Tower, J Sen

<p>

===</p>

<p>

THE GRAY AREA BEHIND HILL & KNOWLTON Gray's connection to Iran-Contra

has never been fully examined. Notably, the Tower Commission, Reagan's

official 1986 investigation, all but ignored it. In 1983, Texas

Senator John Tower had declined to seek reelection thinking he had a

deal with Reagan to become Secretary of Defense. After Weinberger

decided to stay on in the second Reagan term, Tower found himself

without a job. In 1986, his friend Robert Gray offered him a position

on the board of directors of Gray and Co. Shortly thereafter, Tower

was asked to head the presidential inquiry. Not suprisingly, the Tower

Commission kept Gray and Co. out of the investigation, in spite of the

facts that several key players in the scandal had worked for Gray and

Co., and Gray's Madrid office was suspected of involvement in the

secret arms shipments to Iran.

</pre>

<p> 

===</p>

<p>

wiki caveats

 </p>

<p style=" margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 1.5em;">he<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Tower Commission</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>was commissioned on November 26, 1986 by American President<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Ronald Reagan</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in response to the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Contra" title="Iran Contra" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Iran Contra</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>scandal. Taking effect on December 1, Reagan appointed<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Republican</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and former Senator<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tower" title="John Tower" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">John Tower</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas" title="Texas" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Texas</a>, former Secretary of State<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Muskie" title="Edmund Muskie" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Edmund Muskie</a>, and former National Security Advisor<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Scowcroft" title="Brent Scowcroft" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Brent Scowcroft</a>.

The commission's report "held Reagan accountable for a lax managerial style and aloofness from policy detail."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Commission#cite_note-1" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_North" title="Oliver North" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Oliver North</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Poindexter" title="John Poindexter" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">John Poindexter</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Weinberger" title="Caspar Weinberger" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Caspar Weinberger</a>, and others were also implicated.</p>

<p>

A major result of the Tower Commission was the consensus that Reagan should have listened to his<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Security_Advisor" title="United States National Security Advisor" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Security Advisor</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>more, thereby placing more power in the hands of that chair. The National Security Advisor was to be seen as an "honest broker" and not someone who would use his position to further his political agenda.

<b>Summarised, the main findings showed that "Using the Contras as a front, and against international law, and US law, weapons were sold, using</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel" title="Israel" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>Israel</b></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><b>as intermediaries, to</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran" title="Iran" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>Iran</b></a><b>, during the brutal</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_war" title="Iran-Iraq war" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>Iran-Iraq war</b></a><b>. The US was also</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_War#U.S._support_for_Iraq" title="Iran-Iraq War" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>supplying weapons to Iraq</b></a><b>, including ingredients for</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_gas" title="Nerve gas" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>nerve gas</b></a><b>,</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_gas" title="Mustard gas" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>mustard gas</b></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><b>and other</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_weapons" title="Chemical weapons" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><b>chemical weapons</b></a><b>."</b><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Commission#cite_note-2" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span><b>[</b></span><b>2</b><span><b>]</b></span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><span></span></sup>

 </p>

<h2 style=" color: black; background-image: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style=" -webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_Commission&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Further reading" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style=" color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> |<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_Commission&veaction=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Further reading" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style=" font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2>

<p style=" margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 1.5em;">See Chapter 5, "The Politics of Scandal: The Tower Commission and Iran-Contra," in Kenneth Kitts, *<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rienner.com/title/Presidential_Commissions_and_National_Security_The_Politics_of_Damage_Control" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs+9AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB/IkeGOrxXhqB+uA9Bfcm0lAZuh+YIeAD+cAqSz4kCMUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><i>Presidential Commissions and National Security</i></a>(Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2006). The Great War for Civilisation, The Conquest of the Middle East; Robert Fisk</p>

<h2 style=" color: black; background-image: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style=" -webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_Commission&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: References" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style=" color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> |<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_Commission&veaction=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: References" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style=" font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2>

<li id="cite_note-1" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Commission#cite_ref-1" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">^{</a></b></span>}<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="reference-text">Busby, Robert (2010-02-03)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/03/busby_iran_contra/index.html" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs+9AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB/IkeGOrxXhqB+uA9Bfcm0lAZuh+YIeAD+cAqSz4kCMUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">The scandal that almost destroyed Ronald Reagan</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon.com" title="Salon.com" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Salon.com</a></i></span></li>

<li id="cite_note-2" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Commission#cite_ref-2" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">^{</a></b></span>}<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="reference-text">Tower Commission report</span></li>

</ol>

<tr>

<td><i>This article related to the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_United_States" title="Politics of the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none !important; padding: 0px !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important;">politics of the United States</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub" title="Wikipedia:Stub" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none !important; padding: 0px !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important;">stub</a>. You can help Wikipedia by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_Commission&action=edit" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs+9AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB/IkeGOrxXhqB+uA9Bfcm0lAZuh+YIeAD+cAqSz4kCMUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=); padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">expanding it</a>.</i></td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

</div>

<div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Categories</a>:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>

<li style=" margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-style: none; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:United_States_politics_stubs" title="Category:United States politics stubs" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">United States politics stubs</a></li>

<li style=" margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Iran%E2%80%93Contra_affair" title="Category:Iran–Contra affair" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Iran–Contra affair</a></li>

<li style=" margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:United_States_national_commissions" title="Category:United States national commissions" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">United States national commissions</a></li>

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</div>

<p>

===

 </p>

<h1 style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 1.2em; padding: 3px 3px 3px 0px; text-align: left; margin: 0px;">Profile: Tower Commission</h1>

</div>

<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Tower Commission was a participant or observer in the following events:<a id="us_plans_to_use_military_force_against_iran_414" name="us_plans_to_use_military_force_against_iran_414" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49);"> </a></h2>

<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=us_plans_to_use_military_force_against_iran_414#us_plans_to_use_military_force_against_iran_414" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">January 7, 1986: US Plans Further Arms Sales to Iran</a></h2>

</div>

<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;"><span class="tmlnImg" style=" padding: 6px; display: block; float: left; width: 127px;"><span class="caption" style=" font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana; display: block;">John Poindexter.<em>[Source: US Navy]</em></span></span>In a meeting between President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush, Secretary of State George Shultz, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, CIA Director William Casey, and new National Security Adviser John Poindexter, the participants discuss whether to sell 4,000 Israeli-owned, US-made antitank missiles to Iran as another arms-for-hostages deal (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=us_iraq_80s_131" onmouseover="return OL('September 15, 1985: First Arms-for-Hostage Deal with Iran Completed')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">September 15, 1985</a>). Shultz and Weinberger, as they have before, oppose any dealings with Iran. Bush, according to records of the meeting, fails to express any views at all, but Shultz will recall Bush supporting the deal. In 1988, Bush will tell a reporter that he doesn’t remember any such conflict over the arms sales, saying, “I never really heard them that clearly. And the reason is that the machinery broke down—it never worked as it should. The key players with the experience weren’t ever called together… to review the decisions that were made at a lower level.” It is hard to imagine any higher levels of the executive branch of government than what is represented in this meeting. In 1987, Bush will tell the Tower Commission investigating the deal that he didn’t know enough about the arms-for-hostages deals to be able to express an informed opinion about the decision to make the deals, and doesn’t remember the meeting as a “showdown session,” testimony contradicted by both Weinberger and Shultz in their own statements to the commission.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111402.htm" target="_blank" onmouseover="return OL('Murray Waas and Craig Unger, “\'In the Loop: Bush\'s Secret Mission\',” <em>New Yorker</em>, 2 November 1992.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">NEW YORKER, 11/2/1992</a>]</cite></p>

<p style=" margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 510.5874938964844px; font-size: 0.9em;"><b style=" font-size: 0.9em;">Entity Tags:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=george_shultz" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">George Shultz</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=caspar_weinberger" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Caspar Weinberger</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=george_herbert_walker_bush" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">George Herbert Walker Bush</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=ronald_reagan" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Ronald Reagan</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Tower Commission</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=william_casey" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">William Casey</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=john_poindexter" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">John Poindexter</a>

<b style=" font-size: 0.9em;">Timeline Tags:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=us_plans_to_use_military_force_against_iran" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">US confrontation with Iran</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=irancontraaffair" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Iran-Contra Affair</a>

 </p>

</div>

</div>

<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a120186towercommission#a120186towercommission" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">December 1, 1986: Reagan Authorizes Tower Commission</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;"><span class="tmlnImg" style=" padding: 6px; display: block; float: left; width: 191px;"><span class="caption" style=" font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana; display: block;"><em>]</em></span></span>President Reagan appoints former Senator John Tower (R-TX) to head a commission to investigate the Iran-Contra affair. The so-called “Tower Commission” will issue its final report three months later (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a022687reagantower" onmouseover="return OL('February 26, 1987: Tower Commission Finds NSC Staff Conducted Rogue Iran-Contra Operation, Reagan Largely Unaware')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 26, 1987</a>).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>PBS</em>, “Timeline of Ronald Reagan\'s Life: 1986-1988,” 2000.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PBS, 2000</a>]</cite>Tower left the Senate in 1985 and attempted to win the position of defense secretary for Reagan’s second term. Instead, Reagan appointed him to lead the US team of arms reduction negotiators in Geneva. Tower also became very rich very quickly lobbying for a variety of defense contractors. Between his overt lobbying for the defense industry and his notoriously libertine lifestyle—even consorting with prostitutes known to be KGB agents—Tower was unable to secure the position of defense secretary. But he is a Reagan loyalist, and well-known to the White House from their thorough vetting of his background and private life; perhaps this makes Tower a good administration choice to lead the investigative commission.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1-4000-6576-3/centerforcoop-20" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein, <em>Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency</em> (New York City: Random House, 2006)., 85-86.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">DUBOSE AND BERNSTEIN, 2006, PP. 85-86</a>]</cite></p>

<b style=" font-size: 0.9em;">Timeline Tags:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=irancontraaffair" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Iran-Contra Affair</a></p>

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<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a012687reaganadmits#a012687reaganadmits" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">January 26, 1987: Reagan Testifies Before Tower Commission, Admits to Authorizing Missile Sales to Iran</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;">President Reagan testifies before the Tower Commission. His chief of staff, Donald Regan, had previously told the commission that the US had not given its approval for the August 1985 sale of TOW missiles to Iran via Israel (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=us_iraq_80s_130" onmouseover="return OL('August 6, 1985: Iran Sets Terms for Arms-for-Hostages Deal')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">August 6, 1985</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a082085israeltow" onmouseover="return OL('August 20, 1985: Israel Sends Arms to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">August 20, 1985</a>), but Reagan shocks both Regan and White House counsel Peter Wallison by admitting that he had indeed approved both the Israeli sale of TOWs to Iran and had agreed to replenish the Israeli stocks. Reagan uses the previous testimony of former National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane as a guide. After Reagan’s testimony, Regan attempts to refocus Reagan’s memories of events, going through the chain of events with Reagan and asking questions like, “Were you surprised” when you learned about the TOW sales? Reagan responds, “Yes, I guess I was surprised.” Regan hammers the point home: “That’s what I remember. I remember you being angry and saying something like, ‘Well, what’s done is done.’” Reagan turns to Wallison and says, “You know, I think he’s right.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/978-0671542948/centerforcoop-20" target="_blank" onmouseover="return OL('Lou Cannon, <em>President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime</em> (New York City: Simon and Schuster, 1991)., 630-631.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">CANNON, 1991, PP. 630-631</a>]</cite></p>

<p style=" margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 510.5874938964844px; font-size: 0.9em;"><b style=" font-size: 0.9em;">Entity Tags:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Tower Commission</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=donald_regan_1" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Donald Regan</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=peter_wallison_1" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Peter Wallison</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=robert_c._mcfarlane" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Robert C. McFarlane</a>,<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=ronald_reagan" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">Ronald Reagan</a>

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<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a020287reaganincoherent#a020287reaganincoherent" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 2, 1987: Reagan Gives Incoherent Testimony to Tower Commission</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;">President Reagan testifies for a second time to the Tower Commission (see<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a012687reaganadmits" onmouseover="return OL('January 26, 1987: Reagan Testifies Before Tower Commission, Admits to Authorizing Missile Sales to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">January 26, 1987</a>). His testimony is incoherent and confused; some observers outside the White House begin speculating that Reagan suffers from Alzheimer’s disease or senile dementia. Commission investigators note that while the Meese investigation claimed Reagan did not know of the August 1985 shipment of missiles to Iran (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a082085israeltow" onmouseover="return OL('August 20, 1985: Israel Sends Arms to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">August 20, 1985</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a11212586meeseinvestigate" onmouseover="return OL('November 21-25, 1986: Attorney General Meese Conducts ‘Investigation’ of Iran Arms Sales; Evidence Destroyed during Investigation')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">November 21-25, 1986</a>), Reagan himself claimed in his previous testimony he did know of the shipments. When asked to clarify the inconsistency, Reagan shocks onlookers by picking up a briefing memo he had been given and reading aloud, “If the question comes up at the Tower Board meeting, you might want to say that you were surprised.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>PBS</em>, “Timeline of Ronald Reagan\'s Life: 1986-1988,” 2000.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PBS, 2000</a>]</cite><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>White House counsel Peter Wallison is stunned. “I was horrified, just horrified,” he later recalls. “I didn’t expect him to go and get the paper. The purpose of it was just to recall to his mind before he goes into the meeting” what he, Wallison, and Chief of Staff Donald Regan had agreed was the proper chain of events—that Reagan had not known of the shipments beforehand, and had been surprised to learn of them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/978-0671542948/centerforcoop-20" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('Lou Cannon, <em>President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime</em> (New York City: Simon and Schuster, 1991)., 631-632.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">CANNON, 1991, PP. 631-632</a>]</cite></p>

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<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a022087surprised#a022087surprised" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 20, 1987: Reagan Claims Not to Recall Whether He Approved Israeli Sale of Missiles to Iran</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;">President Reagan sends a memo to the Tower Commission in an attempt to clarify his previous rambling and incoherent testimony (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a012687reaganadmits" onmouseover="return OL('January 26, 1987: Reagan Testifies Before Tower Commission, Admits to Authorizing Missile Sales to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">January 26, 1987</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a020287reaganincoherent" onmouseover="return OL('February 2, 1987: Reagan Gives Incoherent Testimony to Tower Commission')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 2, 1987</a>). The memo does not improve matters. It reads in part: “I don’t remember, period.… I’m trying to recall events that happened eighteen months ago, I’m afraid that I let myself be influenced by others’ recollections, not my own.… The only honest answer is to state that try as I might, I cannot recall anything whatsoever about whether I approved an Israeli sale in advance or whether I approved replenishment of Israeli stocks around August of 1985 (see<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/item.jsp?item=a082085israeltow" onmouseover="return OL('August 20, 1985: Israel Sends Arms to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">August 20, 1985</a>). My answer therefore and the simple truth is, ‘I don’t remember, period.’”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html" target="_blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>PBS</em>, “Timeline of Ronald Reagan\'s Life: 1986-1988,” 2000.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PBS, 2000</a>]</cite></p>

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<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a022687reagantower#a022687reagantower" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 26, 1987: Tower Commission Finds NSC Staff Conducted Rogue Iran-Contra Operation, Reagan Largely Unaware</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;">The Tower Commission issues its final report about the Iran-Contra affair. Among its conclusions, it finds that President Reagan’s top advisers were responsible for creating the “chaos” that led to the affair. It also finds that Reagan was largely out of touch and unaware of the operations conducted by his National Security Council (NSC) staff, and allowed himself to be misled by his closest advisers (see<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a022087surprised" onmouseover="return OL('February 20, 1987: Reagan Claims Not to Recall Whether He Approved Israeli Sale of Missiles to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 20, 1987</a>). Reagan had failed to “insist upon accountability and performance review,” thus allowing the NSC process to collapse.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DB173EF93AA25752C1A961948260" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>New York Times</em>, “Arms, Hostages and Contras: How a Secret Foreign Policy Unraveled,” 19 November 1987.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">NEW YORK TIMES, 11/19/1987</a>;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>PBS</em>, “Timeline of Ronald Reagan\'s Life: 1986-1988,” 2000.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PBS, 2000</a>]</cite></p>

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<h2 style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-align: left; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 3px 0px 0px; width: 400px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a030487reaganmemoryloss#a030487reaganmemoryloss" title="View in context" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">March 4, 1987: Reagan Claims Massive Memory Failures Regarding Iran-Contra</a></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; width: 525.1375122070313px;">President Reagan tells a national television audience that he has made mistakes on Iran-Contra, and claims he has had massive memory failures. “A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages,” he says (see<a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a020287reaganincoherent" onmouseover="return OL('February 2, 1987: Reagan Gives Incoherent Testimony to Tower Commission')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 2, 1987</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a022087surprised" onmouseover="return OL('February 20, 1987: Reagan Claims Not to Recall Whether He Approved Israeli Sale of Missiles to Iran')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 20, 1987</a>). “My heart and my best intentions tell me that’s true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not. As the Tower Board reported (see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tower_commission_1#a022687reagantower" onmouseover="return OL('February 26, 1987: Tower Commission Finds NSC Staff Conducted Rogue Iran-Contra Operation, Reagan Largely Unaware')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(49, 49, 49); text-decoration: none;">February 26, 1987</a>), what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages. This runs counter to my own beliefs, to administration policy, and to the original strategy we had in mind. There are reasons why it happened, but no excuses. It was a mistake.” Reagan’s sympathetic message resonates with US viewers; his popularity rebounds to over 50 percent in national polls.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><cite style=" font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew5JxpR7tMg" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('Ronald Reagan, “Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (part 1),” <em>White House</em>, 4 March 1987.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">WHITE HOUSE, 3/4/1987</a>;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5YOQEZtNE0" target="blank" onmouseover="return OL('Ronald Reagan, “Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (part 2),” <em>White House</em>, 4 March 1987.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">WHITE HOUSE, 3/4/1987</a>;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_5.html" target="_blank" onmouseover="return OL('<em>PBS</em>, “Timeline of Ronald Reagan\'s Life: 1986-1988,” 2000.')" onmouseout="return nd()" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PBS, 2000</a>]</cite></p>

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