The Iran-Contra Affair Thirty Years Later: A Milestone in Post-Truth Politics
NOVANEWS
By Malcom Byrne
National Security Archives
Exactly thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan announced to the nation – after weeks of denials – that members of his White House staff had engaged in a web of covert intrigue linking illicit U.S. support for a guerrilla war in Central America with an illegal and politically explosive arms-for-hostages bargain with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The revelation quickly led to a new phrase – “Iran-Contra” – which became synonymous with political hubris, government incompetence, and dishonesty in the public sphere.
President Reagan turns over the podium in the White House press room to Attorney General Edwin Meese after revealing Iran-Contra affair, November 25, 1986 (Source: Reagan Library and Museum, C38118-29)
Over the yea...