The Iran-Contra Affair: Patriotism or Politics?
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • Background
  • Encountering Restraints
    • The Boland Amendments
    • The Hughes-Ryan Amendment & Intelligence Oversight Act
    • Operation Staunch
    • The Arms Export Control Act
  • Exploring Alternatives
  • The Iran-Contra Exchange
    • Supporting the Contras >
      • Funding for Support
      • Military Support
      • Intelligence Support
    • Iranian Arms for Hostage Deals
  • Outcome
  • Conclusion
  • Legacy
  • More...
    • Annotated Bibliography
    • Interview Transcripts
    • Process Paper

Exploring Alternatives

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​Reagan’s foreign policy objectives were to reverse the spread of communism and protect Americans.  Governments throughout Latin America, Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Asia became leftist, indicating a Soviet expansion of power.   
Superpower influence map from www.sfcir.org.

Convinced that Congress was unwilling to support its initiatives, the Reagan Administration decided to act independently and explored ways to circumvent these congressional laws.  Officials identified loopholes in the Boland Amendments to militarily support the anti-leftist Contras.
“The [Boland] amendments had prohibited the use of any funds available to the CIA, Department of Defense, or ‘any other agency or entity... involved in intelligence activities.’  This language seemed to leave two openings through which to operate.  One was to work through the NSC staff instead of the CIA, on the theory that the staff was not a proscribed intelligence agency or entity. The other was to use ‘private’ or ‘third-country’ funds, on the assumption that only U.S. official funds had been prohibited.”
 - Theodore Draper, A Very Thin Line
Picture
1984 Boland Amendment Source: National Security Archive
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Image Source: worde.org, "Intelligence Agencies"

Reagan obtained congressional approval from broad presidential findings authorizing non-lethal Contra support.  However, military support intended to undermine the Sandinista government was also employed.
Click to View December 1, 1981 Finding
Click to View September 19, 1983 Finding
Click to View January 9, 1986 Finding

Reagan also felt compelled to free American captives in Beirut because of Carter’s mistakes in the Iranian Hostage Crisis and his compassion for American hostages.  Iranian officials had ties to Lebanese terrorists, so U.S. officials decided that clandestine arms sales to Iran would achieve the release of these hostages.
Video from Ushadrons on Youtube.

< Previous: The Arms Export Control Act

Header Image:

Photo from learnnc.org, "In 1985, President Ronald Reagan meets with Adolfo Calero, a Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance (Contra) leader, and Oliver North."

Next: The Iran-Contra Exchange >
Brian Holt
Senior Individual Website

Student Composed Words: 1,198
​Process Paper: 496


  • Home
  • Introduction
  • Background
  • Encountering Restraints
    • The Boland Amendments
    • The Hughes-Ryan Amendment & Intelligence Oversight Act
    • Operation Staunch
    • The Arms Export Control Act
  • Exploring Alternatives
  • The Iran-Contra Exchange
    • Supporting the Contras >
      • Funding for Support
      • Military Support
      • Intelligence Support
    • Iranian Arms for Hostage Deals
  • Outcome
  • Conclusion
  • Legacy
  • More...
    • Annotated Bibliography
    • Interview Transcripts
    • Process Paper