Franck wrote:

without vioaling US Law.

lol, incredible

Actually, I think that's pretty close to it in a nutshell.

Congress was attempting to play a game that would restrict US support
for a right wing (sometimes oppressive) pro-US government (El Salvador)
and attempted undermining of an anti-US government (Nicaragua), while
at the same time, not outright causing, or being seen to cause, the
loss of said pro-US government by efforts of said pro-Soviet/Socialist one.
You know, typical Cold War stuff.

Congress cut off funding for such US efforts, but in such an indecisive way
(the legislation is open to a variety of interpretations because of this
attempt to remain politically non-responsible for anything bad that might
come of [in]action), that Olie North and company devised a way to get funding
independent of Congress, by making a deal with the Iranians for spare parts
for US weaponry (F-14???).

As Olie put it, the concept was "kind of neat".

Now was Reagan involved? Probably (although Reagan haters will paint him
as asleep during policy decisions except when they are dastardly evil, in
which case he's a detail man).

But this was hardly a pro-Iranian turn of US national policy at that time.


SMH