Iran Contra Affair

1
Iran Contra Affair

• By Candace and Danny

2
Who?

• President Reagan and National Security Adviser
  Robert McFarlane.

3
Weapons And Why?

• In 1985, while Iran and Iraq were at war, Iran
  made a secret request to buy weapons from the
  United States.
• McFarlane sought Reagan's approval, in spite of
  the embargo against selling arms to Iran.
• The sale of arms would not only improve U.S.
  relations with Iran, but might in turn lead to
  improved relations with Lebanon, increasing U.S.
  influence in the troubled Middle East.

4
Hostages Are There But.?

• Reagan had become frustrated at his inability to
  secure the release of the seven American hostages
  being held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon.
• As president, Reagan felt that He had the duty
  to bring those Americans home," and he convinced
  himself that he was not negotiating with
  terrorists.
• But while shipping arms to Iran violated the
  embargo, dealing with terrorists violated
  Reagan's campaign promise never to do so.

5
Divided.

• The arms-for-hostages proposal divided the
  administration.
• Even so, with the backing of the president, the
  plan progressed.
• By the time the sales were discovered, more than
  1,500 missiles had been shipped to Iran. Three
  hostages had been released, only to be replaced
  with three more.

6
Caught!

• When the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Shiraa" printed
  an exposé on the clandestine activities in
  November 1986, Reagan went on television and
  vehemently denied that any such operation had
  occurred.
• He retracted the statement a week later,
  insisting that the sale of weapons had not been
  an arms-for-hostages deal.
• During that time polls showed that only 14 of
  Americans believed the president when he said he
  had not traded arms for hostages.

7
Uh-oh!

• While probing the question of the
  arms-for-hostages deal, Attorney General Edwin
  Meese discovered that only 12 million of the 30
  million the Iranians reportedly paid had reached
  government coffers.
• Lieutenant Colonel North of the National Security
  Council explained the discrepancy he had been
  diverting funds from the arms sales to the
  Contras, with the full knowledge of National
  Security Adviser John Poindexter and with the
  blessing, he assumed, of President Reagan.

8
Now what?

• Poindexter resigned, and North was fired, but
  Iran-Contra was far from over.
• Fourteen people were charged with either
  operational or "cover-up" crimes.
• The press hounded the president Did he know
  about these illegal activities, and if not, how
  could something of this magnitude occur without
• his knowledge?

9
Trying To Fix It

• In the end, North's conviction was overturned on
  a technicality, and President Bush issued six
  pardons, including one to McFarlane, who had
  already been convicted, and one to Weinberger
  before he stood trial.

10
In The End.

• Although laws had been broken, and Reagan's image
  suffered as a result of Iran-Contra, his
  popularity rebounded.
• In 1989 he left office with the highest approval
  rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.