Skip to main content

By: HISTORY.com Editors

1987

Congress issues final report on Iran-Contra scandal

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 13, 2009Last Updated: May 28, 2025

After nearly a year of hearings into the Iran-Contra scandal, the joint Congressional investigating committee issues its final report. It concluded that the scandal, involving a complicated plan whereby some of the funds from secret weapons sales to Iran were used to finance the Contra war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, was one in which the administration of Ronald Reagan exhibited “secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law.”

Naming several members of the Reagan administration as having been directly involved in the scheme (including National Security Advisor John Poindexter and deceased CIA Director William Casey), the report stated that Reagan must bear “ultimate responsibility.” A number of government officials were charged and convicted of various crimes associated with the scandal.

What Was the Iran-Contra Affair?

Learn about the Iran-Contra Affair under President Reagan who secretly supported an anti-Communist group in Nicaragua and funneled weapons to Iranian terrorists in exchange for American hostages. Discover how Lt. Col. Oliver North was found guilty.

4:45m watch

A minority opinion by some of the Republican members of the committee contained in the report argued that the hearings had been politically motivated. They also suggested that while Reagan administration officials might have used poor judgment, the ultimate end—continuing the fight against the leftist regime in Nicaragua—was a worthy goal.

The differences in opinion, while partially reflective of partisan biases, were also evidence of a question that had plagued U.S. policy makers since the early days of the Cold War: in the battle against communism, were the ends more important than the means?

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on November 18th

Thousands die in massive flood at European shores of North Sea

On November 18, 1421, a massive storm batters North Sea coast, sending surge waters inland, breaching dikes and inundating villages in what is now the Netherlands. Over the next day, up to 10,000 people died in the resulting floods. The lowlands of the Netherlands near the North Sea were densely populated at the time, despite […]

President Lincoln travels to Gettysburg

On November 18, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a short speech the following day at the dedication of a cemetery of soldiers killed during the battle there on July 1 to July 3, 1863. The address Lincoln gave in Gettysburg became one of the most famous speeches in American […]

Railroads create the first time zones

At exactly noon on this day, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move was emblematic of the power shared by the railroad companies. The need for continental time zones stemmed directly from the problems of moving passengers and […]

Battle of the Somme ends

On November 18, 1916, British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig calls a halt to his army’s offensive near the Somme River in northwestern France, ending the epic Battle of the Somme after more than four months of bloody conflict. With the French under heavy siege at Verdun since February, the Somme offensive was Haig’s […]

Hitler furious over Italy’s debacle in Greece

On November 18, 1940, Adolf Hitler meets with Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano over Mussolini’s disastrous invasion of Greece. According to Ciano’s diaries, their meeting had “a heavy atmosphere.” Mussolini had surprised everyone with a move against Greece; his ally, Hitler, was caught off guard, especially since the Duce had led Hitler to believe he […]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

L.A. Dodgers’ ace pitcher Sandy Koufax retires

On November 18, 1966, Sandy Koufax, the ace pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, retires from baseball. He was just 30 years old, and he was retiring after a great season–he’d led the Dodgers to a National League pennant and won his third Cy Young award. But he had chronic arthritis in his pitching arm, […]

Mass suicide at Jonestown

Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones leads hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at Jonestown, their agricultural commune in a remote part of the South American nation of Guyana. 909 people died; a third of those were children.

Terry Waite released after four-year kidnapping in Lebanon

Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon free Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite after more than four years of captivity. Waite, looking thinner and his hair grayer, was freed along with American educator Thomas M. Sutherland after intense negotiations by the United Nations. Waite, special envoy of the archbishop of Canterbury, had secured the release of missionaries […]

High-profile expert on exotic birds is sentenced for smuggling parrots

Tony Silva, a world-renowned expert and outspoken protector of exotic birds, is sentenced to seven years in prison without parole for leading an illegal parrot smuggling operation. Silva was only one of many to be arrested during “Operation Renegade,” a three-year international probe into bird smuggling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of […]

12 die while building a bonfire at Texas A&M University

On November 18, 1999, thousands of logs stacked 59 feet high for a massive pre-football game bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University, killing 12 and injuring nearly 30 in an avalanche of timber. For nearly a century, students at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, created a massive bonfire—self-proclaimed to be “the world’s largest”—prior […]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Elizabeth Holmes sentenced for Theranos fraud

On November 18, 2022, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison after being convicted of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Related

U.S. Government and Politics

U.S. Government and Politics

5 Midterm Elections That Changed America

Midterm elections are held on even-numbered years between presidential elections. These 5 midterms flipped control of Congress.

U.S. Government and Politics

The Biggest Landslide in Midterm Election History

The 1894 midterms saw a historic turnover of power—one that still hasn't been matched.

U.S. Government and Politics

What Is a Tariff?

Tariffs have been used for revenue, protect domestic industry from foreign competitors and cooperate or retaliate against other nations.

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article Title: Congress issues final report on Iran-Contra scandal
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-18/congress-issues-final-report-on-iran-contra-scandal

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 28, 2025
Original Published Date: November 13, 2009