MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 04818cam a2200421 i 4500
001 2014014486
003 DLC
005 20150313082505.0
008 140617s2014 ksua b s001 0deng
010 $a 2014014486
020 $a9780700619917 (hardback : acid-free paper)
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
043 $an-us---$aa-ir---$ancnq---
050 00 $aE876$b.B97 2014
082 00 $a320.97309048$223
084 $aHIS036060$aBIO011000$2bisacsh
100 1 $aByrne, Malcolm.
245 10 $aIran-Contra :$bReagan's scandal and the unchecked abuse of presidential power /$cMalcolm Byrne ; foreword by Bruce Riedel.
264 1 $aLawrence, Kansas :$bUniversity Press of Kansas,$c[2014]
300 $axxv, 436 pages :$billustrations ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$bnc$2rdacarrier
520 2 $a"The most complete, accurate, and up-to-date account of two secret but illicit operations approved by President Ronald Reagan, the firestorm of controversy caused by their exposure to public view, the administration's attempts to cover-up the trail of evidence that led to the White House, and the debate over the scandal's import for the nation, the presidency, and American democracy"--$cProvided by publisher.
520 2 $a"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"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505 0 $aForeword / by Bruce Riedel -- Preface: Settings for the Scandal -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Raising the Contras -- 2. Coping with Iran -- 3. Taking Over the Covert War -- 4. TOW Missiles to Tehran -- 5. Quid pro Quos -- 6. HAWKS -- 7. Tightening the Reins on the Contras -- 8. A Neat Idea -- 9. Air Contra -- 10. Road to Tehran -- 11. Meltdown -- 12. Blowback -- 13. The Early Cover-Up -- 14. Congress Steps In -- 15. The Independent Counsel.
650 0 $aIran-Contra Affair, 1985-1990.
600 10 $aReagan, Ronald.
650 0 $aScandals$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aPower (Social sciences)$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aExecutive power$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aPolitical corruption$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century.
651 0 $aUnited States$xPolitics and government$y1981-1989.
650 7 $aHISTORY / United States / 20th Century.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State.$2bisacsh
856 42 $3Cover image$uhttp://www.netread.com/jcusers/1336/2889687/image/lgcover.9780700619917.jpg