Iran-Contra Affair-Samantha Montarbo

My topic was on the Iran-Contra Affair. In my paper, I not only focused on explaining this scandal, but I also went into the investigation and trial of the affair. In each of my interviews, I ask if they think Reagan or North is guilty of the scandal in the 80's.

Interview-Oppinions on Iran-Contra and Reagan administration from Republican

Richard Montarbo, Lawyer

Did you vote for Ronald Reagan? And Why?
Yes because he was a fiscal conservative. Although he was pro-life he was otherwise socially tolerant. He also had an amazing speaking voice and honest demeanor.

What were your opinions during the hostage situation in Iran?
I felt that the only solution was immediate and overwhelming military force. And it was interesting to know that as soon as Reagan who was going to use this force, the hostages were immediately released without incident.

Were you for the fighting in the contras?
No. You know it was a war that was not likely to spread North and ever involve America. We had no strategic interests in that country. Our only strategic interest was the Panama Canal.
What did you think about the Iran-Contra Situation when it broke out?
I was against it. I felt it was inappropriate for an elected government official to take actions against the stated law.

Do you think Ronald Reagan knew about?
No. I think it was the CIA and the National Security Council and they acted independently. Reagan’s policy was to support the Contras. And I think that is why they supported the Contras. And over all this time, no one has proven he knew about it. It was the damn CIA. It was Poindexter and the National Security Council. I think he and the director of the CIA got together, knew what Reagan wanted to do and carried out his plan. They didn’t go to Reagan. Its 30 years later and we can’t find a single document saying he knew.

Opinions on Oliver North’s book?
I am surprised Ollie said that..

What is your opinion on Oliver North?
I didn’t know he wrote a book. I thought he was a national hero taking the fall for the president. But if he wrote a book, he is not what I thought he was. Because writing a book either makes you a snitch for telling the truth or guilty for feeling the need to tell the truth.

Is he innocent?
Maybe. He could be. Here’s the thing, Reagan could have known what was going on but he couldn’t actually know, because that would incriminate him. So Ollie North had to take the fall because the President can’t know. This is very difficult to answer. Oliver North could have been doing exactly what the president was telling him to do or he might have gone behind the presidents back, but the world will never know because they like to keep these things hidden from the public.

Interview-Oppinions on Iran-Contra and Reagan administration from Independent

Margie Zech, real estate agent

Did you vote for Ronald Reagan?
Yes, I voted for him in both of the elections he ran in.

Why did you vote for him?
He was a republican and was always much stronger then the other candidates. His speeches were fantastic! He also had much smarter people in his administration. But above all, his honesty amazed me.

What were your first thoughts when the Iran-Contra affair?
Well, before the Iran-Contra there were many hostages in Iran, which really freaked me out because I think it was the first time that happened. And right after the hostages were taken there was a rescue attempt but that didn’t work out and many were killed, which was terrible. So then, we would all wear bracelets for the hostages and daily counters on the news about how many days it had been since they were taken. And the poor families were just waiting here.

But what were you thoughts when you actually found out about the Iran Contra Affair?
Oh right, well anyways, at first I was really confused, because all the hostages were back but then we didn’t understand how they came back. We all knew there had been some dirty work. And then Reagan came out saying he didn’t know anything, well how couldn’t you know! And that’s when my confidence in him went down. And then Oliver North gets up there and basically took the fall for it. Then he went to jail and came out wrote a book and blamed the entire thing on Reagan.

Did you pay attention to the testimonies? And what do you remember about that?
Oh yeah. And I remember Oliver taking the fall and everyone knew what was happening and he was the scapegoat, the media took him down as well. I will never forget they had a full page of Oliver North’s and next to it was a monkey with his face! The media made him look like an idiot.

What did you think happened with the Iran- Contra before all of these books came out?
I think Ronald Reagan had to get those hostages home, he had to. And all his people were looking at anyway to get these hostages home. I knew they were all guilty, and if our president didn’t know about this, he should have! At that level, our president should know everything for gods sake! And if he doesn’t shame on him, he should be found guilty for being an idiot!

Did you feel betrayed?
Yes.

How so?
Because those hostages were such an emotional issue for everyone and for the government to muck it up with all of this illegal stuff, was just devastating. Like, wow you couldn’t even get that one right!

What do you think about Oliver North?
I felt very badly for him because it was obvious to me he was taking the fall for everything and he was a soldier and he was following orders.

Interview

Jon Hallgrimson, Commercial Real Estate-Oppinions on Iran-Contra and Reagan administration from Liberal/independent

Did you vote for Ronald Reagan?
The second time yes, the first time no.

What year was the second time you voted for him?
1984.

Are you a democrat or republican?
Neither. I am Independent. I have been all my life. I try to be fair and unbiased when I vote. I look at his values and his leadership skills, before his reputation.

Why did you vote for him the second time?
The economy was doing well and I came to trust his judgment with international affairs.

What were your opinions on the Reagan administration?
I thought the first term they were really affected, I thought the second term the lost their focus and they were more concerned with creating a republican dynasty.

What did you think about the hostage crisis in Lebanon during the 80’s?
You can’t negotiate with terrorists who take hostages. And nations that harbor terrorists that hold hostages are culpable and should be treated as nation that doesn’t respect the international rules of law. I support Reagan not wanted to negotiate with terrorists though because people who would commit such a violent act, will not be fair in negotiations. All they are concerned about is themselves and that won’t change.

What did you think when the Iran-Contra Scandal broke out?
Disappointing that there was a lack of institutional leadership and control and I was convinced that senior leadership in the white house was fully aware of the activities of Oliver North.

Do you think Reagan was telling the truth?
No because it set up layer that allowed him to be truthful about the details of Iran-Contra but I believe Reagan supported the overarching goals of the scandal. There is no way Reagan would allow that to happen if he didn’t want it to.

Do you think Oliver North was wrongly tried?
He knew he was a fall guy and he accepted that. He was a soldier. He was a soldier. And he accepted that he was a scapegoat. He was the kind of guy who took the bullet for the team and that is how the Iran-Contra Scandal turned out. Everything was blamed on North, it’s sad, but I’m sure North knew it was coming if this scandal ever broke out