Iran contra affair larry gilman in october and november of 1986, it was discovered that for several years, agents of the united states government had been running an illegal operation to sell weapons to iran and funnel the profits to the contras, a military organization dedicated to overthrowing the leftist government of nicaragua. It is the only film that puts the entire iran contra affair into a meaningful political and historical context. Irancontra affair legal definition of irancontra affair. What are quality books about the irancontra affair. 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. The rest of it was under the jurisdiction of the united states attorneys who. In the end, norths conviction was overturned on a technicality, and. Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. The irancontra affair 20 years on the national security archive. Iran contra affair president ronald reagan in 1985, during the second term of the reagan administration, the u. The presidents power to hide secret details about the russia investigation. Cover up behind the iran contra affair trailer youtube. In 1985, while iran and iraq were at war, iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the united states. What we saw in the irancontra hearings, was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name of security.
Officials at the highest level had been detected organizing international terrorism i. Behind the irancontra affair loses force as the movie makers run out of evidence. Behind the irancontra affair 1988 examines reagans alleged deal with iran that delayed the release of american hostages until after his inauguration. Caso iran contra, popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal, or simply iran contra, was a political scandal in the united states that occurred during the second term of the reagan administration. Irancontra summary executive summary in october and november 1986, two secret u. Many nationalist and neoconservatives would see the entire iran contra affair not as a cover up but a good use of political power, an end that justifies the means. The irancontra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the irancontra scandal. That clash continues under the presidency of george w.
It presents a tale of politics, drugs, hostages, weapons, assassinations, covert operations and the ultimate plan to suspend the u. Reproduces on microfiche over 20,000 pages of documentation, much of it highlyclassified, pertaining to the irancontra affair,1983 1988. The first shipment through the second channel is sent to iran. This documentary video looks inside the iran contra affair. Behind the iran contra affair 1988 this documentary of the iran contra affair consolidates the evidence and conspiracy theories of the incident after the week congressional hearings. Iran contra documents show that its chief architects were the late cia director william casey and a veteran of the cias clandestine overseas media operations, walter raymond, jr. Mcfarlane sought reagans approval, in spite of the embargo against selling arms to iran. The film reveals a shadow government of former cia operatives, drug smugglers, top us military personnel and others, revealing evidence. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Why the russia investigation could be more like iran contra than watergate. Government operations were publicly exposed, potentially implicating reagan administration officials in illegal activities. The unmaking of the president, 1984 1988 mayer, jane, mcmanus, doyle on.
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. An investigative piece discussing the activities that occurred during iran contra. Fourteen people were charged with either operational or cover up crimes. Top nasa images solar system collection ames research center. Clintons lengthiest remark on the murky affair since it. Cover up behind the irancontra affair is a thorough investigation into information suppressed during the iran contra hearings in 1987 where it was found that senior officials in the united states government secretly facilitated the sale of arms to iran. The film takes an obvious conspiracy theory approach, which, although sometimes entertaining, sometime relies too much on documents and information that arent actually seen. Jun 24, 2001 the irancontra affair has been characterized by u. The irancontra affair american experience official site. The rex84 plan has a remarkable resemblance to the current round up of socalled unlawful combatants. Behind the iran contra affair a tangled tale of politics, drugs, hostages, weapons, assassinations, covert operations and the ultimate plan to suspend the constitution of the united states. The 1988 film is updated with information from recent court cases and events. In the end, norths conviction was overturned on a technicality, and president bush issued six. The united states was the largest seller of arms to iran under mohammad reza pahlavi.
In what became known as the irancontra affair, funds from arms sales to iran were diverted through. The iran contra affair demonstrated the true nature of democracy in the united states. The iran contra affair, like the ciaorganized invasion of the bay of pigs in cuba in 1961, struck a global blow to american credibility. In what became known as the iran contra affair, funds from arms sales to iran were diverted through. Investigations were interfered with and covered up, and the justice system was subverted. Mar 27, 2014 the iran contra affair, also referred to as irangate, contragate or the iran contra scandal, was a political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986. Covered are the allegations of secret governments, drugs, cia involvement, assassinations and even a plan to suspend the constitution. Behind the irancontra affair 1988 cast and crew examines reagans alleged deal with iran that delayed the release of american hostages until after his inauguration. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the. See the article in its original context from august 26, 1988.
Why the russia investigation could be more like irancontra than watergate. You will need to download and install the free adobe acrobat reader to view. Inside the irancontra cover up by robert parry washington in crucial ways, watergate, the signature scandal of the 1970s, and irancontra, the signature scandal of the. The iran contra affair, also referred to as irangate, contragate or the iran contra scandal, was a political scandal in the united states that came to light in november 1986. The irancontra affair popularized in iran as the mcfarlane affair, the iran contra scandal. President reagan and national security adviser robert mcfarlane. Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. Behind the irancontra affair loses force as the movie makers run out of. Kris kristofferson and wife lisa meyers attend the screening of cover up behind the iran contra affair on june 24, 1988 at the directors guild theater in hollywood, california. Attorney general edwin meese iii requests that an independent counsel be appointed to investigate the iran contra affairs.
These operations were the provision of assistance to the military activities of the. Behind the iran contra affair loses force as the movie makers run out of evidence. Behind the iran contra affair loses force as the movie makers run out of. Understanding the irancontra affairs brown university.
The series debuted in 1987 as a coinoperated arcade game titled contra, which was followed by the release of super contra in 1988 and several sequels produced for various home platforms. Cover up behind the irancontra affair is a thorough investigation into information suppressed during the irancontra hearings in 1987 where it was found that senior officials in the united states government secretly facilitated the sale of arms to iran. The foreignpolicy scandal known as the iran contra affair came to light in november 1986 when president ronald reagan confirmed reports that the united states had secretly sold arms to iran. 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.
What we saw in the iran contra hearings, was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name of security. Live leak by lasrever what you saw in the iran contra hearings was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name continue reading. Discuss whatever else may be said of ronald reagan, he quickly showed that the reports of the death of the presidency were greatly exaggerated, no president has used the office of the executive in a more regal, imperial and ordained manner than ronald reagan. Irancontras affair legal definition of irancontras affair. Iran contra affair 1983 1988 the iran contra affair began as an internal u. They would both see the cover up as a necessary way to preserve the political and economical structure inside and outside america and a necessary way to maintain, in their opinion. At the same time, reagan was looking for a way to circumvent congress and assist. Reagan makes his address to the nation on the investigation of the iran arms and contra aid controversy. Why the russia investigation could be more like iran. Elizabeth montgomery, jack brooks, barbara honegger, david macmichael, george bush, sam. Many of these acquisitions are derived from the official bodiesinvestigating the iran contra affair, including the senate intelligence committee, the tower commission, the joint select. Many citizens believed that there was in imbalance of power in the government and to america, president reagan had too much power.
Contra is a video game series produced by konami composed primarily of run and gunstyle shoot em ups. Inside the iran contra cover up by robert parry washington in crucial ways, watergate, the signature scandal of the 1970s, and iran contra, the signature scandal of the. Behind the iran contra affair 1988 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. In 1986, the arms for hostages deal turned into a major scandal in washington and beyond. In 1984, the boland amendment passed, which said that the cia and department of defense could not give militaristic aid specifically in nicaragua. Materials in the collection cover divisive debates within the reagan administration over terrorism and hostage rescue operations and provide a detailed road map to enable researchers to reconstruct key covert policy decisions related to. But if fiers is correct, topranking cia officials not only knew about the operation and did nothing to stop it. The irancontra affair american experience official. Behind the irancontra affair dvd coverup exposes several of the most disturbing chapters in the history of u. During his campaign for the white house, reagan had promised to assist. This eventually led to the full exposure of the operation and the iran contra affair. Behind the iran contra affair is the third featurelength documentary produced by the empowerment project.
With elizabeth montgomery, jack brooks, barbara honegger, david macmichael. Coverup was the first film to reveal the october surprise hostage deal the reaganbush campaigndeal with iran to delay the release of the 52 american hostages until after the 1980 election, and is the only film which presents a comprehensive overview of the most important stories suppressed during the iran contra hearings. The video revealed that rex84 was a plan to detain aliens. President ronald reagan holds up a copy of the tower commission report on the iran contra affair. Behind the irancontra affair 1988 barbara trent on allmovie this documentary of the iran contra affair. Behind the iran contra affair 1988 what you saw in the iran contra hearings was the exposure of the beginnings of a national security state which believes it has the right to override the constitution of the united states in the name of national security. Mar 06, 2020 irancontra focuses on the period from fall 1983, when congress first put limits on official u. Retired lieutenant colonel oliver north responded to telephone callers questions on his involvement in the iran contra affair during the 1980s as well as other issues in american politics. Behind the iran contra affair west hollywood premiere on june 24, 1988 at the dga theatre in west hollywood, california. Americans during the time of the iran contra affair felt as though their right to know about government affairs was violated. Screening of cover up behind the irancontra affair.
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