'Iran-Contra' arms revelations

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Resources

In 1985, the head of the National Security Council, Robert ‘Bud’ McFarlane sold weapons (antitank and antiaircraft missiles) to Iran in the hope that the Shiite government in Tehran would help secure the release of American hostages held in Lebanon. This arms sale, and those that followed, was in violation of the Reagan administration’s avowed policy towards terrorist organizations and Iran. The administration had made clear that it would not aid Iran in its war against Iraq. It was subsequently revealed that a portion of the $48 million dollar amount charged to Iran was diverted by the National Security Council and given to the Contras, the U.S.-backed rebels in Nicaragua. The Contras were in a pitched battle against the Marxist-oriented Sandinista government. However, the money…

190 words

Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "'Iran-Contra' arms revelations". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3845, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3845 'Iran-Contra' arms revelations 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.