THE IRAN-CONTRA CONNECTION

Jonathan Marshall, Peter Dale Scott and Jane Hunter

This explosive book lays bare the personalities and institutional relations behind the headlines. It goes beyond the recent events to discern the roots of contemporary U.S. covert activity within the past two decades. The Iran-Contra Connection devles in to the details of CIA and extra-CIA operations, including drug-trafficking, gun-running, government-toppling, and assassination.

The Iran-Contra scandal is not merely a plan gone awry, the authors argue, but a consistent outgrowth of a long tradition of U.S. covert activity- from the Bay of Pigs invasion teams to the NSC organizational team; from the CIA and the World Anti-Communist League to the Israeli connection and the State Department.

“The Iran-Contra Connection is as disturbing as The Tower Report is consoling. This extraordinary book narrates a frightening, shocking story that shakes the foundations of the republic.” --From the “Preface” by Richard Falk, Princeton University

“An informative and shocking book that takes us from the Bay of Pigs fiasco to the drug-fuelled secret war in Laos, from the urban hustle-and-bustle of Tehran to the steamy jungles of Central America. Profiteers pose as patriarchs, mercenaries claim to be humanitarians, and totalitarian thugs commit their atrocities in the name of political freedom- while backing Washington it’s all just one more day at the office.”--R.T. Naylor, author of the best-seller Hot Money

“This collection is a broad review of the results of the annual $900 billion military expenditure… These speakers offer practical agendas.”-- Peace Magazine

“…should be read for important general warnings about the consequences of governmentally sanctioned covert activity.”--Kingston Whig-Standard

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface by Richard Falk

The Origins of Contragate

I.                  Introduction

II.                 Contracting Out U.S. Foreign Policy

III.               “Shadow Networks” and Their Stake in Covert Operations

IV.              The Growth of Reagan’s Contra Commitment

V.                 Israel and the Contras

Iran-Contragate: Its Nature and Prospects

VI.           Contragate: The Disposal Problem

VII.           Arms for Iran: History of a Policy Disaster

VIII.         Irangate: The Israel Connection

The Future of the Crisis

IX.            Secret Wars and Special Operations

X.              The Deeper Malady: From Terrorism to Covert Action

XI.            Conclusion

Jonathan Marshall is a former editor of Inquiry, editorial writer for the San Jos‚ Mercury, and publisher of Parapolitics/USA. He is currently the Editorial Page Editor of the Oakland (CA) Tribune. Formerly a Canadian diplomat, Peter Dale Scott teaches English at the University of California at Berkeley. Jane Hunter is a long-time writer and activist and is editor of the monthly Israeli Foreign Affairs.