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Iran-Contra: Reagan’s Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power
  • Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
  • Time: 5:00 pm
  • Location: William G. McGowan Theater, Washington, DC

When a Nicaraguan soldier downed an American plane carrying arms to “Contra” guerrillas on October 5, 1986, a tightly held U.S. clandestine program was exposed. A month later, reports surfaced that Washington had beem covertly selling arms to Iran in exchange for help freeing hostages in Beirut. The profits from the arms sales were going to support the Contras, despite an explicit ban by Congress. In his book Iran-Contra, Malcolm Byrne describes the details of the confusing scandal that raised the prospect of Presidential impeachment.

A book signing will follow the program. Purchase this book on the day of the event from the myArchives Store and receive a 15% discount (members get 20% off).

Reserve a seat

All public programs at the National Archives are free and streamed live online via the National Archives’ YouTube channel. Reservations are recommended; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors to the building will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Use the Special Events entrance on the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW.

Live captioning will be available online and in the William G. McGowan Theater. If you require an alternative or additional accommodation for an event (such as a downloadable transcript or a sign language interpreter), please send an email to public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 in advance.