Report of Reagan Lying to the American People

Weiner writes that on August 3, 1985 president Reagan gave CIA Director William Casey "formal approval" to sell missiles, covertly, to the government of Iran in return for Iran's agreement to instruct Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon to release American hostages held there. "With that go-ahead, the Israelis and [arms dealer] Ghorbanifar sent two shipments containing a total of 504 American TOW missiles to Tehran," Weiner writes. On December 5, 1985, Reagan signed a finding, or presidential order, authorizing the deal, according to Weiner. "On November 4, 1986 . . . Rafsanjani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, revealed that American officials had been to Iran bearing gifts . . . . 'We did not--repeat--not trade weapons or anything else for hostages,' Reagan told the nation [i.e., the United States] on November 13," Weiner writes (Legacy of Ashes, pp. 401-08). Weiner's cited source for these facts are records of the joint congressional committee and the final report of the independent counsel team that investigated the Iran-contra affair.