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Iran Contra Affair
Ronald Reagan was
the 40th American President who served in office from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. One of the important events during his presidency was the
scandal of the Iran Contra Affair.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on the Iran Contra Affair
and scandal.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts for kids
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 1: Iran History: In
January 1979 Shah Pahlavi, a close ally of the US for 25
years, was forced to flee Iran by fundamentalist Islamic
groups. Two weeks later
Ayatollah Khomeini became
the political and religious leader in Iran, creating the
Islamic State, introducing Islamic law and fiercely
denouncing
American influence
in Iran.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
2: Iran History: In
October 1979 President Jimmy Carter made the decision to
allow the exiled Shah into America for medical
treatment. 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.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 3: Iran History: Supporters of
the Islamic Revolution and
Ayatollah Khomeini
took 53 hostages in the US embassy demanded the
Shah in return for the American captives. The highly publicized and
shocking Iran hostage crisis lasted 444 days before the US captives
were released.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 4:
Nicaragua History: In 1979 rebels in Nicaragua, known as
the Sandinistas, seized power and overthrew the government of the
pro-American dictator Somoza Garcia.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 5:
Nicaragua History:
The Sandinistas established a pro-Soviet socialist government
financed with the help of Cuba and the USSR. The Sandinistas also
began backing anti-government revolutionaries in nearby El Salavador.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 6:
Nicaragua History:
The Sandinistas were opposed by an anti-Sandinista
guerrilla force known as the 'Contras' taken from the
Spanish word meaning "Counter-revolutionary". The Reagan
administration began to provide aid to the 'Contras' and
began to secretly arm the anti-Sandinista guerrilla
force.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 7: The Reagan
Doctrine: The fiercely anti-communist President Ronald
Reagan assumed the presidency on
January 20, 1981, the same day the captives in Iran were
released and the
Iran Hostage Crisis was resolved. The Reagan Doctrine
encompassed the military and United States foreign
policy to support guerrilla groups who were fighting to
overthrow Communist or Pro-Soviet governments.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 8: On December 1,
1981 President Reagan signed the secret order
authorizing the CIA to support the 'Contras' with arms,
equipment, and money in order to put pressure on the
Sandinista
regime in Nicaragua.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
9: In June 1982 the
Reagan Doctrine was publicly announced and the practice
of covert operations in Nicaragua supplying the Contras
increased to supporting a change in the pro-Soviet
Nicaraguan government of the
Sandinistas.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 10: The Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out a series of acts
of sabotage in Nicaragua without the knowledge of
Congress. This led to first Boland Amendment which was
passed into law on December 21, 1982, as part of the
House Appropriations Bill of 1982, which barred “the use
of funds for the purpose of overthrowing the government
of Nicaragua".
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
11: The first Boland
Amendment was pushed through by Democrats who sought to
block the Reagan administration support for the Contra
rebels.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 12: Two more Boland Amendments
were made but the Reagan Administration circumvented the Amendments,
without consent of Congress, in order to continue supplying arms to
the Contras. Reagan Administration officials argued that the Boland
Amendment, or any act of Congress, would not interfere with the
president's foreign policy by restricting funds, because the
president could seek funds from private entities or foreign
governments.
Continued...
Iran Contra Affair
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Iran Contra Affair for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about the Iran Contra Affair and
scandal.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts for kids
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 13: Oliver North was a National Security Council
staff member during the Iran–Contra affair and played a key role in
the ensuing political scandal.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 14: The Iran–Contra scandal
involved a two-part plan by the Reagan administration. The first
part of the plan involved the secret sale of weapons to the Islamic
Republic of Iran (one of America's greatest enemies), supposedly to
encourage the release of U.S. hostages then held in Lebanon.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 15: The second part of
the plan was formulated by Oliver North to divert
proceeds from the Iran arms sales to support the Contra
rebel groups in Nicaragua, which had been specifically
prohibited under the Boland Amendment.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 16: On August 20, 1985
American hostage Benjamin Weir was released in Lebanon
hours after the transfer of numerous TOW anti-tank
missiles to Iran. (Iran was involved in the Iran-Iraq
War)
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 17: In December 1985
news broke of cocaine drug trafficking operations
by Contras. Cocaine trafficking was part of the
rebels efforts to boost the Contras military fund and
dozens of its members sold tons of cocaine into the
inner-cities of during the height of the Nicaraguan
crack crisis.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 18: On November 3,
1986 news of the Iran arms trade was leaked to a
Lebanese newspaper. Just ten days after the leak of the
secret dealings with Iran, on November 13, 1986,
President Reagan delivered an address from the White
House and one week later follows this up with a TV
address on the Iran-Contra situation.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts - 19: In November 1986,
the sale of weapons to Iran was made public and Oliver
North was dismissed by President Ronald Reagan.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
20: On December 1,
1986 President Reagan established a Special Review Board
called the Tower Commission to investigate Iran-Contra
affair. President Reagan's creation of the Tower
commission was an unspoken disavowal of presidential
knowledge or responsibility for the actions of
participants in the Iran-Contra affair.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
21: Although President
Reagan admitted that his administration had negotiated
secretly with Iran in order to free the hostages in
Lebanon, he publicly denied knowing about the
arms-supplying operation directed by his own National
Security Council (NSC) staff.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
22: At the same time
the Tower Commission was established the Senate and the
House of Representatives each created a select
Iran-Contra committee. The various Iran-Contra
investigations by the Iran-Contra committees uncovered
an embarrassing number of violations.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
23: On March 4, 1987
President Reagan was forced to speak to the nation on
the Tower Commission findings, which contradicted many
elements in Reagan’s speech from three months before.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
24: On April 13, 1989
the Kerry Committee report was published regarding the
possible role of the Nicaraguan Contras in drug
trafficking. The Kerry Committee report found that US
State Department paid over $800,000 to known drug
traffickers to carry humanitarian assistance to the
Contras.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
25: Ultimately the
sale of weapons to Iran was not deemed a criminal
offense but charges were brought against five
individuals, including Oliver North, for their support
of the Contras and covering up their actions by
shredding documents to destroy evidence.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
26: Oliver North was
brought to trial and on May 4, 1989 and wrote the
"Diversion Memorandum" which clearly laid out what was
going on with the transfer of funds to Contras. Oliver
North was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity,
aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a
congressional inquiry, and ordering the destruction of
documents. Oliver North was not jailed he was given a
suspended sentence and put on probation.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
27: The Iran-Contra
scandal was compounded with the revelations that Oliver
North had destroyed or altered important National
Security Council (NSC) documents at the White House.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
28: President Ronald Reagan had approved
the sale of arms to Iran, but the congressional
investigation concluded
that he had not been informed about the diversion of the
money to the contras.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts -
29: President Reagan
insisted he had done nothing wrong, but the Iran Contra
scandal seriously tainted his second term in office.
Iran Contra Affair
Facts for kids
Iran Contra Affair - President Ronald Reagan Video
The article on the Iran Contra Affair
and scandal provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
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Interesting Facts about Iran Contra scandal for kids and schools
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Summary of the Iran Contra Affair and scandal in US history
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The Iran Contra scandal, a major
event in US history
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Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989
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Fast, fun facts about the Iran Contra Affair and scandal
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Foreign & Domestic
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