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71 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible, Shocking Truths, August 27, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Coverup - Behind the Iran-Contra Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Born in 1978, I was awfully young to know what was going on during the Iran-Contra scandals. I vividly remember a vacation at my grandparents' house where we watched hours and hours of Oliver North testifying before Congress, but I had no idea what it was all about. He seemed like a nice guy to me, but my parents didn't have anything nice to say about him. What I did know was that what my parents said about North, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush was not be repeated in mixed company. This user-friendly 1988 film documents the many atrocities the United States spearheaded during the Reagan-Bush years (as well as some of those in the years prior). The information is disgusting. It is angering. And unfortunately, it seems to be the truth. The CIA were involved in cocaine and arms trafficking. Reagan made a deal to delay the release of hostages in Iran until he took office. The CIA had plans to round up political dissidents and hold them in detainment camps. Etc., etc., etc. This kind of material always runs the risk of being dismissed as leftist propaganda and paranoia - especially when, as is the case here, the allegations are so extreme as to seem implausible. "Coverup," however, nicely maintains superb objectivity. First, none of what we learn is told to us by the narrator, but instead by a variety of interviewed authorities. Second, those authorities aren't obscure political analysts, cynical history professors, renegade journalists, and conspiracy theorists, but actually United States Congressmen (both Dem. and Rep.!), Reagan-Bush campaign managers, formerly high-ranking CIA operatives, New York Times editors, etc. Third, archived news footage is used to let the likes of Reagan and North incriminate themselves. Rather than rely on speculation, "Coverup" lays down facts. This documentary is a great and easy way to bone up on some of the recent horrors of recent American history, which is great for someone like me who simply doesn't know much. It seems particularly worth watching now that baby Bush is bringing the legacy into the 21st Century. (But do beware of some awful bad 80s hair.)
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54 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
no wonder George W. Bush doesn't want documents released!, March 23, 2003
This review is from: Coverup - Behind the Iran-Contra Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)
If George W. Bush were to let presidential documents to be released, it would mean the certain end of the Republican Party in the United States. And this video reveals why. There were lots of under-handed deals going on even before Ronald Reagan entered the White House followed by many overt and covert operations instigated and approved by the United States government. The release of information revealing what was really going on during the Reagan administration would cause irreparable damage to George W.'s current cohorts such as Elliot Abrams and John Poindexter, perhaps even to the administration itself. The only criticism I have is that this video seemed to go on a lot of tangents which were not completely relevant to the Iran-Contra scandal per se, such as the graphic scenes of the bombing of La Penca or linking Oliver North to the training of the Contras. However, this could be forgiven because information released by the various agencies was meager and they covered what was available. The REX-84 plan has a remarkable resemblance to the current round-up of so-called unlawful combatants. The video revealed that REX-84 was a plan to detain aliens from Latin American countries in camps in case of a serious federal emergency or break-down of the government. The sole deviation from the plan seems to be that it is people of Middle Eastern descent rather than people from Latin America who are being detained. I would recommend this video as a gift to anyone enamored with Ronald Reagan or the Reagan administration. They may change their minds.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It May 'Blow Your Mind' (no pun intended), May 14, 2003
This review is from: Coverup - Behind the Iran-Contra Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The Iran-Contra scandal, as this video illustrates in the beginning, is probably one of the most ignored events of the 1980s. The film takes an obvious 'conspiracy theory' approach, which, although sometimes entertaining, sometime relies too much on 'documents' and 'information' that aren't actually seen. However, the video does create a very valid view on US policy in Latin America, and the possible role of the CIA in covert operations that may not be in America's best interest (at least in the wake of recent events). There's a link, at least in the video's mind, between a 'shadow' government that might potentially suspend civil rights when dealing with criticism (something we have dealt with recently, in terms of war protestors), and what happened to Japanese-Americans during WWII. Narrated by Elizabeth Montgomery, this video brings a definite POV of not only Iran-Contra, but of US foreign policy. It is a video that will definitely spark conversation...which is good, even if you don't agree with all the conclusions presented.
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