1 Remley C. Fraley HIUS-445-D1 May 10 th , 2019 Iran-Contra Affair

2 When the name Ronald Wilson Reagan is mentioned today most will either think with nostalgia to an honored President, the actor, the great communicator, Reagan brings to mind a lot of things. Sadly, some people under the age of Forty will most likely not even know who Ronald Reagan was. For those over forty many will always remember the Iran-Contra scandal that almost engulfed a well-loved President and did topple a few members of his cabinet and personnel from the administration. Almost Thirty-Five years after the events and President Reagans subsequent death Americans find themselves wondering what was this scandal? What was the Presidents Role in it? President Reagans management style might be called into question as well as the questions about how observant a person must be to see what is going on around them, but Iran Contra goes a lot further than a little monetary diversion, or a slip of the tongue. This was a scandal that proceeded to indictments and later pardons. By breaking down the entire scandal from beginning to end maybe a new light can be shed on it. Background/Introduction The United states had previously been the largest seller of arms under the Monarchy of Mohammad Reza Shah, the Shah or Emperor of Iran. After the revolution that overthrew the Shah, it was the Theocratic government in Iran that ended up with the American made weapons. i It was in the maintenance and continual use of these American made weapons that Iran continued to need spare parts to maintain their weapons that they needed the U.S. help. After the Iranians stormed the US Embassy in 1979 and took 52 Americans hostage, President Carter imposed an embargo on Iran. President Reagan confirmed on January 20 th , 1981 he would continue this embargo because Iran supported terrorism. ii

3 The controversy later known as Iran-Contra Scandal erupted during the second term of President Reagan’s administration. Several of the administrations officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, who was also under an arms embargo at the time. iii The intention of the administration was to use the proceeds of the arms sales to then fund the Nicaraguan right-wing rebel group called the Contras. The crux of this problem was that The Congress had passed three separate amendments between 1982-1984 with all of them limiting US government assistance to the said Contras. All 3 legislative acts are known as the Boland Amendment. This legislative act allowed further assistance by the United States for the purpose of overthrowing the Nicaraguan government, while allowing assistance for other purposes. iv The Reagan administration used an “official justification” with the pretext that the arms shipments were part of an operation to free seven American hostages that were being held by Hezbollah (a paramilitary group) in Lebanon.