November 23

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
First issue of Life is published, 1936
American Revolution
Reluctant Patriot Edward Rutledge is born, 1749
Automotive
Elvis Presley's "Spinout" opens in U.S. theaters, 1966
Civil War
Union General Benjamin Prentiss is born, 1819
Cold War
Reagan gives CIA authority to establish the Contras, 1981
Crime
The Birdman of Alcatraz is allowed a small taste of freedom, 1959
Disaster
Southern Italy rocked by earthquake, 1980
General Interest
Flemish pretender executed in London, 1499
Billy the Kid born, 1859
"Boss" Tweed delivered to authorities, 1876
IRA member sentenced for Mountbatten's assassination, 1979
Hollywood
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory creator Roald Dahl dies, 1990
Larry Hagman, star of "Dallas" and "I Dream of Jeannie," dies, 2012
Literary
Far from the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy, is published, 1874
Music
Blues legend Robert Johnson makes first-ever recording, 1936
Old West
Colorado governor sends militia to Cripple Creek, 1903
Presidential
Franklin Pierce is born, 1804
Sports
BC wins on Hail Mary, 1984
Vietnam War
Laird discloses the details of the Son Tay Raid, 1970
Paris peace talks deadlocked, 1972
World War I
Battle of Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia, 1915
World War II
Romania becomes an Axis "power", 1940

Cold War

Nov 23, 1981:

Reagan gives CIA authority to establish the Contras

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On this day, President Ronald Reagan signs off on a top secret document, National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), which gives the Central Intelligence Agency the power to recruit and support a 500-man force of Nicaraguan rebels to conduct covert actions against the leftist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. A budget of $19 million was established for that purpose. NSDD-17 marked the beginning of official U.S. support for the so-called Contras in their struggle against the Sandinistas.
The decision came several months after President Reagan directed the CIA to develop a plan to stop what his administration believed to be a serious flow of arms from Nicaragua to rebels in neighboring El Salvador. The administration also believed that the Sandinista regime was merely a cat's paw for the Soviet Union. CIA officials subsequently set about securing pledges from Honduras to provide training bases and Argentina to give training to about 1,000 rebels (these would be in addition to the 500-man force trained and supplied by the CIA). Beyond the original goal of halting the flow of arms from Nicaragua, the tasks of the rebels were expanded to include spy missions and even paramilitary actions inside Nicaragua.
News of the directive leaked out to the press in March 1982, but Reagan administration officials quickly downplayed the significance of the action. They argued that the CIA plan was designed to support Nicaraguan "moderates" who opposed the Sandinista regime, not the disreputable former soldiers and allies of Anastasio Somoza, whom the Sandinista overthrew in 1979. Deputy Director of the CIA Admiral Bobby R. Inman argued that the $19 million allocation provided little buying power for arms and other materials, saying that "Nineteen million or $29 million isn't going to buy you much of any kind these days, and certainly not against that kind of military force."
In the years to come, U.S. support of the Contras became a highly charged issue among the American public. Congressional and public criticisms of the program eventually drove the Reagan administration to subvert congressional bans on aid to the Contras. These actions resulted in what came to be known as the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986.

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This Week in History, Nov 23 - Nov 29

Nov 23, 1981
Reagan gives CIA authority to establish the Contras
Nov 24, 1947
"Hollywood 10" cited for contempt of Congress
Nov 25, 1947
London Council of Foreign Ministers meeting begins
Nov 26, 1950
Chinese counterattacks in Korea change nature of war
Nov 27, 1954
Alger Hiss released from prison
Nov 28, 1989
Czechoslovakian Communist Party gives up monopoly on political power
Nov 29, 1952
Eisenhower goes to Korea

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