The Iran-Contra scandal was one of the few criticisms during the Reagan administrations time in the white house. President Ronald Reagan claimed to have no knowledge of the events that took place but key witnesses and evidence seem to have suggested otherwise. Members of the Reagan administration were violating two major American policies during the time of the scandal and the level at which the scandal took place makes it one of the more well-known government scandals. The United States was selling weapons to Iran in order to free hostages held in Lebanon and use the money to support the Contras in Nicaragua. The support for the Contras was against American policy instituted in three amendments between 1982 and1984. Israel acting as …show more content…
The United States was supporting the Contras against the Sandinista government due to the Sandinistas ties to Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Contras lost support from Congress due to constant reporting of human rights violations carried out by the Contras. After the Boland Amendment, the Reagan administration continued to show support to the Contras, which led to Oliver North proposing that the Iran arms money be used to aid the Contras. On November 3, 1986, Lebanese newspapers published the story of the United States providing weapons to Iran and in the matter of a few weeks, everything including the aid to the Contras was beginning to become public. On November 21, 1986, Oliver North and his secretary Fawn Hall conducted their infamous “shredding party” where they attempted to destroy all incriminating evidence prior to a search of their offices. North and Hall were not able to destroy everything and the search resulted in the finding of the Diversion Memo, which provides the connection between Iran weapons sales and aid to the
For some people a sad story, yet for others a message to the people that see the movie. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a movie made after the time of the Cold War (1945-1952) . Indeed, there are reasons to believe that this movie is anti-communist by the fact that it presents traits of some Cold War features such as espionage and maybe proof of McCarthyism.
The French King and Queen were killed and France declared a Republic. The XYZ affair was a diplomatic issue between France and United States. It was one of the important events during Adams’ presidency. The background information, who was involved, and the solution and problems caused by the XYZ affair was quite fascinating. The XYZ affair was the best event to ever happen in the 1700s.
Ray Rice a former NFL running back who played for the Baltimore Ravens was caught brutally smacking his fiancee over, leaving her blacked out on the floor of a casino elevator taking place in Atlantic City. The footage leaked out world wide and the public created huge controversy over the coverage that continuously played a numerous of times on major news networks. Rice who was cut from the Ravens and suspended from the NFL after the release of the show down is now an unsigned free agent, searching for hope. Through shocking evidence and a glimpse into a professional football players life, I aim to examine how media created an entertainment brand out of the countless amount of times the video was aired, how the NFL handled the scandal, and how Rice strives to regain his identity.
The 1980s saw great political and military action throughout the world. However, one particular event that took place began in the early 1980s which was the Iran-Contra Affair. The Iran-Contra scandal is said to be the result of President Ronald Reagan’s attempt to accomplish two things. The first being his desire to see that the Americans which were being held as hostages by Iran, to be freed and the second was that he wanted to provide assistance to the contras in Nicaragua by going around congress. As obvious and as famous as the previously mentioned appears to be, the key states or countries involved are a matter of investigation. The heavy hitters in the Iran-Contra scandal aside from the United States, were Nicaragua, Iran, and Israel, which possess the question; how did several countries from various places around the world become so entangled in one of the world’s most memorable, multinational, scandals of all time?
The “pentagon papers”, officially titled: Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, was a U.S. government study commissioned, by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, in 1967. [Robert McNamara served under both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.] The study traced the United States involvement in Vietnam from World War II to the present. The papers were highly confidential and compiled by many sources. Groups, such as the military, universities, and private organizations, worked on portions of the study. The joint efforts created a 47-volume study; only 38 of the 47 volumes were physically produced. One of the groups which had worked on the study was RAND Corporation. An employee of Rand Corporation, Daniel Ellsberg, used his clearance to gain access to a printed copy of the Pentagon Papers. Ellsberg then began secretly removing and copying volumes o...
In reality, he and his security advisor, Admiral John Poindexter, had lied to Congress, shredded evidence, and refused to inform the President of details in order to guarantee his “plausible deniability”. Ultimately, the Iran-Contra investigation raised more questions than it answered. Reagan held fast to his plea of ignorance, the full role of the CIA director remained murky, and the role of Vice President Bush remained mysterious as well. The Iran-Contra affair revealed how secretive government officials undermine the Constitution and compromise Presidential authority under the facade of patriotism.
America had begun to indulge in the unilateral environment afforded to it during the Cold War. As the Soviet Union began to collapse in the 1980s, the United States was on its way to becoming a solo super power. This acquisition of complete power would inevitably lead the country into new problems, including those foreign and domestic. One of the main issues that came around in the 1980s for the Unites States was the Iran-Contra Affair, which involved the Reagan Administration. With the United States readily inserting influence across the globe, the Iran-Contra Affair proved how foreign intervention can lead to scandal and disgrace in the modern world. Along with detrimental scandals, the Iran-Contra Affair showed how America’s imperialistic behavior in South America was beginning to catch up. In order to remain a dominant influence in South America, the United States had no choice but to topple governments that did not align with American ideology. Using guerillas like the Contras insinuates America’s cornerstone of doing what is necessary in order to satisfy foreign interest.
Pentagon Papers: The Truth to War. On June 31, 1971, President Nixon picked up a copy of his New York Times newspaper and found the 1st story on the Pentagon Papers. The Pentagon Papers was a hidden government document that had information on the Vietnam War. It was also a government study in Southeast Asia. Daniel Ellsberg knew that the government was hiding something.
“The Watergate Files”. The Ford Library. 1995. The Gerald Ford Library and Museum. 5 May
Wag The Dog Theory: Domestic Scandal And Foreign Policy [Author] [Institution] Wag The Dog Theory Of Domestic Scandal And Foreign Policy The “Wag the dog” theory of domestic scandal and foreign policy is advanced by some pundits through which, the US presidents committed the United States to overseas conflicts in order to divert public attention from national unrest or outcry does not necessarily apply to all US presidents. Some of the US presidents have indulged in foreign affairs, foreign tours, summits with foreign leaders, foreign conflicts or certain bold or rash decisions when faced with problems of economic or political nature on the domestic front. Harry S. Truman atom-bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which he could have avoided, but that would have dragged on the WWII a little longer creating more problems for him on the domestic front. Kennedy’s ill-planned Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba in support of the Cuban exiles planning to overthrow Fidel Castro. Reagan’s Iran-Contra Affair for secret sale of arms to the inimical Iran and channeling of ill-gotten profits to the Nicaraguan rebels. But, the classic example of the practice of the “Wag the dog” theory was by Bill Clinton. To draw away attention from his personal indiscretions, on the day Monica Lewinsky was supposed to testify before a grand jury, Clinton ordered cruise missile attack on a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan under the pretense of it was a chemical weapons factory. Later, targets in Afghanistan were attacked under the pretext that these were linked to the Saudi terrorist Osama Bin Laden who was suspected of orchestrating bombings of US embassies in East Africa. Clinton’s actions that led to his impeachment were not mere personal misdeeds, but lasting stains ...
When an investigation of CIA abuses exposed the facts in 1975, two White House aides named Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld helped set up a meeting at which President Gerald Ford apologized to the Olson family. The goal, according to a declassified White House memo, was to avert a lawsuit in which it "may become apparent that we are concealing evidence for national security
In 1986, Reagan took violent action on his war against terrorism. Reagan started his presidency in 1981 beginning his war on terrorism. The United States has been struggling with having good relations with Libya, specifically relations with Muammar Gaddafi (El-Gadhafi, Quadaffi, Qadhafi). Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator first came to power in 1969. Over the past few decades, the United States tried to solve conflicts with Libya diplomatically (SOURCE). Once Reagan was elected president, he tried to continue the tradition of solving issues using diplomatic ways, however Gaddafi refused to take Reagan’s threats seriously. The conflict with Libya and the United States escalated when it was discovered that Gaddafi was behind the discotheque bombings in West Berlin on April 5th 1986. Gaddafi has violently attacked not only innocent civilians, but had planned assassination attempts on United States officials that were abroad (SOURCE). Gaddafi’s previous actions, led to the bombings in Libya on April 14th 1986, when Operation El Dorado Canyon took place. President Reagan later justified these bombings in his address to the nation the evening the bombings took place (SOURCE?).
Four of these men, that were arrested on the morning of June 17, 1972, came
Throughout the course of United States History power has swung back and forth between Congress and the Executive. Historically, some presidents have attempted to limit the power of the executive while others have used their time in office to increase this power. I want to make it clear that I am not talking about the power of the federal government relative to state governments but rather the power of the executive relative to Congress. I would like to take this time to analyze two presidents who I think have had a major impact on this power swing. These two men are Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon, and although it may seem unorthodox to compare presidents of such vastly different areas, I believe each man's importance to the topic at hand
The Iran Hostage Crisis was a dangerous time period for Americans and held lots of events in it. It took place on November 4, 1997. The location was in Tehran, Iran. The main place things happened was in the embassy. One of the main issues was with the president. That didn’t stop the Americans from being angry and face Moorhead Kennedy. President Carter knew the country was in serious danger. This event in history happen 39 years ago. It was between Iran and the united states. The group mostly consisted of young students. On November 4, 1979 President Cater got a call that 50 to 60 americans had been captured and taken to Iran. There was a total of 500 Iranian students at one point on the street and shouting as if they were celabrating something special. It was not goood shouting, it contained nasty/foul words. Many Iranian students wanted America to fail and many wanted Carter gone. The main cause to this was that President Carter let Iran’s Shah come to the united States for medical help. Americans beleived that letting Shah in was the worst decision because of what he was called. This event led up to the Iran