1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Did it. Attention Portland, Maine, we are coming there very soon. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: You guys need to buy your tickets now. Yeah, not 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: just Portland, Maine, but as you know, outside of Boston, 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: this is our big New England, uh debut. Sure, so 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: people should come from all over Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: You don't have to just live in Portland. They'll let 7 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: you in the city to see us. Yeah, you can, 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: like you can live one of those little rocky islands 9 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: and you can boat over and see us. Right, So, 10 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: however you get there, just be sure that you're at 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: the State Theater on August nineteen for our show, because 12 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: it's gonna be great. Ask the people in Chicago, ask 13 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: the people in Toronto, ask the people in Boston who 14 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: will have seen us the day before. Just buy some tickets, 15 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: go to s y s K live dot com and 16 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: come see us August State Theater. Welcome to Stuff You 17 00:00:51,280 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: Should Know, a production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles 19 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: to be took, Brian, there's Jerry over there, and this 20 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: is Stuff you Should Know. Iran Contra Part two starting now. Go. Uh, 21 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: maybe we should do a quick catch up. Um, well 22 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: we're still going. You have to look, I just went 23 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: to sleep. No, it's true. So what's going on here 24 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: is the United States is UH. Congress has decided that 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: we cannot fund the Contras to fight the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. 26 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: Shut off funding. So the Reagan administration UH makes a 27 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: deep covert push to continue doing so through a bunch 28 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: of fun and shady ways. Right, They're fundraising, their directly, 29 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: arming the Contras, their training, um, doing all sorts of 30 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: crazy stuff. Yes, but if you know that this is 31 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: about Iran Contra and you're like, what about Iran? What's 32 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: going on here? I haven't heard anything about Iran? Keep 33 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: your on. Well, here we go. This is where Iran 34 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: enters the picture. You can take your socks off, right, 35 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: are your socks on? I've got on a little footy socks. Yeah, 36 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: I do too cool. Oh, Jerry is too sweet. It's 37 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,399 Speaker 1: the way to go. Jerry has those true footies where 38 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 1: you can't even see them at all. I can see 39 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: you mine peek out just a little, which I'm not 40 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: a huge fan of. I'll check out my Yeah. No 41 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: seems no, seems okay, enter Iran. If we really that 42 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 1: was a great intro and it just went away. That's right. So, um, 43 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: on the other side of the world from Nicaragua, Uh, 44 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: there was another foreign policy disaster simmering that Reagan head going, 45 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: and it was in the form of Iran, And specifically, 46 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: it wasn't even the form of run. It was in 47 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: the form of a problem that America had doesn't really 48 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: have much these days, but definitely did in the seventies 49 00:02:54,520 --> 00:03:00,239 Speaker 1: and eighties, where Americans would be taking hostage around the world, um, 50 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: but specifically almost exclusively by Lebanese terrorists who were, if 51 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: not working on behalf of Iran. We're definitely sponsored by Iran. 52 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: And regardless of who is president, the fact that they 53 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: were hostages being held by another country and there wasn't 54 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: anything we could do about it, that was a real 55 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: blemish on the presidency. It was not a very proud 56 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: thing to think about for America, but that was reality 57 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 1: for a while there. Yeah, So Iran at the time, 58 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: this is the early eighties, This is just a few 59 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: years removed from the Iranian Revolution of nineteen nine, and 60 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: this is where we've talked about it before. Go look 61 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: up photos of Iran in the mid seventies pre revolution 62 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: and it looks like London in the swinging sixties and seventies, 63 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: very kind of hit place to be. Iranian revolution happens. Uh, 64 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,119 Speaker 1: fundamentalists take control of the government that was previously um 65 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: the Shaw of Iran, who was um friendly to the West, sure, 66 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: friendly to America generally, and and uh the Aetola Comini 67 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: comani I've always heard comany coomani um installed the Islamic 68 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: Theocracy and bad things started happening pretty quickly. But yeah, 69 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: there was a It was a about as quick a 70 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: turn about face politically and socially as you could imagine 71 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: for a whole country. Yeah, yeah, but not everyone in 72 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: the country, as will learn, Like the whole country didn't 73 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: just change overnight. No, but the the the Islamic Theocracy 74 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: was in power very much. So one of the things 75 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: that happened was, um, they were not very fond of 76 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: America or Americans, and the American embassy was famously stormed 77 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: and sixty six Americans working there were taken hostage and 78 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: held for more than a year. Man. That was like, 79 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: this is stuff I really remember, like four hundred and 80 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: forty days or something, four forty four days the Iranian 81 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: hostage crisis. I remember this as a nine year old 82 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: very clearly. Oh yeah, I have no recollection. Yeah, it 83 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: was a big deal, yellow ribbons, and it was on 84 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: the news constantly. I remember entering the room and being like, 85 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: what does this have to do with Rainbow Bright turn 86 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: this newscast? I even remember. So what happened was, Uh, 87 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: Jimmy Carter did not get these hostages free during his 88 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: uh his I was about to say rain, but that 89 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: was sort of the opposite of who Jimmy Carter was 90 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: during his administration, his iron fisted rain days of terror. 91 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,599 Speaker 1: But within a few days, and that may have cost 92 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: some election, but within a few days of our hours, 93 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: even of Reagan's inauguration, the hostages were freed. And I remember, 94 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: as a nine year old hearing kids parenting their parents 95 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: conversations like it was really Carter that had him freed, 96 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: all the work he did up until then, and then 97 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: other kids saying, are you kidding me? As soon as 98 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: Reagan got in office, they knew that they were toast 99 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: and that Reagan wasn't gonna be a patsy like Carter. 100 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: And I was like, what's a patsy? Who are these dudes? No? 101 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: But I remember very distinctly. It's weird, like on the 102 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: playground hearing the stuff. That's funny a little nine year old. 103 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: I definitely didn't hear this when I was a kid, 104 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: but I remember hearing later on as a grown up. 105 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: UM still in the rainbow bright. Uh, that it was 106 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: Reagan's campaign was somehow in touch with Iran. Yeah, and 107 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: that they broke hered this. They've also got them to 108 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: wait um to release the hostages until after Reagan was 109 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: in office, but the timing was not at all hours 110 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: after its inauguration accident. It's a little fishy, you know 111 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: what I mean. But whether it was that's funny. I'm 112 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: sure somebody's parents were like, Yeah, it's because they were 113 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,039 Speaker 1: so scared of Reagan they knew that they better release 114 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: these guys. That's totally not the case, because there were 115 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: other hostages taken by other by actual um Lebanese terrorists 116 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: who were probably sponsored by Iran, and that were they 117 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: were held throughout Reagan's presidency. Yeah, and that that's sort 118 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: of a big part of this. The second half of 119 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: this story was the fact that that was very embarrassing 120 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 1: for Reagan. He didn't like hostages being held on his watch. No, 121 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: but he had campaigned against negotiating with terrorists under any circumstances. 122 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: So he's stuck now, Yeah, because he's basically saying, if 123 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: you get taken hostage, I mean, you're on your own. 124 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: We'll we'll we'll use our rhetoric and whatever we can 125 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: to influence you being released, but we're not going to 126 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: negotiate for your release. That's just the way it is. 127 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: And that's a longstanding American policy and it makes sense 128 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: because if you negotiate with terrorists, then that's just gonna 129 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: lead more kidnappings because they know that you're open for business, 130 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: like anywhere in the world. Yeah, there was a kidnapping 131 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: of t w A flight eight forty seven, very very 132 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: famous one. You know the picture of like the pilot 133 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: leaning out of the cop and the guy's in the 134 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: picture with the gun behind him. That was um And 135 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: that was that, I mean, they that was I remember 136 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: that one. That was It was probably nine then, and 137 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: that was just scary because they were flying all over 138 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:04,679 Speaker 1: the place. You had no idea what was going to happen. 139 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: People were being beaten on the plane. When Navy guy 140 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: was beaten and shot and throw his body thrown on 141 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: the tarmac. Yeah, the eighties, like it seems comparatively tame 142 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: now in a lot of way, it's compared to the 143 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: things that used to go on, thank McDonald's hijackings and 144 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: kidnappings and hostages. It's like the eighties were nuts. They 145 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: were nuts. But um, pac Man, you know pac Man 146 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: rapping Rodney? It was crazy rapping, Like are is that 147 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: Roddy Piper? No rapping Rodney? Dangerfield his big hit? Oh yeah, yeah, 148 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: no respect? What about what about the Achy Shuffle that 149 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,680 Speaker 1: was a little crazy? Was that eighties? Sure? Late eighties? 150 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: I guess so, Okay, I got one for you. Okay, 151 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: the Bears what was their thing? Oh the super Bowl Shuffle? 152 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: Super Bowl Shuffle? Right, yeah, that was pretty eighties. I 153 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: think they were eighty four. Yeah, we're putting you know, 154 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: my band every year plays for sure one gig at 155 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: Decatur's Porch Fest, and every year we try to do 156 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: a theme, and this year we're doing an eighties sort 157 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: of new wave and I jokingly suggested pac Man Fever 158 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: the rap and Rodney. But are you guys gonna do it? No? 159 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,959 Speaker 1: Songs are terrible. Do you have a synth player playing 160 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: with you. I bought Emily a keyboard and she's learning. Yeah, 161 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: she's gonna be like wait, hold on, I hope that's 162 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: cool man. Now she's practicing. I've heard her do that um, 163 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: and she played piano when she was a kid, So 164 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: it's not the biggest stretch. I've heard that one that 165 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: herd do. That one Blondie song she just brought the house. Yeah, 166 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: we might one way or another, we might bring that 167 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: back because that's eighties or was that seventies? It was 168 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: so close on the Cuspo. I seriously doubt anybody's going 169 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: to throw a beer can at you for it. Anyway, 170 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: Porch beest everyone. I'll publicize it in October. So Reagan's 171 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: hands are tied um in every way possible because he 172 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: can't on he can't negotiate with terrorists. The only option 173 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: is to send in a covert delta forced team, which 174 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: they Carter tried that and it didn't work. Doesn't always work. 175 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 1: You could lose your own men, and I think that's 176 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: what happened in Carter's case, right. So what he can do, 177 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: though without anyone knowing, is totally negotiate with terrorists. Yeah, 178 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: just as long as the American public doesn't know, suh. 179 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: And that's what happened. And he followed that Reagan playbook 180 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: where it's like, okay, I said this, Well, if I 181 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: just changed this one little part, it makes it all 182 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: fine again as long as the American public doesn't know. 183 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: So well, Reagan said America will never negotiate with with hostages. 184 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: They didn't say Israel will never negotiate with terrorists for hostages. Right, So, 185 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: actually Israel had a long standing policy of negotiating with terrorists. 186 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,560 Speaker 1: They wouldn't. They would kidnap people from the other side, 187 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: and then they'd be like, all right, I'll give you 188 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: five guys. I've only got two. Let me kidnap a 189 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: few of people. Okay, now I have five. Like there 190 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: would be negotiations for hostage exchanges all the time between 191 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: Israel and Palestine, right they would. They just knew what 192 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: they were doing. So they said, okay, well, if if 193 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: Israel goes to Iran and says, hey, you know this 194 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 1: American over there, why don't you get them released? We 195 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: can help you out with some stuff. When you think 196 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: about this. Yeah, So earlier when I mentioned the fact 197 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: that Iran as the whole cloth did not change overnight 198 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: as a country. The government did, but there were still 199 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 1: some plenty of people there that were a little more 200 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: moderate in their views, and the Reagan administration had a 201 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 1: channel to them. So he was talking to them, these 202 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: more moderate factions and making a little headway. And they 203 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: were like, by the way, will totally give you these 204 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: hostages if you give us arms. Yeah, because Iran was fighting, um, 205 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: the Iran Iraq War at least half of it. Yeah, 206 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,439 Speaker 1: And this is just where stuff is just totally crazy, 207 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: because we were we were funding both sides at the 208 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: very least, we were advising both sides. Well, I mean 209 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: we directly gave money, Oh yeah, you're rock. We sold 210 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 1: them weapons, and we provided training and intelligence. And this 211 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: was this wasn't secret. This was like a real deal thing. 212 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: We were publicly supporting Iraq, but then we were secretly 213 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: arming Iran. Yeah. I think what they never proved beyond 214 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:20,079 Speaker 1: a doubt was that we went to uh Saddam Hussein 215 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: and said, hey, why don't you go in there and 216 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: overthrow Iran? Yeah, that was never we started it. I 217 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: don't think that was ever. There was a lot of 218 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,200 Speaker 1: uh circumstantial evidence that that was the case, but never 219 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,319 Speaker 1: like the smoking gun that we actually encouraged Saddam Hussein 220 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: to do so. But it's just, man, when you look 221 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: at how all this played out over the ears, just maddening. Yeah, 222 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,719 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, it's it's a s show. Yeah. So 223 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: Iraq and Iran or fighting. We're supplying both, playing both 224 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: sides of the coin. Uh. And we offered arms to Iran. 225 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: And who are you gonna call? Not ghostbusters? Oh, Gorbana 226 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: far Well, you're gonna call Ali? No? Oh yeah, okay, 227 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: I would have gotten there eventually. Yeah, because okay, so 228 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 1: remember all the North is this total novice when it 229 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: comes to covert operations. Yeah, he's been running the Nicaragua 230 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: op for years now, just doing a bang up job 231 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: of it. So they they're like, well, sure, we'll have 232 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: him do this incredibly illegal supersensitive arms sail to Iran too. 233 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: Why don't you come on over here, Ali and all? 234 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 1: He said, Okay, that's fine, but I need to go 235 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: get the lay of the land. And he actually traveled 236 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: to Iran with a fake passport under an assumed name 237 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: William P. Good was a knee and um. When he 238 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: went it was it was dangerous enough that William Casey. Supposedly, 239 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: Oliver North later testified gave him cyanide pills so that 240 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: he could take his own life rather than be tortured 241 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: by the Iranians. If if this were in fact like 242 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: some sort of set up again right out of a movie. Yeah, 243 00:13:54,040 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: but Oliver North went to Iran with cyanide pills. Yeah, 244 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 1: so everything went great, though it did. He didn't need 245 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,679 Speaker 1: the sanid pills after all. He did not um he 246 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: dealt with, like you mentioned earlier, this Iranian businessman name 247 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: Gourbana Far and this guy was tin shades of shady, 248 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: so much so that the CIA wouldn't even deal with them. 249 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: Now they issued a burn notice on him, which is 250 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: I don't even know what that is. That means just 251 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: he's dead to us. It's basically stay away. It's putting 252 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: him on blast to all the other intelligence agencies in 253 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: the world persona on won't even deal with this guy. 254 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: And so Ali North is like, yeah, I'll deal with 255 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: this guy all right. So with his help, Oliver North 256 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: set up a deal um where And it's so simple 257 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: to look at like Israel. You give them your missiles 258 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: and then we'll just replace those missiles for you with 259 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: our missiles, so we're not giving the missiles you are. 260 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: And because no American explicitly said to Iran, hey, we're 261 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: doing this so that you guys will get these hostages released, 262 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: it wasn't an arms for hostages deal, and so Reagan's 263 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: vowed and never negotiate with terrorists remained intact. That's right. 264 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: Five hundred and eight t OWTOW missiles was that stand 265 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: for two blaunched optically tracked wireless guided missile, which is 266 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: like it's like, ah, the two launched. There's a tube 267 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 1: and it can be like mounted on the ground, mounted 268 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: on a jeep. It's super portable. But they are they'll 269 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: blow some stuff up. I think I've seen these you have. 270 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: So five eight of these UM made it from Israel 271 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: to Iran, and then in very short order, a couple 272 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: of days later, one of the hostages, Benjamin we Are 273 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: minister who was held by Lebanese terrorists for sixteen months, 274 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: was released. So it worked. It did work. It was 275 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: a big deal around the White House to UM, but 276 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: they said, let's try it again, but this time it 277 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: seemed a little messy to get Israel involved. Let's just 278 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 1: do this ourselves. Ali, you think you can handle this, 279 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: and he said, sure, me and Gurbonafar have this. So 280 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: rather than Israel giving arms to Iran, Richard S. Cord 281 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: got brought in just like with Nicaragua. And again this 282 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: isn't like years after Nicaragua. Nicaragua was at full bore, 283 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: in full sweep and all the North is running both 284 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: operations simultaneously. Um. And so the new setup was the 285 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: Department of Defense would sell the c I A missiles 286 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: for thirty seven hundred bucks of pop. The CIA would 287 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: sell them to Richard C. Cord at cost, and then 288 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: c Cord would sell them to Gorbonafar for ten grand apiece, 289 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: and then gorbona Far would go sell them to Iran 290 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: for whatever he charged Ran. I can't I guarantee it 291 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: was more than the ten grand. And this happened multiple times. 292 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 1: Over the course of a little over a year. America 293 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: secretly transferred two thousand missiles and missile parts to Iran 294 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: UM in eight shipments. Yeah. For the release of hostages. Yeah, 295 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: ultimately there are three hostages that got released out of 296 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: seven that had been taken hostage total. Yeah, And didn't 297 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 1: he say ultimately there were three more hostages taken? So 298 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: they netted out at zero zero. Yeah. So um, but 299 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: that was that was the whole Iran operation. Yeah, but 300 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: here's the deals. This price markup means that that shell company, um, 301 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: and those Swiss bank accounts, we're making a lot of money, 302 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: and so much so that I think one of them 303 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: had three million dollars made an interest alone. So at 304 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: some point someone's like, hey, this this is a money 305 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: making operation. Now, why don't we tie a little bow 306 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: on all this and use some of that money to 307 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,199 Speaker 1: fund the contrast Because you guys are doing both of 308 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,919 Speaker 1: these things and you need money. Congress won't give it 309 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: to you. Forget the fundraising omelets. We'll just use the 310 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 1: money from these illite arms sales to fund the contrass. Yeah, 311 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: and that's exactly what happened. So to put it in 312 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: plain terms, America illegally and secretly sold missiles to Iran, 313 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,679 Speaker 1: used the proceeds from those missile sales to secretly and 314 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: illegally fund the Contras to help them overthrow their government 315 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 1: down in Nicaragua. That's what the Reagan administration did. That's right. 316 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 1: That's why it's called Iran Contra. That's where they came together. 317 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,959 Speaker 1: There was a diversion of funds. Yeah, and the I 318 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: think it was by nineteen eight six. Um, Congress finally 319 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,919 Speaker 1: got back on board because of this drum beat from 320 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: Reagan over the years of how much we need to 321 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: really do this officially and keep the mind Congress still 322 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: didn't know any of this is going on secretly. Um. 323 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: And then Congress said all right, we'll give you a 324 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,680 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars to aid this cause. UM and said 325 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: you would think that was the end of all the 326 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: uh covert stuff. It wasn't, though, No, No, it's still 327 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:01,680 Speaker 1: continued on, but now it was legitimized and had even 328 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: better funding. But that was not the end of the 329 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: whole thing. Like everybody didn't just get to walk away 330 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: and say that was close, because the whole thing started 331 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: to come apart. Actually, and I say that we take 332 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: an ad break and come back and talk about it 333 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: after this. Well, now we're on the road driving in 334 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: your truck. Want to learn a thing or two from 335 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 1: Josh damn Chuck stuff you should know? All right, okay, Chuck, 336 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: Congress is back on board. I think it's worth pointing 337 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: out that that's exactly four years after the Democrats took 338 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: control of the House in two. So I wonder if 339 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: the Republicans took control back in eighty six and that's 340 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: why the funding got turned back. Onto the contrast, we 341 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: could solve this, I like the speculating stead So this 342 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: all might have Who knows if this ever would have 343 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: even been found out had it not been for the 344 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: sharp shooting of a young sandin Easton soldier named Jose 345 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: Fernando Canales oldman. Uh. In October there was a cargo 346 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: plane and see one twenty three called the provider Um 347 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: flying seventy so yet Collisha coughs a hundred thousand rounds 348 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: of AMMO, rocket grenades and other supplies. Uh. And this 349 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 1: is one of those things where you said they would 350 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: fly things over and kick him out in the back 351 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 1: of the plane. This is one of those those runs. Yeah. 352 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: The problem with this particular run, though, is that they 353 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: did this at feet in broad daylight, and they got 354 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: a little lazy or maybe cocky. I don't even know 355 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:51,920 Speaker 1: if it was that. I think it was more like, 356 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,440 Speaker 1: this is just work. It was an everyday job by 357 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,199 Speaker 1: this time. They've been doing it for years, you know, 358 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,479 Speaker 1: and the operation was just humming along so nicely that 359 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: was almost an autopilot. Yeah, so yeah, they did this 360 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: one supply drop on October in broad daylight and there 361 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: were four crew aboard, William J. Cooper, Wallace Bus Sawyer, 362 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: freddie Vilchis, and a guy named Eugene Hassan Fuss, who 363 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: uh and again this sliding doors thing. Hassen Fuss is 364 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 1: the only guy who had a parachute. He borrowed it 365 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 1: from his brother, a skydiver, because you know, he thought 366 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,719 Speaker 1: it might be smart to take a parachute. No one 367 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: else had parachutes. Had he not had a parachute, this 368 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: may have turned out differently. It may have. For sure, 369 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 1: he was the only one that survived this plane crash 370 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: because he was the only one who borrowed the parachute 371 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: from his brother, and he jumped out, landed, made it 372 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 1: safely into the jungle. And I think he actually survived 373 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: and evaded the Sandinistas for maybe a day or something 374 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: like that before he was captured. And when he was captured, 375 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: they led him out of the jungle like um with 376 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: a rope around his neck, just just about as big 377 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: of a prisoner as you can imagine. Super publicized. There 378 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: are billboards of of him being led around by Sandinistas 379 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: and they started asking him questions and he was like, 380 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: what do you want to know? He's saying, like a canary, 381 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: you really did? He said, Uh, this is my tense 382 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: supply mission. I'm presumed that the CIA is running this. 383 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 1: I don't know. And he would know this would be 384 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: something that he would he could legitimately guess at at 385 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: least because he had actually worked on ci a um 386 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: air drops over Vietnam or Cambodia for Air America back 387 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,400 Speaker 1: in the Vietnam War. Yeah, but he wasn't like, uh, 388 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: he sings like a canary because he's not very high 389 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,159 Speaker 1: up on the tolden pole. Like his job was to 390 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: get up there and shove the stuff out of the 391 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,399 Speaker 1: back of the plane for three grand a month. He 392 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: wasn't even a CIA operator. He's just former marine who 393 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: had a background working with Air America years before. But 394 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: by this time, by the time he joins on UM 395 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,680 Speaker 1: doing this. For the contrast, he was like working as 396 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: a construction worker part time in Wisconsin back home, So 397 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: this is like pretty good money. I think he was 398 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: getting seven grand in today's dollars a month for basically 399 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 1: kicking a k forty seven crates out the back of 400 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 1: a plane over Nicaragua. Yeah, so he's not the kind 401 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: of guy that's going to take the fall for anyone. 402 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: So he's he's singing like a canary. Even if he 403 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 1: had kept his mouth shut, it wouldn't have mattered. Yeah, 404 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: because um, all the other guys, including Hassan Fuss, had 405 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: their wallets on the plane, They had all their employee 406 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: I D cards and in fact, I don't think we 407 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:41,440 Speaker 1: mentioned in episode one, um the company that was set 408 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: up to do these drops was set up called Southern 409 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: Air Transport out of I guess Miami, So they all 410 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: had their Southern Air Transport I T cards, which was 411 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 1: the c i A front. Like everybody knew Southern Air 412 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: Transport was the CIA front, So they might as well 413 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: have had like CIA Junior badges or something, or like 414 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: Michael Keaton and out of Sight when he has the 415 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: big FBI T shirt, I haven't seen that one. Oh, 416 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: you haven't seen out of Sight? No? Is that the 417 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 1: one where he's George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Is he 418 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: a bad guy in it? No, he's a good guy, 419 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: but he walks in. He plays Ray Nicolette, who played 420 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: uh same character and Jackie Brown FBI guy. But it's 421 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: funny because he walks in with an FBI T shirt on. 422 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: And Dennis Farina's Jennifer Lopez his dad and he's a 423 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 1: former CUP and he goes, hey, Ray, let me ask 424 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: you he got one that says undercover Dennis Farina man class, 425 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:34,639 Speaker 1: I mean, you got to see out of Sight. That's classic. 426 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:35,920 Speaker 1: All right, I'll check it out like one of the 427 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:37,640 Speaker 1: better men. I mean, I know exactly the movie you're 428 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: talking about it like the Plague. It's so good you 429 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 1: would love it. So Southern Air Transport CIA front. There's 430 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: also a log book that connected this flight, uh and 431 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,560 Speaker 1: all the other flights. And then hassen Fuss in his 432 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: wallet had a business card to Robert w Owen. This 433 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: is a big one who was working with Oliver North 434 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,120 Speaker 1: in Washington, right, which so that provided a direct line 435 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: between Oliver North and some guys who were kicking Colashna 436 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,160 Speaker 1: Coughs out of the back of a plane over in Nicaragua. 437 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: So that was a really big deal that when this 438 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: guy got captured and you know, told the Santinistas as 439 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: much as he knew, because the Sandinistas were like attention, world, 440 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 1: Listen to what we just found out. The CIA has 441 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:25,360 Speaker 1: um totally been funding these contra rebels who are trying 442 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: to overthrow the sovereign government, and um, we think you 443 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:31,959 Speaker 1: guys should know about it. Yeah, And it was, um, 444 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,560 Speaker 1: it wasn't like you could totally discount that even though 445 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: it was from the Sandinistan's like, Congress and the American 446 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: media were like what I'm sure Congress was like, wait 447 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: a minute, this this reeks of like something that has 448 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: been happening that we tried to shut down. Yeah, because remember, 449 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: even if the CIA was brief in Congress, it was 450 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: either Bill Casey or Dewey Claridge, and they were doing 451 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: a really obtuse job of this keeping Congress at arms linked. 452 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: So any time something like this came out, almost none 453 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,679 Speaker 1: of Congress knew the full extent of this, and it 454 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 1: was always in flagrant violation of whatever Congress wanted or 455 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: whatever Congress that agreed to. Yeah, and this wasn't like 456 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: this was sort of the straw that broke it all open, 457 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: or that broke the camel's back, broke the camel's back 458 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: wide open, camel. Uh. Things have been unraveling for a 459 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: bit there was a party in ve in Virginia thrown 460 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: thrown by Soldier of Fortune magazine. Can you imagine know 461 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: what's that party? Like? I don't want to know. I 462 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,360 Speaker 1: can't imagine. I used to read Soldier of Fortune when 463 00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:42,199 Speaker 1: I was in my ninja training as like a ten 464 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: year old boy, and even then I was like this 465 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 1: this magazine makes my stomach hurt. And it's in five 466 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: Like can you imagine the amount of like blow being 467 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: secretly done in the bathroom at that party? Sure, but 468 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,440 Speaker 1: also they were making snuff movies in the living room. 469 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: And there's no telling what was going on in a 470 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 1: Soldier of Fortune. We can't tell you. At the very least, 471 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: there was a lot of boasting going on openly about 472 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: this contra operation. And again this is the time when 473 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: people don't know about this stuff. Yeah, but you know 474 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 1: what happens is like you get enough people in enough 475 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 1: years and people start talking, people start bragging, and all 476 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: of a sudden, you're you're you have a couple of 477 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 1: gin and tonics at a Soldier of Fortune party and 478 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: you're like, hey, guess what, and that that's what happened. 479 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: Somebody goes what, Yeah, there you go here it comes. Yeah, 480 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: and they dropped the you know, they dropped the bomb 481 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 1: that what's been going on? A concerned citizen here's this. 482 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 1: I guess he must have been mistakenly invited. I don't 483 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: know how that guy got invited. They just happened to 484 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: talk to the wrong guy or whatever, but probably that. 485 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: He was like, I am really fearful of my life 486 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,880 Speaker 1: for saying something about this, but I feel like somebody 487 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 1: should know. So he went to a lawyer, a human 488 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,959 Speaker 1: rights lawyer named David Sheehan, and he said, you go 489 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,359 Speaker 1: tell everybody. You put your life on the line. And 490 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:02,639 Speaker 1: he did. He submitted an affidavit to federal court. Started uh, 491 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 1: doing interviews, talking to journalists, drumming up support. White House 492 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,880 Speaker 1: was like, we don't know what you're talking about. You're crazy, man, 493 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 1: Like this is all made up. And uh, finally it 494 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: took a Lebanese newspaper, Um Al shira that reported on 495 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 1: this deal, this arms for hostage deal, like in a 496 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:26,280 Speaker 1: legitimate newspaper. Right, So now both stories have been blown open. 497 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 1: You've got Eugene hass't was captured and the contra operation 498 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,159 Speaker 1: is blown open, and now Al shira Um is reporting 499 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: on the Iran arms for hostage deal. And really, crazily enough, 500 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: these two separate arms of this one scandal came out 501 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: within a month of each other, which is it's bizarre, 502 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: but that's what happened. And now it was like, there's 503 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: it's on the table. The America's media knows about it, 504 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 1: Congress knows about it. Heads are about to roll. All right, 505 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: we'll take our final break and we'll come back talk 506 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: about the aftermath of Iran contra. Well, now we're on 507 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: the road, driving in your truck. Want to learn a 508 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: thing or two from Josh? Can chuck it stuff you 509 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: should know? All right? All right, Chuck, you promised after 510 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 1: your math. Let's hear it. All right, So every every 511 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: everything is exposed. Um Oliver north Uh was no longer 512 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: in business doing his thing. No, he shut down shop 513 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: real quick, he did, but not before very famously he 514 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 1: and his um very eighties haired secretary, Fawn Hall. I 515 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: forgot it looked. I was like Fawn Hall. I looked 516 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: her up, and as soon as I saw I was like, right, yeah, 517 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: Fawn Hall. And forget that hair. She could barely walk 518 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: through the door. No, it was ginormous, for sure. It's 519 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 1: so great I would be fearful around a shredder if 520 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 1: our her, but she was not fearful at all. She 521 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: and Oliver North spent a day they could. They call 522 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: it a shredding party. I mean, we will never know 523 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: the full truth behind this because of all the evidence 524 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: that they shredded. As far as anyone knows, Oliver North 525 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,680 Speaker 1: decided on his own to shred every document he had 526 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: on it. That's right, and yeah, that's that's it. It's 527 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: it's now. It's the the um official narrative that has 528 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:37,959 Speaker 1: been written into the history book, which you can just 529 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: guarantee is not anywhere near the full story, right, So 530 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: it all comes out. The Reagan administration start looking around 531 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: and they're like, well, who who's going to be the 532 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 1: patsy for this one? And Oliver North could not escape it. 533 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,280 Speaker 1: But they're like, he's small potatoes, he's he's he'll he'll 534 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 1: go down. Well, I think he was even willing to 535 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,080 Speaker 1: take the fall, like he knew he was going to 536 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,239 Speaker 1: be the fall guy, and was like, okay, that's part 537 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: of the job, right. But they knew that it had 538 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: to the American public, and certainly Congress wasn't going to 539 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: be satisfied with just Oliver North. So who did they 540 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: land on? So the the official line became this Point Dexter, 541 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: and I guess McFarland would have started it. Became uh 542 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: fully aware of just how badly Reagan wanted to help 543 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: the Contras and said I'm gonna do something about this 544 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: and tapped all the North and said we need to 545 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: help the Contras out. Go help him out, figure it out. 546 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: And North went off and basically went rogue on his 547 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: own and set up this whole operation, created this entire 548 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: network with c cord Um decided to do the Iranian 549 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 1: arms deal, all this stuff basically on his own, and 550 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: like Reagan and Bush knew nothing about it, nothing about it, 551 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: and that the buck stopped at Point Dexter. Ultimately it 552 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: didn't go any further. William Casey being CIA, he was 553 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: basically out of the loop. Um, that was the official 554 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: story they came out with, right, and America went, you're kidding, right, 555 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 1: this is a joke. Yeah, I mean I remember these hearings, um, 556 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: even as a little kid, like watching these and then 557 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: watching the news coverage of it, and like we mentioned, 558 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: all over North strolling in there with his dress uniform 559 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, by all accounts being a pretty 560 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: stand up guy, like he didn't write anyone out, he didn't. 561 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: But he also he was like, there's there's no way 562 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: the president didn't know about this. He said, I don't 563 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: have any direct evidence that the president didn't know about it, 564 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: but it's my understanding that the president was fully aware 565 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 1: of what was going on. Yeah, what was the deal 566 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: with this missile supply shipment? Though? That's the one thing 567 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: I didn't quite get. So there was North got rid 568 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 1: of all the documents that he could right well, North 569 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 1: didn't have any control over CIA documents, and at that 570 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 1: first missile resupply where they were resupplying Israel, he had 571 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 1: a C I A. He basically said, hey, C I A, 572 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 1: do you know anybody I can use to ship these things? 573 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,680 Speaker 1: I'm I've got an emergency here. I need to get 574 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: these to is real fast. And the CIA, being the 575 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 1: CIA is still a bureaucracy, they had to document this event. 576 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 1: So there was a document out there now and right 577 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 1: that he couldn't get his hands on, that he couldn't shred. 578 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:20,400 Speaker 1: And so this led to Reagan taking responsibility or saying, okay, 579 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 1: I was aware of this this Iran missile deal by 580 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,479 Speaker 1: backdating an order to William Casey saying I order you 581 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: not to tell Congress about this, even though you're supposed to. 582 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 1: So Reagan basically said, on paper, I know about this Iran, 583 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,240 Speaker 1: this one missile transfer to Iran. Had no idea about 584 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,120 Speaker 1: the contrast and it. First they started up denying everything. 585 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, like after this, I'll share a story that 586 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: we talked about. He went on television, Reagan did and 587 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 1: denied everything. Every He said, all this is just total 588 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,920 Speaker 1: b us. Yeah exactly. Now let's now, let's stop talking 589 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: about everybody. Ten days after that, Reagan had another press 590 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: conference where he talked about the Iran operation and he 591 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: acknowledged it, but said, what we're really doing here is 592 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,760 Speaker 1: just trying to sort of send a signal to Iran 593 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 1: that where we want friendlier relations. It was not arms 594 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,680 Speaker 1: for hostage exactly. And then so that was ten days 595 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: after the first den and then four months after that, 596 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:23,600 Speaker 1: because the reporting would not stop, he basically said, okay, yeah, 597 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: and whatever it started out as, I admit that it 598 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:30,160 Speaker 1: devolved into an arms for hostage deal, which even that 599 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:32,919 Speaker 1: even that admission, which is the closest he ever came 600 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,319 Speaker 1: to admitting, you know, responsibility for it. Even that's just 601 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: total bs and fantasy. It was from the outset in 602 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: arms for hostages deal. The whole thing was set up 603 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: to get hostages released, and that that was it. So 604 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 1: there was there was no other way to put it. 605 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: But that's he He denied that to his dying day. 606 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: As far as fallout point extra resign, Oliver North was fired. 607 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: Um Casey died in a hospital. Um not too long 608 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 1: after this whole thing was exposed, I mean like weeks so, Um, 609 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: the press was all over the president. He um appointed 610 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: the Tower Commission. Um, Yeah, that look into this. The 611 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:15,399 Speaker 1: president appointed a commission to investigate, Yeah, the president's own 612 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 1: administration's wrongdoing. That's right. And it was determined that Reagan's 613 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: disengagement from the management of his White House created condition 614 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 1: conditions such that it was possible that he did not 615 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: know about this, which does the absolute best official finding 616 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 1: he could have hoped for, because it basically says Rangon 617 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 1: didn't know he had a rogue guy working for him, 618 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:42,359 Speaker 1: a true believer, a patriot, But Reagan didn't know about this, 619 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: and yeah, he should have. He should have had a 620 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,440 Speaker 1: closer watch on his executive branch, but he didn't what 621 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: are you gonna do, Let's get Mr t in here 622 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:53,279 Speaker 1: for a photo op with Nancy. Uh. There was a 623 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: criminal investigation and what they were really um honing in 624 00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,120 Speaker 1: on was the eighteen million dollars in profits UM that 625 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,040 Speaker 1: that were made and what happened to that money where 626 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: it went. Fourteen people were charged um Oliver North was 627 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: tried and found guilty on three counts. Yeah. Uh. One 628 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:14,480 Speaker 1: of the counts was um for getting a uh sixteen 629 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:19,240 Speaker 1: thousand dollar security system installed uh in his home courtesy 630 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 1: of s Cord With with that money, there was a 631 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,959 Speaker 1: rumor that his his there's a bounty on his head 632 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:29,440 Speaker 1: from terrorists and him up right. Now. That was a 633 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:33,640 Speaker 1: big problem for North because North's hole bag was I 634 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:37,000 Speaker 1: was following orders that I assumed we're coming from the 635 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 1: president ultimately, and I was doing it out of my 636 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,080 Speaker 1: patriotic duty and a sense of, you know, as a 637 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:45,319 Speaker 1: true believer that we need to get rid of communism. 638 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:48,319 Speaker 1: And the American public loved it. They're like, great, make 639 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:51,360 Speaker 1: this man a saint. Congress started to love it too, 640 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,880 Speaker 1: and he got off. But that was a real problem 641 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 1: because it's saying, well, you took this gift from funds 642 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,719 Speaker 1: from this illicit arms sales, right, But it was a 643 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 1: gift of a security system to help protect his family, 644 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:05,759 Speaker 1: So it's not like, you know, it was a gift 645 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 1: of ten pounds of blow and like and Nicaraguan sex 646 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 1: worker from the Eastern government exactly. Secord was convicted of 647 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: one count of lying to Congress uh and the investigators. Um. 648 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: He basically denied that North received any funds from any 649 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:24,319 Speaker 1: of this. So it's still kind of hinged on that 650 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:28,760 Speaker 1: security system, I guess. And so everybody went to jail 651 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,399 Speaker 1: forever after that point. Right, No, that's not true at all. Um. 652 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: Hakim got two years probation, a five thousand dollar fine. 653 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 1: Secord got two years probation. Is that what he got? 654 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: Two years probation. So the two guys who were actually 655 00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 1: running the company that ran this whole thing each got 656 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: two years probation. North's conviction was overturned on a technicality, 657 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:53,880 Speaker 1: and President Bush, the senior Bush on Christmas Eve. Um, 658 00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: this was Christmas Eve as he was leaving office, right, 659 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,560 Speaker 1: he issued six pardons basically a lot let everyone off 660 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 1: the hook, including Casper Weinberger, who hadn't even gone to 661 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:07,239 Speaker 1: trial yet no, and neither had um Duane Claridge Dewey 662 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 1: Claridge was going to stay in trial to both of 663 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,839 Speaker 1: them received preemptive pardons, and a lot of people are like, 664 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 1: that was about the shadiest set of pardons anyone's ever issued, 665 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,000 Speaker 1: because there's a lot of people out there who say 666 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: Bush really walked away from the Scott free, but there 667 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:25,200 Speaker 1: is no way he wasn't even more involved in this 668 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 1: than Reagan was. Yeah, I mean George Bush withheld subpoena 669 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:34,000 Speaker 1: his subpoena diary entries that basically indicated that he had 670 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,560 Speaker 1: full knowledge of this the entire time. UM. Eventually in 671 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:43,560 Speaker 1: UH Independent Council Lawrence Walsh um asked for these again 672 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:45,879 Speaker 1: and Bush like said, I asked you for these diary entrees. 673 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,719 Speaker 1: And Bush was like, I didn't you did, I didn't 674 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: fully understand. Uh, it was inadvertent, Like you asked me 675 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,560 Speaker 1: for a lot of stuff. I didn't know you asked 676 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 1: me for the diary entrees. And Uh, walsh was really 677 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:02,560 Speaker 1: upset and he said, the Iran Contra contra cover up 678 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 1: has now been completed. Uh. And George Bush as a 679 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,480 Speaker 1: president who has such a contempt for honesty and arrogant 680 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,319 Speaker 1: disregard for the rule of law. Yeah, and I mean 681 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 1: the the forestalling that the Reagan White House and then 682 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:19,719 Speaker 1: later on the Bush White House did um in in 683 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,839 Speaker 1: allowing these investigations to go forward and trying to keep 684 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,240 Speaker 1: Congress at arm's length after everything came out. It worked 685 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:29,280 Speaker 1: because there were articles of impeachment introduced in the House 686 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,799 Speaker 1: um against Ronald Reagan, and they managed to stave him 687 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: off to where it was like while he's leaving office anyway, 688 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:39,279 Speaker 1: forget about it. This investigation took years and years and years, 689 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 1: and then finally when Bush pardoned everybody that was it, 690 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,760 Speaker 1: there was nothing else to do. Everybody who was involved 691 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:49,360 Speaker 1: was impl was was off scott free. And then um, 692 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:51,800 Speaker 1: the fact that Oliver North had shredded all those documents, 693 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: they were all lost to history, like the actual truth 694 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: is lost to history. Yeah. Reagan, Uh, his reputation took 695 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: a hit, temporary it um for a while there. He 696 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 1: went from sixty in the span of a couple of 697 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:07,719 Speaker 1: months to forty three to forty seven percent depending on 698 00:40:07,719 --> 00:40:11,839 Speaker 1: which poll you looked at on his approval rating. And uh, 699 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:15,040 Speaker 1: he would get it back though. Um. Despite in the 700 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 1: position the very very famous deposition where Ronald Reagan said 701 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,400 Speaker 1: I don't remember or I don't recall eighty eight times. 702 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:26,279 Speaker 1: That was a very big deal, was all over the news. 703 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:30,160 Speaker 1: Um almost as famous or just as famous as Bill 704 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: Clinton's very famous depends what your definition of is is exactly. 705 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,200 Speaker 1: But Reagan rebounded. He did man to the most popular 706 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: presidency since FDR Right. Yeah. Upon his exit, his his 707 00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 1: approval rating had bounced all the way back up to 708 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:50,239 Speaker 1: the early sixties. Mr T famously carried him out of 709 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,560 Speaker 1: the White House on his shoulders on his last day 710 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:56,560 Speaker 1: in office. Oh man, so that's a wrong contra Man, 711 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,520 Speaker 1: what a story of a story? Where's this movie? I 712 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:02,319 Speaker 1: don't know. Hopefully we'll get some rights to it after 713 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:06,800 Speaker 1: this episode. I want to play Fawn Hall. Also, that's great. 714 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: You get Jerry to play Fawn Hall. That would be great, 715 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:12,560 Speaker 1: Jerry Um. Well. In the meantime, while we find a 716 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:17,000 Speaker 1: suitable wig for Jerry Um, you can find out more 717 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:20,239 Speaker 1: about Iran Contract by going and reading contemporary articles on it. 718 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 1: I'm telling you it's really awesome. And since I said 719 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: that it's time for listener mail, I'm gonna call this 720 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: follow up on the moon Landing thing. Hey guys. In 721 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: my opinion, the Apollo missions and Moon landings are the 722 00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:34,880 Speaker 1: most significant events in the history of life on Earth. 723 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:38,680 Speaker 1: On the question why the Command module and Lunar Lander 724 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:42,439 Speaker 1: were launched separated, I think the reason was to allow 725 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: the Command module to be ejected in case of an emergency. 726 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:48,160 Speaker 1: The very top of the Apollo stack was the launch 727 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,560 Speaker 1: escape system, like an injector seat on steroids. I imagine 728 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:53,920 Speaker 1: they had to keep things as light and nimble as 729 00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:56,759 Speaker 1: possible for the l S to be effective. I don't 730 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:59,560 Speaker 1: think you mentioned something that's really significant the Apollo eight mission. 731 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:01,959 Speaker 1: It was the very first time humans went to the Moon, 732 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:04,439 Speaker 1: on top of being the first time we broke free 733 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:08,200 Speaker 1: of Earth's gravity. Like like eleven, the stakes were incredibly high. 734 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:10,560 Speaker 1: They had to first insert the correct trajectory to make 735 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:12,080 Speaker 1: it to the Moon, then do a burn to enter 736 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:15,320 Speaker 1: the orbit around the Moon, then perform another burn to 737 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,000 Speaker 1: break free of the Moon's gravity and head back towards Earth. 738 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 1: If any piece was not in place, those astronauts would 739 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:22,920 Speaker 1: have spent the rest of their lives either orbiting the 740 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,759 Speaker 1: Sun or orbiting the Moon. Apollo eight also gave us 741 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:30,759 Speaker 1: the Earth rise photo. Oh yeah, yeah, I've been hearing 742 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 1: a lot about Apollo eight um lately too, so this 743 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 1: person is hats off to you. Jim Lovell was on 744 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:40,600 Speaker 1: both Apollo eight and Apollo thirteen. He traveled to the 745 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:44,880 Speaker 1: moon twice but never had the opportunity to land. Signed 746 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:50,160 Speaker 1: a space geek Noah Alloy, Nice work, Noah Alloy Alloy Alloy, 747 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: great name too. Thanks a lot for a getting in 748 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 1: touch with us. We love space geeks. We love to 749 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 1: put you guys in headlocks and rub your heads with 750 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 1: our knuckles until you go stop. It's called a noogie 751 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:04,319 Speaker 1: right here on Earth. That's right, um. If you want 752 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: a noogie from me and Chuck, send us a space 753 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:09,279 Speaker 1: geeky or any kind of geeky thing. We love that 754 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. You can go onto stuff you should 755 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:14,360 Speaker 1: Know dot com and follow our social links and you 756 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 1: can send us a good old fashioned email, wrap it up, 757 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:18,640 Speaker 1: spank it on the bottom, and send it off to 758 00:43:18,719 --> 00:43:25,279 Speaker 1: stuff podcast at i heeart radio dot com. Stuff you 759 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,520 Speaker 1: Should Know is a production of iHeart Radios. How stuff 760 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:30,000 Speaker 1: works for more podcasts for my heart Radio because at 761 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 762 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:33,600 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows