U.S. Senate
                            
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Iran-Contra Affair
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U.S. Senate : Legislative Records. Iran-Contra
Affair, 1985-1988.
17 linear feet.
Catalog Number: M202.6.2.16
Background Note:
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran
and the Nicaraguan Opposition was formed by a Senate resolution on January
6, 1987. Simultaneously the House formed the Select Committee to Investigate
Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. These two committees were formed to
investigate the secret sale of arms to Iran in return for the release
of American hostages and the associated channeling of funds to the Contra
rebels in Nicaragua by members of the Reagan administration, the CIA,
and the National Security Council. Both committees were to complete their
investigations by August 1 and their reports by October 1987. Instead,
the two committees merged to become the Congressional Committees Investigating
the Iran-Contra Affair, joining investigations and hearings, and sharing
all evidence, which involved over 300,000 documents and 500 witnesses.
The public hearings spanned forty days from May to August 1987. The Senate
and House committees produced a joint report at the end of their investigations.
Senator Mitchell was the second-ranking majority party member on the
Senate committee; he was designated to question Lt. Col. Oliver North,
the main witness. Mitchell's performance was widely acclaimed and was
a major factor leading to his election as Senate Majority Leader in 1988.
Description:
Records date from 1985 through 1988. A wide range of information is included:
texts of statements, depositions, and interviews; meeting and other notes;
drafts of chronologies; news clippings; rules; reports from the Congressional
Research Service and other services; copies of the Oliver North indictment;
copies of committee recommendations; memos on various subjects; and correspondence.
Significant procedural issues included the question of granting of immunity
to witnesses and the acceptance of an early deadline to finish the investigation.
The investigation addressed important questions of respect for law and
public policy, the balance between Congressional oversight and security,
and of obstruction of justice. Key members of the joint committee included:
- Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Chairman of
the Senate Committee,
- Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH), Vice-Chairman of the
Senate Comittee;
- Representative Lee Hamilton (D-IN), Chairman of the
House Committee;
- Representative Dante Fascell (D-FL), Vice-Chairman of
the House Committee;
- John Nields Jr., Chief Counsel of the House
Committee; and
- Arthur Liman, Chief Counsel of the Senate Committee.
Key figures involved in the Iran-Contra affair included Lt. Col. Oliver
North who appeared at the center of the controversy, National Security
Advisor Robert McFarlane, his successor Admiral John Poindexter, and retired
Air Force General Richard Secord, among others. Records were compiled
primarily by Richard Arenberg, Senator Mitchell's staff liaison to the
committee. Additional files on the Iran-Contra investigation can be found
in the Judiciary Files series.
Access Restrictions: Restricted until January 3, 2015.
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