)

17. Problems
Illegal for administration to promise something for the $ (quid pro quo)
Upsets Constitutional system of checks and balances
Contras still unable to win major military victory

18. Solution
North combines Contra operation with “The Enterprise”: Iran

19. II. Iran End A. Anti-Terrorism?
Reagan publicly a hard-line anti-terrorist
Privately a soft touch (met with families)
1979: Iranian Revolution American embassy hostages (50+)
Released when Reagan was inaugurated and US unfroze Iranian $ in US
Not connected (?)

20. Iran supported anti-US terrorism
Lebanese kidnappings of American Zionists
1985: Reagan meets with family visibly shakenobsessed with hostages

21. National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane approached by Iranian businessman Manucher Ghorbanifar:
Arms for hostages

22. Problems
Illegal: Congress had passed law against arms sales to Iran (state sponsor of terrorism)
Went against Reagan’s public policy
Major advisors spoke out against it
 Do it anyways McFarlane goes to North

23. B. One Simple Deal
Supposed to be one (1) simple deal: sell weapons (30% markup) for hostages
Iranians up ante: 2 plane loads rather than 1, 1 hostage rather than all 7

24. Despite failure continue to try (120 for 5)
Continued failure: McFarlane decides to call it off but resigns John Poindexter appointed
ON convinces JP to continue: combine the deals

25. III. Diversion of Funds North: profits from arms sales Contras
Problem: unelected bureaucrat funding illegal activity with illegal funds (“Shadow government”)
North deals 2 more times
At end of arms trade there were MORE hostages in Lebanon
The exact reason Bush refused to deal w/Iraqi kidnappers

26. October 1986: Contra end exposed—
Sandinistas shot down American plane carrying arms and soldiers why were they there?
North starts shredding

27. Four weeks later Iranian government leaks story to Mid East paper to embarrass Reagan
North shreds faster

28. Senate held hearings to investigate scandal

29. North, Poindexter, and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and others convicted of perjury and contempt of Congress
Eventually overturned in court based on the 5th Amendment
George H.W. Bush pardoned the others
[Not the only scandal: 138 Administration officials were investigated, indicted or convicted; more than any other Presidency in US history]

30. Saturday Night Live: Reagan Mastermind

31. IV. Comparison to Watergate
Belief that loss of liberty abroad loss of liberty at home
Contempt of Congress
Minority Report: Dick Cheney (R-WY)—Reagan did nothing wrong: Congress had no right to pass laws restricting foreign policy (violates Art II unitary executive), therefore the laws were unconstitutional (on Pres’ say so)
No court has ever upheld this interpretation of the Constitution
Reagan’s guys destroyed the evidence
Iran-Contra substantially worse
Revelations help lead to greater support for Saddam Hussein, 1st Gulf War, and 9-11

32. The Teflon President
Reagan saved by the fact that there was no smoking gun
Either didn’t exist or was destroyed
Subordinates go on: North runs for Congress, works for FOX News, Poindexter and TIA, Bush President
Presidential Records