Iran—Contra Affair

Abstract

The Iran–Contra Affair was a major political scandal of the 1980s that dually involved a fight against terrorism in the Middle East and the expansion of communism in Central America. When the facts came to light, the situation threatened to destroy the presidency of Ronald Reagan. By examining much of the available secondary literature, it will be possible to get a perception of how this situation started slowly and gained momentum to the point that it seemed impossible to stop for the president and his closest aides. What became evident upon doing this research was how many people were involved from the president, to the director of the CIA, and many other governmental officials. During this entire time period, many of the individuals involved did not believe that they were breaking laws and were only doing what was in the interest of national security. Despite rumblings of possible impeachment of President Reagan, he survived the ordeal of these circumstances, but his legacy was forever tarnished.