The Defense Of Defense And The Cia - 983 Words

Under the Reagan Doctrine, the CIA trained and helped the Contras, an anti-communist guerrilla force in Nicaragua, who were battling against the Sandinistas. The Boland Amendment was passed in which the Department of Defense and the CIA were restricted from operating in Nicaragua. . McFarlane believed the sale of arms would enhance relations between the U.S. and Iran, and increase the influence of the U.S. in the Middle East, in especial Lebanon. Reagan was driven by seven Americans who were being held hostages by terrorists in Lebanon. They proceeded to ship arms to Iran, a violation of the embargo. This came to be know as the â€Å"arms-for-hostages deal†. The money was used to finance the Contras in their battle against the Sandinistas. When†¦show more content†¦They were held in captivity for 20 months until Castro agreed to a deal of the large amount of 53 million dollars worth of medical supply and infant food in exchange for the prisoners. This is also led to t he Cuban Missile Crisis in which Nikita Khrushchev placed Soviet missiles in Cuba sparking a larger conflict and opening the possibility and fear of a nuclear war. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, received support from the U.S. upon his agreement to keep the Iranian oil industry from nationalizing and guaranteeing the supply of oil to the United States. In exchange, the Shah was given aid, both military and economic. Iranians resented the U.S. supported government naming it â€Å"anti-Islamic† and claiming it was westernizing Iran. When rioting took place, the Shah exiled several individuals including the popular nationalist, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. During the Iranian Revolution, the Shah was brought down from power and exiled, and the U.S. did not intervene. The Shah was denied entrance to the U.S by the Carter administration, even though he was gravely ill and needed medical attention. Almost a year later, he was allowed entry into the United States. Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran. At his knowledge of the Shah s stay in the U.S., he encouraged Iranian students to invade the American Embassy in Tehran. The Iranian Ho stage Crisis was an effort to rescue over 50 Americans who were