Ronald Reagan's Iran-Contra Affair

Words: 695
Pages: 3

The Iran Contra Affair was a scandal that occurred during Reagan’s second term of presidency. B. Woodward once stated, “This was a secret arrangement in the 1980s to provide funds to the Nicaraguan contra rebels from profits gained by selling arms to Iran” (“Iran-Contra Affair”). Reagan’s efforts to eradicate Communism spanned the globe, but the insurgent Contras’ cause in Nicaragua was more dear to him. In 1985, Iran and Iraq were at war. Iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the United States, and this is when Reagan became involved.
Ronald Reagan was involved in several scandals during his presidency. Born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He was also known as “The Great Communicator” due to his great speaking talents and his incredible acting skills. He was the only actor to become president, having an appealing personal style all
…show more content…
The action was a violation of one of Reagan’s own policies. He was not supposed to negotiate with terrorists or countries that supported terrorism. Iran did both. The deal became public in November of 1986, and was recognized as arms-for-hostages. Soon Attorney General Edwin Meese made it clear that some of the money received from the selling of the missiles had been allocated to a secret fund to buy weapons for the Contras. Another violation. This violated a 1984 law that forbids the direct or indirect American military aid to the Contras. The scandal was now declared as the Iran-Contra-Affair. Although this was a major deal, polls show that only 14 % of Americans believed the president when he said he had not traded arms for hostages. But even still, despite the fact that Reagan defended the actions by virtue of their good intentions, his honesty was