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Malcolm Byrne

Iran-Contra: Reagan's Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power Hardcover – September 15, 2014

by Malcolm Byrne (Author)

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Everything began to unravel on October 5, 1986, when a Nicaraguan soldier downed an American plane carrying arms to “Contra” guerrillas, exposing a tightly held U.S. clandestine program. A month later, reports surfaced that Washington had been covertly selling arms to Iran (our sworn enemy and a state sponsor of terrorism), in exchange for help freeing hostages in Beirut. The profits, it turned out, were going to support the Contras, despite an explicit ban by Congress.

In the firestorm that erupted, shocking details emerged, raising the prospect of impeachment, and the American public confronted a scandal as momentous as it was confusing. At its center was President Ronald Reagan amid a swirl of questions about illegal wars, consorting with terrorists, and the abuse of presidential power.

Yet, despite the enormity of the issues, the affair dropped from the public radar due to media overkill, years of legal wrangling, and a vigorous campaign to forestall another Watergate. As a result, many Americans failed to grasp the scandal's full import.

Through exhaustive use of declassified documents, previously unavailable investigative materials, and wide-ranging interviews, Malcolm Byrne revisits this largely forgotten and misrepresented episode. Placing the events in their historical and political context (notably the Cold War and a sharp partisan domestic divide), he explores what made the affair possible and meticulously relates how it unfolded—including clarifying minor myths about cakes, keys, bibles, diversion memos, and shredding parties.

Iran-Contra demonstrates that, far from being a "junta" against the president, the affair could not have occurred without awareness and approval at the very top of the U.S. government. Byrne reveals an unmistakable pattern of dubious behavior—including potentially illegal conduct by the president, vice president, the secretaries of state and defense, the CIA director and others—that formed the true core of the scandal.

Given the lack of meaningful consequences for those involved, the volume raises critical questions about the ability of our current system of checks and balances to address presidential abuses of power, and about the possibility of similar outbreaks in the future.

Print length

464 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University Press of Kansas
Publication date

September 15, 2014
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

9780700619917
ISBN-13

978-0700619917
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The research is thorough, yet Byrne is able to narrate the intricacies of covert actions and legal processes in a digestible way."--Political Science Quarterly

"It is difficult to write dispassionately about the Iran-Contra affair and Byrne deserves praise for maintaining his objectivity while laying bare a tale of abuse of power, incompetence, and illegal behavior. the issues he raises are too important to ignore."--Journal of American History

"A high-quality, meticulously researched book that sheds much light on a controversy that, nearly three decades ago, shook the American political system to its core. . . . [Malcolm] Byrne, the deputy director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, has been studying the scandal since it first erupted, and he has now pulled together years of research into a very good book that lays the scandal's ugly intricacies bare."--Wall Street Journal

"The contest between the United States and Iran, however, outlasted the sudden collapse of the Soviet power from 1989-1991. As Malcolm Byrne demonstrates in his very fine book, the Iran-Contra affair belongs as a key chapter in that longer story."--History News Network

"Provides fascinating details about US ignorance about Iran, which contributed to the largely botched effort to free US hostages in Lebanon and hindered a possible breakthrough in US-Iran ties 30 years ago."--Al-Monitor

"Byrne does not portray Reagan as a passive, disengaged president victimized by maverick policy makers. Through the use of primary sources, the author demonstrates that Reagan was actively involved in every stage of Iran-Contra from its initiation through the cover up. . . . Byrne provides readers with a cautionary tale about structural issues in the American political system that perpetuate the unchecked abuse of power by the executive branch. this work is a must read for students of the presidency. Highly recommended."--Choice

"At last, the 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. Malcolm Byrne has told this complex story in brilliant fashion."--Seymour M. Hersh, author of Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib

"A riveting book about a remarkable scandal and a warning about the excesses of secrecy and partisanship in American foreign policy."--Bruce Riedel, author of Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future

"An impressive, compelling and revelatory work."--David Farber, author of Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America's First Encounter with Radical Islam

About the Author

Malcolm Byrne is Deputy Director and Research Director at the National Security Archive. He is the coauthor of Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations in the Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0700619917
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kansas; 1st Edition (September 15, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780700619917
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700619917
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.82 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,983,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #949 in Iran History
- #1,783 in Historical Middle East Biographies
- #4,618 in US Presidents

Customer Reviews:
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greytfriend

detailed based of factual records, fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

It was really good. Very detailed but I didn’t get bogged down in the details. Not a novel-like narrative really, but good simple clear writing that was easy to follow. Except all of the names. He really should have provided a dramatis personæ. I had to make one of my own and it was annoying. Otherwise, super interesting. And annoying because they were such lying bastards. It’s has a lot to show about what’s happening now (2019) though. Not just parallels, but lessons that are relevant, “bigly.”

Did I mention the details? Everything in there is supported by documentation. It’s the book I wish Fire and Fury by Wolff and Fear by Bob Woodward had been. But some of the sources were just declassified quite recently. I guess it’s why historians says that it takes 30 years or more for the real truth to be known.

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Bakunin

Great book on Iran-Contra and its consequences

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

The gold standard on the topic. Byrne has been studying the topic and prying documents via FOIA and MDRs from government censors for years. The hard work and dedication shows. The book is also clearly written and given the topic it is a great read with lots of twists and turns. The conclusions on the Congressional investigations, Tower Commission, and Independent Counsel are sobering but unfortunately correct: the US lacks robust accountability mechanisms to hold the powerful accountable for crimes committed in the name of national security.

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Michael Murrayco

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

Interesting read a little repetitive in places but an insight into the very murky workings of politics

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peyman pejman

One of the best books I have read!

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2015

Verified Purchase

Awesome book!! Awesome research. Pulls no punches!!! A MUST read!!

4 people found this helpful

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Daniel Olson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excellent

4 people found this helpful

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Mary Lee Allison

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

Well written and long overdue record of that period in our history

12 people found this helpful

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Dr. W. Terry Lindley

Best overview of Iran-Contra to date!!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2015

Malcom Byrne, Deputy Director and Director of Research at the National Security Archive located at George Washington University, presents a compelling and authoritative study of the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s. He begins by tracing the evolution of each operation before tying them together through the diversion of funds from selling arms to Iran to finance Contra operations against the Sandista government. The author concludes with an overview of the congressional investigation into the scandal and the legal efforts by Special Counsel Lawrence Walsh to bring the culprits to justice. Throughout the book the reader also gains an insight into the motivations that drove the key players—Ronald Reagan, Richard McFarlene, John Poindexter, Oliver North, etc.—to do what they did.

There emerges throughout Iran-Contra a pattern of hubris on the part of the Reagan administration, a willingness to skirt, or even break the law, defy congressional oversight of administrative policies, and then hide the truth once the operations become public knowledge. The Iran operation clearly violated policy not to deal with terrorists as well as not providing arms to them. Incompetence is another theme of the book, both in providing extra-legal funds to the Contras and exchanging arms for the release of American hostages held in Lebanon. Regarding the latter, the initial HAWK antiaircraft missiles sent to Iran from Israel still bore the “Star of David” on them, which infuriated the Iranians, who eventually returned them. Moreover, when McFarlene flew to Iran, the absence of preparatory meetings led to a failed mission.

Efforts to bring North, Poindexter, and others to justice was a lost cause. Some cases were dismissed because the defendants said that they needed classified documents for a proper defense, and when the intelligence agencies denied these requests, the court dismissed the case. In other instances, convictions were overturned on appeal and the Supreme Court refused to hear these cases. At times the Justice Department intervened on behalf of the defendants. Finally, before leaving office, George H. W. Bush pardoned a number of people. Without any meaningful punishment or remedial legislation by Congress, the author argues, there was no incentive for future administrations to avoid conducting similar operations.

The author convincingly demonstrates that both President Reagan and Vice-President Bush were aware of what was going on in raising funds for the Contras and in selling arms to Iran. At one point, the president is so focused on securing release of the American hostages that he states his willingness to break the law to do so. Byrne also chronicles the role that Israel played in the arms sale to Iran, an often overlooked part of the story.

In a short section at the end, the author briefly mentions the results of the arms sell to Iran. The United States had to reassure the Persian Gulf states of its reliability as an ally, since most of them favored Baghdad in its war with Tehran. The placing of the U.S. Navy in the Gulf led to several shooting incidents with Iran, which further drove the two nations apart.

Overall, this is an excellent work, and while not definitive, since a number of documents are still classified, it is the best book on the subject to date and a must read for anyone interested in Iran-Contra, American Middle Eastern policy, and the limits of presidential power.

21 people found this helpful

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KAL

Good Overview of Iran-Contra and its Activities and Aftermath

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2014

This book is a very good overview of the Iran-Contra scandal, and it is well written. It actually goes into great depth about the intricate activities that encompassed the selling of arms to Iran and the funding of the Contras. Only a couple of chapters are devoted to political and policy fallout once the activities were made widely known in late 1986. Nevertheless, these few chapters provide a good summary of what went right and what went wrong with the 1987 Congressional hearings and the pursuits of the special prosecutor.

I had just graduated high school when the Iran-Contra hearings began, and I voted in my first U.S. presidential election in 1988. Many memories of my early political education were formed by these hearings and by the second term of the Reagan administration. Mr. Byrne does a good job in reminding me why I remain so cynical about, yet so fascinated by, politics.

14 people found this helpful

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