No, go back and review your history. Reagan and his staff were later involved with a lot of illegal operations with Iran (in the Iran / Contra weapons trade, where Reagan funneled money to the Contra Rebels in Nicaragua, paid by Iran for weapons he sold them that they could not legally purchase from the U.S.), but this was a continuation of his original negotiations with Iran prior to his election.
Reagan's public image stands in stark contrast to the way this dishonest man actually operated. His most treasonable action was sending America deeply into debt, both the government sector, but business and consumers as well. Literally destroying the economy in the process. Everyone likes debt while they're spending it - it later when the bills come due that reality sinks in.
Naïve observers like Maurice bought into the Reagan PR, but the reality is quite different.
u-s-history.com
"October Surprise"
Upon the death of the shah in July (which neutralized one demand) and the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September (necessitating weapons acquisition), Iran became more amenable to reopening negotiations for the hostages' release.
In the late stages of the presidential race with Ronald Reagan, Carter, given those new parameters, might have been able to bargain with the Iranians, which might have clinched the election for him. The 11th-hour heroics were dubbed an "October Surprise"* by the Reagan camp — something they did not want to see happen.
Allegations surfaced that William Casey, director of the Reagan campaign, and some CIA operatives, secretly met with Iranian officials in Europe to arrange for the hostages' release, but not until after the election. If true, some observers aver, dealing with a hostile foreign government to achieve a domestic administration's defeat would have been grounds for charges of treason.
Reagan won the election, partly because of the failure of the Carter administration to bring the hostages home. Within minutes of Reagan's inauguration, the hostages were released. Under Reagan, the Iran-Contra Affair completes this story.
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