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Iran-Contra Affair
Iran-Contra Affair, American political scandal of 1985 and 1986, in which high-ranking members in the administration of President Ronald Reagan arranged for the secret sales of arms to Iran in direct violation of existing United States laws. Profits from the $30 million in arms sales were channeled to the Nicaraguan right-wing "contra" guerrillas to supply arms for use against the leftist Sandinista government. This, too, was in direct violation of U.S. policy. The chief negotiator of these deals was Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, a military aide to the National Security Council. North reported his activities initially to National Security Adviser Robert C. McFarlane, the council's head, and subsequently to his successor, Vice Admiral John M. Poindexter. The sale of arms to Iran was initiated at the suggestion of the Israeli government with the dual goal of bettering relations with Iran and of obtaining the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorists. North was instrumental in setting up a covert network for providing support to the contras, with its own ship, airplanes, airfield, and secret bank accounts.
In November 1986 a Lebanese magazine disclosed that the United States government had negotiated an arms deal with Iran. Later that month Attorney General Edwin Meese verified that millions of dollars from these sales had been sent to the contras in direct violation of the Boland Amendment, which Congress had passed in 1984 and which prohibited direct or indirect U.S. military aid to them. As new details of the widening scandal emerged, a series of congressional and legal investigations began. In February 1987 the Tower Commission, a special panel headed by former U.S. Senator John Tower of Texas, issued a report castigating President Reagan and his advisers for their lack of control over the National Security Council. The Congressional Joint Investigative Committee collected more than 300,000 documents, conducted more than 500 interviews and depositions, and listened to 28 witnesses in 40 days of public hearings. In November 1987 the committee reported that the president bore the ultimate responsibility for the implementation of his administration's policies but found no firm evidence that he had known of the diversion of funds to the contras. In May 1989 North was tried and convicted of obstructing Congress and unlawfully destroying government documents, but his conviction was subsequently overturned. A guilty decision on Poindexter's actions was also later reversed. The scandal's reverberations concerning the ultimate responsibility for the operation continued into the 1990s. In December 1992 President George Bush, who had been vice president under Reagan and who had also been implicated, but not charged, in the scandal, issued pardons to many of the top government officials who had been charged or convicted for their role in the Iran-Contra affair. Independent prosecutor Lawrence E. Walsh published his final report on the investigation of the affair in January 1994. Walsh concluded that there was no evidence that Reagan had broken the law, but he noted that Reagan may have participated in, or known about, a cover-up.
library.thinkquest.org
Iran-Contra Affair
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The American political scandal which has become known as the Iran-Contra Affair occurred in 1985 and 1986. First of all, high-ranking members of the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran, in itself a severe violation of US laws. Then, they gave the profits from the $30 million worth of weapons to the Nicaraguan Contra rebels, thus violating another ruling of Congress. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who was the military aide to the National Security Council, was the chief negotiator of these operations and reported first to National Security Advisor Robert C. McFarlane and then to his successor, Vice Admiral John M. Poindexter. The sales to Iran were initially made at Israel's suggestion in order to improve their relationship with Iran and to free some American hostages who were being held by pro-Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. North was the man who set up the entire network for distributing this support to the Contras in the form of ships, airplanes and bank accounts.
Everything might have come off secretly except for the fact that a Lebanese magazine mentioned that the US had sold some arms to Iran. An investigation ensued and Attorney General Edwin Meese announced that the US had in fact sent millions of dollars to the Contras from the sales, thus violating Congress' 1984 Boland Ammendment which expressly prohibited supporting the Contras. Even more investigations followed by the Tower Commission and the Congressional Joint Investigative Committee and they collected 0.3 million documents as well as much more live evidence. In November of 1987, the committee reported that Ronald Reagan was in fact ultimately responsible for his administration's actions but that there was no evidence that he had known what has going on. The administrators responsible for the affair where convicted, but these decisions were subsequently reversed. When George Bush became president, he issued pardons to many who had been associated with the affair. The final report came in 1994 from independent prosecutor Lawrence E. Walsh who concluded that there was no evidence that Ronald Reagan had broken the law, but based on circumstantial evidence it was likely that Reagan had participated in or known about the operation.
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This one is way to big to post
sun00781.dn.net
realhistoryarchives.com
Arms for drugs, unauthorized activities, dealing with the enemy, hiding from Congress, flying drugs into the country to raise money for an illegal war... All of this happened in the Iran-Contra scandal.
Many like to brush off notions of vast conspiracies, saying how could so many people keep a secret? This affair was ongoing for five years without a peep from any participants! The Kennedy assassination was, after all, in the end, a one day event. But this went on for five years before story started coming out, and it involved thousands of participants. When people want to keep something secret, they can. It was a freak accident that brought this story into the mainstream, the downing of Eugene Hasenfus.
fedbbs.access.gpo.gov
The Men in the Shadows
Biographies of the six men pardoned by George Bush for their role in Iran-Contra Scandal.
Casper Weinberger
Weinberger was Secretary of Defense during the course of the Iran-Contra affair. In June, 1992, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of concealing from congressional investigators and prosecutors thousands of pages of his handwritten notes. The personal memoirs, taken during high level meetings, detailed events in 1985 and 1986 involving the Iran-Contra affair. Weinberger claimed he was being unfairly prosecuted because he would not provide information incriminating former President Ronald Reagan.
Weinberger was scheduled to go on trial January 5, where the contents of his notes would have come to light and may have implicated other, UN-indicted, conspirators. While never directly linked to the covert operations of the Iran-Contra affair, he is believed to have been involved in the cover-up of the ensuing scandal.
According to Special Prosecutor Lawrence Walsh, WeinbergerÕs notes Òcontain evidence of a conspiracy among the highest-ranking Reagan administration officials to lie to Congress and the American public.Ó Some of the notes are believed to have evidence against then Vice-President George Bush.
Elliott Abrams
Abrams was appointed by President Reagan in 1985 to head the State DepartmentÕs Latin American Bureau. He was closely linked with ex-White House aide Lt. Col. Oliver NorthÕs covert movement to aid the Contras. Working for North, Abrams coordinated inter-agency support for the contras and helped solicit illegal contra funding from foreign powers as well as domestic contributors.
Abrams agreed to cooperate with Iran-Contra investigators and plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in 1991, to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Abrams has been recently associated with the conservative Hudson Institute.
Robert C. McFarlane
McFarlane became ReaganÕs national security adviser in October 1983, and became well-known as a champion of the MX nuclear missile program in his role as a White House liaison to congress.
In 1984, McFarlane initiated the review of U.S. policy towards Iran that led directly to the arms deal. He also supervised early National Security Council efforts to support the Contras.
Shortly after the Iran-Contra scandal was revealed in early 1987, McFarlane took an overdose of the tranquilizer Valium, in an attempt on his own life. He explained, ÒWhat really drove me to despair was a sense of having failed the country,Ó upon his release from the hospital.
McFarlane plead guilty to four misdemeanors and was sentenced to two years' probation, 200 hours of community service and fined $20,000.
Alan D. Fiers
Fiers is the retired chief of the CIAÕs Central American Task Force. The ex-spy plead guilty in 1991 to two counts of withholding information from Congress about NorthÕs activities and the diversion of Iran arms sale money to aid the Contras. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Fiers agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, and his testimony gave a boost to the long-running criminal investigation. Fiers told prosecutors that he and three CIA colleagues knew by mid-1986 that profits from the arms sales to Iran were being diverted to the Contras Ñ months before it became public knowledge. One of the officials implicated by Fiers was Clair George.
Clair George
George is the retired chief of the CIAÕs covert operations division.
In August 1992, a hung jury led U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to declare a mistrial in the case of George, who was accused of concealing from Congress his knowledge of the Iran-Contra affair.
In a second trial last December on charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction, the spy was convicted of lying to two congressional committees in 1986. Before BushÕs pardon, George faced a maximum five-year sentence and a possible $250,000 fine for each of the two convictions. His sentencing had been scheduled for Feb. 18.
Jurors cleared George of five other charges, including two counts of lying to a federal grand jury that would have carried a mandatory 10 months in prison upon conviction.
Duane R. ÒDeweyÓ Clarridge
Clarridge was the head of the CIAÕs Western European Division, and headed the CIAÕs counter-terrorism center.
He was indicted on Nov. 26, 1991, of lying to Congress and the Tower Commission that investigated Iran-Contra. Clarridge was charged with five counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements for allegedly covering up his knowledge of a Nov. 25, 1985, shipment of Hawk missiles to Iran. Clarridge is also suspected of diverting to the Contras weapons originally intended for the Afghan mujahadeen guerrillas.
Clarridge, who later became an executive of General Dynamics Corp., has maintained his innocence. Before the Christmas eve pardon, he was facing trial in March.
Sources: The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Chronology (National Security Archive, Warner Books, 1987), Men of Zeal (US Senators William
animal.iuma.com
amazon.com
Fawn Hall: Shredded National Security Documents to Cover Up Iran-Contra Scandal
Fawn Hall worked for Oliver North. She was given full immunity to testify in the Iran Contra Scandal. She was represented by Plato Cacheris, who now represents Monica Lewinsky.
anusha.com
A CIA FUNDING OPERATION
by Gene "Chip" Tatum 12/28/96
Step 1:
Find a depository which fits the following criteria:
1. Large cash reserves.
2. Much of the cash reserves should represent deposits from an illegal activity (ie. drug transactions). For this example we will use Banco Nacional de Panamá, a depository which is protected by General Manuel Noriega. The depositor will be Pablo Escobar. Finding the proper depository would be the function of the CIA, and in this example we will use William Casey.
Step 2:
Arrange for a loan from this depository. We will use the name of George Bush in this example for the person obtaining the loan. We will use the amount of $8 billion for this example. Sometimes the depository will not be very cooperative. If this occurs, the CIA will coerce or intimidate the depository officials into cooperating. Ultimately, the loan will be made.
Step 3:
Split the loan proceeds in half. One half ($4 billion) will be sent to Iran to purchase "super bills" at the rate of two "super bills" for one authentic bill. Thus, $4 billion in cash buys $8 billion in "super bills." (NOTE: A "super bill" is a perfectly counterfeited U.S. bill. These bills are printed by an Intaglio press which was sold to the Shah of Iran in the late '60s, early '70s. The Shah was also given the plates, ink and paper necessary to successfully print U.S. dollars in large denominations. This was given to the Shah by the CIA. Unfortunately, the Shah left the press, plates, ink and paper for the Iranian Revolutionary Councils when he fled in late 1978.) The second half of the loan ($4 billion) will be sent to a CIA launderer selected by the CIA (Casey) for his or her ability to move large sums of money around the world as a matter of ordinary business. For this example we will use the name Nana Debusia. (Debusia is the grandson of Guyana's first democratic leader and owner of many U.S. and foreign banks.)
Step 4:
Repay original loan to depository in "super bills." (Give Banco Nacional de Panamá $8 billion in "super bills" to replace the authentic currency it loaned.) These "super bills" are placed in the reserve vault and, as long as they are not withdrawn by the depositor, their existence will not jeopardize the value of the U.S. dollar. But, because they are perfect in every way, to put the "super bills" in circulation would eventually devalue the U.S. dollar by flooding the monetary marketplace with U.S. currency.
Step 5:
Arrange to sell Iran something of value for the authentic currency used to purchase the "super bills." In this example, we will use arms, ammunition and replacement parts for military equipment. (We will use the name Oliver North as the example of a person arranging the sale of arms to Iran.) In other words, the CIA now arranges to sell Iran $4 billion worth of arms and equipment in order to get the original $4 billion of authentic currency back. Now, the CIA has $4 billion to use in funding covert activities without relying on Congressional authority and funding. If caught, the CIA can report the source of funds as being from an arms transaction with Iran.
Step 6:
Ensure that the "super bills" are not withdrawn. This is done through the process of neutralization of the depositor. Neutralization is the use of intimidation, coercion or intimidation. In this example, Pablo Escobar is killed.
Step 7:
This CIA launderer in possession of one-half of the original loan proceeds is moving his $4 billion through a maze of banks which are cooperative with both the launderer and the CIA. For this example, we will use the following trail of deposits to banks: a bank in Spain; the Vatican Bank; banks in Luxembourg. Then the launderer wires from his London offices $3.8 billion in laundered monies to private numbered accounts being controlled by the original architects. The launderer keeps $200 million for his job well done, leaving the $3.8 billion in the numbered accounts.
Step 8:
Neutralize the CIA launderer. In this example Nana Debusia was indicted by the U.S. on 32 counts to include bank fraud. The CIA stepped up in his behalf and stated that it would not be in the best interest of the U.S. to prosecute Debusia. He was facing several hundred years in prison if convicted. He was subsequently acquitted on all counts.
CIA TALLY
$4 billion for use in unauthorized black ops* (*black operations are those covert operations performed without the knowledge or authority of Congress.) $3.8 billion in private numbered accounts controlled by the architects of the funding operation.
SUMMARY OF THE EXAMPLE
To summarize the example, the Director of the CIA, William Casey, approached the Ex-Director of the CIA and current Vice President of the United States, George Bush, with the name of a vulnerable depository, the Banco Nacional de Panamá. Vice President Bush then arranged for a short term loan of $8 billion. Bush arranged for $4 billion to go to Iran to purchase super bills and $4 billion to go to Nana Debusia to be laundered into several private accounts. He (Bush) commissioned Oliver North to oversee the Iranian connection. North delivered $4 billion in U.S. currency to Iran. Iran gave North $8 billion in super bills in exchange for the $4 billion in good U.S. currency. North then delivered the $8 billion in super bills back to the Banco Nacional de Panamá. The loan transaction is now complete. There is $8 billion in super bills in the reserve vaults of the Banco Nacional de Panamá, there is $4 billion in authentic U.S. currency in the hands of the Iranians, and there is $4 billion in good currency with CIA launderer Nana Debusia. North sells the Iranians military hardware and parts for the amount of $4 billion and diverts a portion of the proceeds to the Contras of Nicaragua (Iran/Contra). Nana Debusia, in the meantime , is laundering the deposits of $4 billion through various banks, including the Vatican's bank in Italy. After several successful banking transactions, Debusia presents $3.8 billion in the sound deposits to numbered accounts in various locations. When the funding operation is complete, there is $4 billion in CIA accounts to be utilized for covert and black operations; there is $3.8 billion in private numbered accounts controlled by George Bush and William Casey. Pablo Escobar, the primary depositor is dead to ensure no one will withdraw the super bills. General Noriega is in U.S. federal prison and under constant U.S. guard to ensure his silence, and William Casey is dead, leaving $3.8 billion in good U.S. currency in the control of George Bush.
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