Byrne Malcolm - Iran-Contra : Reagans scandal and the unchecked abuse of presidential power

Praise for Malcolm Byrnes Iran-Contra

At last, the Reagan administrations Iran-Contra affair has a comprehensive history worthy of the scandal which, if the system had worked, should have landed many senior White House officials in the slammer. Byrne has told this complex story in brilliant fashion, from the motives of the Presidents men, to the follies as the unconstitutional plot was carried out, to the inability of Congress to do the right thing and, finally, to the futility of the independent inquiry whose work ended in a whimper.

Seymour M. Hersh, author of Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib

A remarkable book about a remarkable scandal that shook American politics more than a quarter-century ago. Byrnes riveting account is not only good history and an exciting tale of espionage and White House intrigue; it is a warning about the excesses of secrecy and partisanship in American foreign policy.

Bruce Riedel, author of The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future

A thrilling account of secrecy, connivance, and manipulation in the dark corridors of power in Washington and Tehran. The cast of charactersCasey, Rafsanjani, North, Ghorbanifar, and othersremind one of Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon. By digging into the history of the Iran-Contra affair, Malcolm Byrne shows us how much unchecked powers can damage the security of our nations. A truly fascinating book.

Maziar Bahari, author of Then They Came for Me

Reopens the vitally important argument over Ronald Reagans presidencyparticularly, as Byrne asserts with his use of many newly available documents, that Reagan was not passive, but the driving force behind that unconstitutional and embarrassing scheme.

Walter LaFeber, author of America, Russia, and the Cold War, 19452006

The Iran-Contra affair transformed U.S. foreign policy in the Persian Gulf. Moreover, it was not a rogue affair by a few misguided members of the National Security Council. As Byrne demonstrates in this meticulously documented reconstruction, it was a presidential initiative with President Reagan engaged at every stage. All other accounts of this tragic episode in American foreign policy must be measured against this authoritative narrative.

Gary Sick, Columbia University, Member of the National Security Council staff during the presidencies of Ford, Carter and Reagan

The definitive account of a Washington scandal that was as bizarre as it was important. Byrne has reconstructed events and decisions that led a handful of bureaucrats in the Reagan administration to tie Americas fate to jungle fighters in Nicaragua, radical mullahs in Iran, and ambitious geo-strategists in Israel. This book not only traces their twisted paths, but provides as good an answer as we are likely to get to the question, What could they possibly have been thinking?

Stephen Kinzer, author of The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War

An impressive, compelling, and revelatory work. Byrne meticulously lays out the evidence that puts President Reagan at the heart of the decision-making process that led to the scandal and its attempted cover-up. Scholars will appreciate this works rigor and sophistication; readers of all kinds will be shocked by Byrnes well-told tale of intrigue, covert operations, and an American foreign policy debacle that reverberated around the world.

David Farber, author of Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and Americas First Encounter with Radical Islam

Byrne reaches behind redactions to reveal the most serious usurpation of power imaginable, where officials put political and policy interests ahead of legal and constitutional restraints. His book is a parable for the security scandals of today and should be read by experts and concerned citizens alike.

John Prados, author of The Family Jewels, the CIA, Secrecy, and Presidential Power

In this outstanding and meticulously researched book, Malcolm Byrne knits together two disastrous foreign policy initiatives of Ronald Reagans second term. The decision to support the Nicaraguan Contras and to sell arms to Iran to secure the release of U.S. hostages in the Middle East violated U.S. law and every public assurance given to Congress and the U.S. public. These episodes shared an underlying current of ideological zealotry that almost sank the Reagan presidency. As Byrne points out, the failure of the Iran-Contra scandal to lead to greater accountability cleared a path for continuing excesses in the name of national security.

Cynthia J. Arnson, Director, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

This provocative book should be read as the definitive volume on the Iran-Contra scandal and its impact on the United States, the Middle East and Central America.

Farideh Farhi, author of States and Urban-Based Revolutions: Iran and Nicaragua

Malcolm Byrne

Foreword by

Bruce Riedel

University Press of Kansas

2014 by the University Press of Kansas

All rights reserved

Published by the University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas 66045), which was organized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is operated and funded by Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Byrne, Malcolm.

Iran-Contra : Reagans scandal and the unchecked abuse of presidential power / Malcolm Byrne ; foreword by Bruce Riedel.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7006-1991-7 (hardback : acid-free paper)

ISBN 978-0-7006-2036-4 (ebook)

1. Iran-Contra Affair, 19851990. 2. Reagan, Ronald. 3. ScandalsUnited StatesHistory20th century. 4. Power (Social sciences)United StatesHistory20th century. 5. Executive powerUnited StatesHistory20th century. 6. Political corruptionUnited StatesHistory20th century. 7. United StatesPolitics and government19811989. I. Title.

E876.B97 2014

320.97309048dc23

2014014486

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available.

Printed in the United States of America

10987654321

The paper used in this publication is recycled and contains 30 percent postconsumer waste. It is acid free and meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992.

For Leila

This is a remarkable book about a remarkable scandal that shook U.S. politics a quarter century ago. The Iran-Contra scandal gravely damaged U.S. national security interests in the late 1980s, but it has been largely forgotten by most U.S. citizens. The intrigues of President Ronald Reagans spymaster, William Casey, and two of Reagans national security advisors, Robert McFarlane and John Poindexter, were investigated by a presidential commission, the Congress, and an independent counsel, each of which apportioned blame. A few individuals, most notably Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, were indicted for, convicted of, or pled guilty to misconduct and lying to cover up the scandal. President George H. W. Bush pardoned several of them in the closing days of his administration. Casey died before he could be summoned to testify. Reagans role in the affair was downplayed, even excused because of his poor health, and gradually forgotten. In time Reagan became an iconic figure, credited by many as one of the great presidents of the twentieth century.