In 1986 its spokesman acknowledged that funds from sales of cocaine smuggled into the us had helped fund the contra rebels, but said that the smuggling was not authorized by the us. In 1986 its spokesman acknowledged that funds from sales of cocaine smuggled into the us had helped fund the contra rebels, but said that the smuggling was not authorized by the us government or resistance leaders. 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. Money from the iran weaponssale then was used to fund the contras, a group of guerrilla freedom fighters opposed to the marxist government of nicaragua. Key sections of conspiracy indictment in irancontra affair. The cia, the contras and crack cocaine albion monitor.
According to the report of the congressional committees investigating the irancontra affair issued in november 1987, the sale of u. Along with a leading role in the irancontra scandal in which north helped. The irancontra affair may be only part of a broader and previously undisclosed pattern of illegal activities by intelligence agencies during the tenure of ronald reagan and. It was a secret arrangement led by us president ronald reagan to. The irancontra affair was a political scandal that exploded in 1986, during president ronald reagans second term, when it came to light that senior administration officials had secretlyand in violation of existing lawsarranged for the sale of arms to iran in return for irans promise to help secure the release of a group of americans being held hostage in lebanon. Irancontra affair simple english wikipedia, the free. 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. The irancontra affairs of the 1980s stemmed from the reagan administrations foreign policies toward two seemingly unrelated countries, nicaragua and iran. Irancontra and armsforhostages scandals after effects. The iran contra affair leila alidoost exposing the affaircont. December president ronald reagan signs an executive order that authorizes a covert operation by the c. The irancontra affair is a telling illustration of how the executive branch related to congress regarding national security. Irancontra affair definition of irancontra affair by the. Oliver north worked with cocaine traffickers to arm terrorists.
Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. The boland amendments, the international security and development cooperation act of 1985 that prohibited arms sales to the contras, and the intelligence oversight act. Iran contra affair synonyms, iran contra affair pronunciation, iran contra affair translation, english dictionary definition of iran contra affair. The irancontra affair american experience official. The irancontra affair was a clandestine action not approved of by the united states congress. Cia involvement in trafficking is usually alleged to be connected to the contra war in nicaragua and the irancontra affair during the reagan administration. Ciara sarao born in february 6, 1911 in tampico, illinois. Irancontraaffare regierung bush 500 beitrage pro seite. Congress or violated the stated public policy of the government.
The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. The cia planes brought guns, washing machines, gourmet food, and fancy furniture intto colombia and took drugs back to the u. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Allegations of cocaine trafficking by contras also arose during the investigation conducted by independent counsel lawrence walsh into the irancontra affair. Iran contras affaren, aven kallat irangate var en politisk skandal i usa som uppdagades i november 1986. There were no us hostages held by iran in spite of claims that this was a. Irancontras affair article about irancontras affair by. There are many comparisons between the irancontra affair in the 1980s and the iran ransom scandal of today. The theory has it that muttawa members, frustrated at not being able to crack. 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. When new york times reporters conducted their own interview with palacio, she immediately. The irancontra affair was originally sparked by the iran hostage crisis, which began on november 4, 1979 when a group of iranian students called the muslim student followers of the imams line took over the american embassy in iran, taking hostage 52 diplomats and civilians staying at the embassy in tehran. 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.
A political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986. Secret teams and covert operations in the reagan era paperback by. The irancontra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the irancontra scandal. The administration believed that changes to these countries that occurred in the 1970s threatened u. Oliver north guilty of tricking congress archive, 5 may. The reagan administration, undeterred, conspired to sell arms to iran in exchange for hostages, using some of the proceeds to illegally fund the contras. Irancontra affair legal definition of irancontra affair.
Both the sale of arms to iran and the military aid to the contras were illegal, and colonel oliver north and others in the presidents administration were dismissed and charged with breaking the law. In the irancontra affair, the reagan administration secretly sold weapons to iran to effect the release of american hostages held in lebanon. Jan 11, 2017 the lasting effects of irancontra are primarily these, and they are related to our national reputation. The major elements of the irancontra story were well known long before the 1986 exposures, apart from one fact. Exposing the affair president reagan, along with robert mcfarlane, john poindexter, and oliver north took the money, and used it to support the contras in nicaragua they tried to get around the boland amendment by.
October 10, 1984 the second boland amendment outlaws the use of the cia or third parties in aiding the contras in nicaragua. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy doj oig department of. The irancontra affair may be only part of a broader and previously undisclosed pattern of illegal activities by intelligence agencies during the. 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.
Caso iran contr a, popularized in ira n as the mcfarlane affai r, the ira n contra scanda l, or simply ira n contr a, was a political scandal in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. A scandal from 1986 over secret deals to sell arms to iran and divert the proceeds to fund contra rebel forces in nicaragua. As tension and fighting continued between the sandinista government and the contras, the nicaraguan government attempted to make peace. The iran contra affair involved a secret foreign policy operation directed by white house officials in the national security council nsc under president ronald reagan. Thus the present study aims to quantify the chemical combination of this drug. But those regulations were ruled inapplicable to the contra affair, because they. The irancontra affair, like the ciaorganized invasion of the bay of pigs in cuba in 1961, struck a global blow to american credibility.
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. In a larger sense, the irancontra hearings, like the celebrated senate watergate hearings 14 years earlier, addressed fundamental questions about the governments accountability to the public, and the proper balance between the executive and legislative branches of government. The irancontra affair was a scandal that happened from august 1985 to march 1987. 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. One of the most complicated and intriguefilled scandals in recent decades. Former government officials and other sources confirm that the cia stashed money in a number of b. The iran contra affairs of the 1980s stemmed from the reagan administrations foreign policies toward two seemingly unrelated countries, nicaragua and iran. 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. Akten zur irancontraaffare veroffentlicht telepolis heise. 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. Feb 11, 2017 crack babies, the contras, and the cia duration. The history of the irancontra affair has a deeprooted connection to the crack. Officials at the highest level had been detected organizing international terrorism i. The lasting effects of irancontra are primarily these, and they are related to our national reputation.
The money received for these was then given to the contras, military groups who wanted to defeat the sandinista government in nicaragua. Florida who never mentioned contras or the white house until the iran contra affair broke in november. On 19 october 1986, the house judiciary committee sent a letter to attorney general edwin meese, asking that he appoint an independent counsel to investigate the roles of. The report shows that israels involvement was stimulated by separate overtures in 1985 from iranian arms merchant manucher ghorbanifar and national.
The iran contra affair operation black eagle, later operation screw worm. He also helped orchestrate a secret deal later known as irancontra to send arms through honduras to help the contras overthrow the. The irancontra affair american experience official site. Irancontra, crack cocaine, and the transformation of hip.
The irancontra affair involved a secret foreign policy operation directed by white house officials in the national security council nsc under president ronald reagan. The iran contra affair was the product of two separate initiatives during the administration of president ronald reagan reagan, ronald wilson. Bbc news americas reagan and the irancontra affair. An august, 1996, series in the san jose mercury news by reporter gary webb linked the origins of crack cocaine in california to the contras, a guerrilla force backed by the reagan administration that attacked nicaraguas sandinista government during the 1980s.
Irancontra affair article about irancontra affair by the. Between 1982 and 1984, congress restricted funding for the contras, and by 1985 cut it off entirely. May 05, 2017 the former national security aide, oliver north, the man at the heart of the 1986 iran contra affair, was yesterday found guilty on three counts including deceiving congress and receiving an. Jun 05, 2004 in 1986, the reagan government, secretly and illegally, transferred to the contras the proceeds of clandestine sales of military equipment supplied to iran. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. Mcfarlane sought reagans approval, in spite of the embargo against selling arms to iran.
On march 16, 1988, a federal grand jury indicted north, poindexter, and two other persons on a number of charges including conspiracy to defraud the u. North and others took steps to assist the contras in opening the southern front, in part by secretly. There is much controversy surrounding this scandal, including the presidents knowledge of these events. The scandal involved the united states government selling weapons to iran in exchange for hostages and to fund the nicaraguan contras. It happened under president ronald reagans government. To get funds for the contras, the white house sold tow antitank missiles to iran then at war with iraq, possibly also hoping to encourage a military coup in iran. In october 1979 president jimmy carter made the decision to allow the exiled shah into america for medical treatment. In september 1984, nicaragua signed a draft of the contadora treaty, which was an attempt by its four sponsors mexico, venezuela, colombia, and panama to stem the armed. Report of the congressional committees investigating the irancontra affair, u. 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. Can someone explain the irancontra affair and why it wasn. Titled dark alliance, the series linked drug smuggling by ciatrained contras to the crack epidemic that has ravaged america.
Mar 17, 1988 from the late spring or early summer of 1985 through november 1986, the defendant oliver l. I guess that makes them contras, and so it makes me a contra too. Subscribe to hiphughes history, its stupid easy and. North, oliver oliver north testifying at the irancontra. Cia involvement in trafficking is usually alleged to be connected to the contra war in nicaragua and the irancontra affair during the reagan. Because the reagan campaign was willing to trade arms for hostages and even bargain to have the iranians hold the hostages until reagans inau. The irancontra affair was the product of two separate initiatives during the administration of president ronald reagan. 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. These operations became linked when funds generated by the sale of weapons to iran were diverted to help finance the socalled contra war in nicaragua.
Previous investigations concerning allegations of contra drug trafficking. The iran contra affair 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. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was. The irancontra affair 19861987 the washington post. President ronald reagan holds a news conference and takes question on the iran arms and contra aid c duration. Reagans people negotiated a deal where the iranians, who were fighting a. One day in the early 1980s, wanda palacio watched a hercules cargo plane roll to a stop on the tarmac of barranquilla international airport, located in the andean foothills just off the azure waters of colombias northern coast. Oct 25, 2004 how john kerry exposed the contracocaine scandal. Irancontra affair timeline created by brandonfrank2015. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia.
Hezbollah, an iranian backed militia in lebanon had taken several american hostages. Ronald reagans efforts to eradicate communism spanned the globe, but the insurgent contras cause in nicaragua was. Sep 08, 2006 the irancontra affair, 1986 noam chomsky chomskys brief account of the us selling arms to iran via israel in order to fund farright paramilitary contras in nicaragua. Understanding the irancontra affairs the irancontra. The voluminous report of congress irancontra committees could serve as a virtual outline for the indictments expected over the next few months against key figures in the affair, although the. Iranian crack is a new form of narcotic substance that has found widespread prevalence in iran in the past years. In 1985, while iran and iraq were at war, iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the united states. The iran contra scandal had a big effect on the united states but it had a huge effect on nicaragua. This was a scandal called irancontra back during the reagan administration, 19801988. When journalists exposed what was going on, congressional opposition to the funding of the contras grew. Understanding the irancontra affairs the irancontra affairs.
Can someone explain the irancontra affair and why it wasnt bigger than it was. 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. It began in 1985, when president ronald reagans administration supplied weapons to irana. According to the stories, the cia and its operatives used crack cocainesold via. Understanding the irancontra affairs the legal aftermath. Irancontra affairthe irancontra affair involved a secret foreign policy operation directed by white house 1 officials in the national security council nsc under president ronald reagan. Oliver north is sworn in july 7, 1987, before the congressional committee investigating the irancontra affair. Let hiphughes accompany you through a basic understanding of the reagan era scandal irancontra. According to the report of the congressional committees investigating the iran contra affair issued in november 1987, the sale of u. Mar 18, 20 let hiphughes accompany you through a basic understanding of the reagan era scandal iran contra. Learn about the irancontra affair under president reagan who secretly supported an anticommunist group in nicaragua and funneled weapons to iranian terrorists in. North, a marine major, is assigned to the national security council at the white house. When 1,500 missiles were shipped three hostages were released but those three hostages were soon replaced with three.
July 25, 1984 cia secures manucher ghorbanifaras, an iranian businessman, as a broker between israel and iran in the armsforhostage deal. North, oliver oliver north testifying at the iran contra. House of representatives select committee to investigate. Crack only nominally resembles crack cocaine as it is widely different in its clinical signs. North said he had diverted money from the arms sales to the contras. Irancontra affairs, the linkage in the mid1980s of two separate and distinct u. Through out 198586, the reagan administration was selling weapons to iran illegally in order to encourage iran to free hostages in the middle east. Nicaragua since irancontra as tension and fighting continued between the sandinista government and the contras, the nicaraguan government attempted to make peace. More often than not, the president reigned supreme.
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