1987

Raising Arizona – Cohen Brothers.

Nine Americans now held hostage in Lebanon.

The Iran - Contra hearings
Jan 6th, Senate created Iran/contra committee; 7th, House created Iran/contra committee. 29th, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issues report on Iran/Contra. February 7th, Swiss Office for Police Matters approves request for financial records; Albert Hakim and Manucher Ghorbanifar appeal. 26th Tower Commsission issues Iran/contra report.

Tower’s White Wash
John Tower joined together with Edmund Muskier & Brent Scowcroft to produce the Tower Commission Report (February 26th) which was later called an “absurd whitewash”. It exonerated Bush and attributed the central responsibility for the Iran-contra affair to the White House chief of staff Don Regan, causing him to be ousted. Later, Don Regan’s nomination by Bush to the post of Secretary of Defence was derailed by accusations of alcoholism and womanising. He was to die in a “mysterious” plane crash in early 1997. Ronnie Reagan was rebuked, however, for failing to control his NSC.

March 5th Walsh received parallel appointment as Independent Counsel from Justice Department. 18th Walsh reached agreement with House and Senate Iran/contra committees to delay voting on and obtaining immunised testimony by North and Poindexter. April 28th, Independent Counsel submitted the First Interim Report to Congress on potential problems caused by immunity grants. 29th, Carl “Spitz” Channell pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United Sates.
May 5th, congress began public hearings on Iran/contra. Richard R Miller pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US on May 6th; North testified publicly under grant of immunity before congress July 7th to 10th and 13th to 14th. Poindexter testified publicy undergrant of immunity before congress on July 15th to 17th and 20th to 21st.

The public hearings
The Joint senate House Iran/contra hearings went on through the summer of 1987. A damage limitation operation  - the committees focused their investigation on whether RR knew that funds generated by the sale of missiles to Iran had been diverted to the Nicaraguan contra rebels at a time when congress had forbidden government support for them, and the question of where the profits from these sales actually went. The important questions regarding the US waging a dirty and illegal war against Nicaragua, the CIA’s collusion with known drug traffickers, and the involvement of VP Bush and his staff were largely ignored. Scores of witnesses, ranging from spies to cabinet officials, gave rousing pro-contra speeches, while committee members softballed questions and occasionally gave pro-contra accolades of their own. The star of the hearings was Oliver North, a Marine Lt. Colonel, “who wore an expression like a wounded hound and spoke in a voice trembling with patriotism”. In spite of the inadequacies of the hearings, the American public got a glimpse of a secret government, a group made of mostly retired CIA and military personnel who carried out foreign policy for the White House with no accountability to congress or the public. – from Iran Contra Scandal Trading Cards.
There was “a record of duplicity that demonstrated beyond any question that the Reagan administration cannot be trusted to adhere to Congressional directives and surely not to international agreements.”

John Smith was appointed shadow chancellor in UK Labour Party – what had helped him get there was his involvement in the Solidarity Network. SN was a centre right faction within parliament, formed in 1981 to oppose the Bennite left.
British United industrialists (BUI) who funnelled business money into Britsh politics, mostly to anti-left and anti-union groups. For example the BUI helped to fund the working miners dring the miner’s strike of 1985. Did they fund John smith?

North and Poindexter began testifying to congress over Iran-Contra – July 17th.

William Casey’s death in mid-87 was extremely convenient coming on the eve of his appearance in the hearings.

Public hearings came to an end on August 3rd. On August 5th Reagan proposed a “peace plan” for Central America.
dismantling of the political system in Nicaragua and elections and suspension of emergency regulations in response to US attacks.
‘demobilisation’ of Sandinista and insurgent forces
a halt in arms shipments to Nicaragua from ‘communist countries’
Never mind that it was US policies that had driven Nicaragua to Soviet dependency in the first place – just like they had to Cuba.
In return for all this (a surrender, effectively) the US would halt arms to the contra army in Honduras.
The US wanted to hold Nicaragua to an agreement to unilaterally disarm while the US reserved the right to attack at any time.
It was a shock to the Ray Gun administration when Central American presidents reached a peace deal over Nicaragua in August.
Central American states reached their own tentative agreement a few days later, rejecting the Reagan plan.

Http://www.govsux.com/assassinate.htm for assassination by plane crash.

Independent Counsel received Swiss financial records of Enterprise on November 10th.
Congressional committees issued final Iran/contra report on November 18th. President Reagan was held to have “ultimate responsibility” for wrongdoing by his aides.

Massacre in Iraq
Iraq used gas against the Kurds in 1987 and 1988. Insufficient tv coverage to mobilise public opinion. Anfal operations. Kurdish claims were treated with scepticism at the time, that 200,000 had been killed. Although downplayed at the time, as Saddam was a US ally at the time. Saddam’s Anfal campaign in which Kurds were systematically killed led to at least 50,000, possibly 100,000 deaths according to Human Rights Watch. After the 1990 invasion of Kuwait these killings were repeated ad nauseam, even though the west sanctioned them at time by not protesting, not publicising them, taking no action whatsoever to curb Saddam’s power, and continued to support him through arms sales and diplomatic relations. The US increased Iraq’s commodity credits from ½ billion to 1 billion dollars, making it the second largest user of the credit program in the world.
16th March 1987 (1988?) – Halabja – at least 5,000 perished when Saddam used missiles with chemical warheads against Kurdish town, massacring its occupants.
August the final Iraqi offensive, UN Security Council members and other states avoided offending Iraq and its Arab allies for fear of damaging their economic and political interests in the region.
When UK journalist Robert Fisk tried to report Iraq using gas against the Iranians the British Foreign Office told the editor that the story was not helpful – as Saddam was friend of the west.

Bush’s response was to increase Iraq’s commodity credits from half a billion to one billion dollars, making it the second largest user of the credit program in the world.
As late as 1990, the administration was opposing sanctions against Iraq. Guy Gugliotta, Chalres R Babcock, and Benjamin Weiser, “at war, Iraq Courted US into Economic Embrace”,  Washington Post, Sep 16 1990 page A1.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1147900.html

The Iran-Iraq War lasted so long partly because 2nd tier suppliers such as Argentina, Brazil, Israel, China, North Korea and South Africa were more than willing to refuel the two countries replacing the traditional suppliers in the final stages of the war. It was the ‘traditional suppliers’ who gave the 2nd-tier countries their arms producing technology in the first place to ensure that any embargoes wouldn’t work.

Iraq Armed by US and Allies
“In 1985 – 90 the US Commerce Dept…licensed $1.5bn in sales to Iraq of American technology with potential military uses. Iraq was then getting Western support for its war against Iran, which at the time was regarded as the main threat to stability in the oil-rich Gulf region.”

Nobel Peace Prize
Won by Oscar Arias Sanchez, president of Costa Rica. He barred North and contra-gate figures from Costa Rica. Those he barred were former National security advisor Poindexter, former US Ambassador to Costa Rica Lewis Tambs, major general Richard Secord, former CIA station chief in Costa Rica Joseph Fernandez.

Summit
Gorby-RR summit in Washington during Decemeber 1987. Agreement over intermediate range missiles (only 3% of total arsenal) – on-site inspections – Russians had to remove SS20s aimed at Western Europe.
Ronnie needed to resell himself as a peacemaker to recover his popularity.

The Scott Report – Britain’s Irangate
Within months of Kurds being gassed – British Trade Secretary Tony Newton, visited Iraq. He offered £340m of British tax money in export credits. And three months later celebrating Iraq being Britain’s third largest market for machine tools (to make weapons). Sir Richard Scott’s report revealed the British knew they were dealing illegally with the tyrant.
The US tried to ignore or deny Iraq’s crimes in the 80s. Mustard gas and nerve gas. US Dept of energy official discovered nuclear reactors shipped to Iraq and was shifted to a different job.

Richard (Berk?) was president nominee for Supreme Court and rejected by Senate – of 144 nominated to court about 4 in 5 have been confirmed by senate.

The INF treaty ended ground-launched medium-ranged missiles. Superpowers agree to dismantle cruise, Pershing and the SS20s. Reagan abandoned Star Wars unilaterally.

Costa Rican president Oscar Arias, with support of Guatemala, continued to press a peace plan for Nicaraguan situation unacceptable to Washington. In March, as punishment, America suspended financial assistance to Costa Rica whose economy was struggling; commercial US  bank loans were stopped, and bans on exports to the US were introduced.

Contrary to the propaganda that we’re fed –environmental protest began in the third world. In Malaysia – Penan protests against loggers.

Nicaragua
The economic situation looking poor due to US actions. Education system very short of funds for things like desks, chairs, books, pencils, rubbers. Ministry of education was selling materials at heavily subsidised prices to schools when available.

El Salvador
Democracy US-style: Jesus Hernandez Martinez, the Sec. General of he National Association of Farm Workers (ANTA) was kidnapped by the army. He was tortured. Weeks later, his body was found, dumped.

The British Foreign Secretary admitted in Parliament clandestine sales of British blowpipe anti-aircraft missiles to the Afghan guerrillas. Lynda Chalker – Foreign office minister defended the sale.

Largest gay rights march in history on October 11th. 500,000 people took part in National March on Washington.

Mexico’s SAP increased unemployment from 1 million in 82 to more than 4.5 million in 1987. Meanwhile purchasing power of the minimum wage fell by half.

Yugoslavia
Milosevic carried out a “policitcal assassination” on Ivan Stambolic “assuming the leadership of the Serbian Communist Party”. – not a literal assassination.

Milosevics demands began to tear the nationalities apart.

Gorby outlined several reforms to the Soviet economy 25th June. Gorby and Ronnie met in Washington – middle range missiles ban treaty signed – 8th to 10th December.

Notes
Klaus Barbie trial?

US Navy and bombing interventions on side of iraq in iran-iraq war.

US reduced aid to Bolivia again in late 1987. Although Whitehouse certified that Bolivia had met the requirements of Sec. 481 (h) of the Foreign Assistance Act. Congress still dissatisfied.

Kinnock defeated in general elections, UK
Solidarity network ?
Led to party becoming pro-city. Bryan Gould, who wanted to challenge the City was out. John Smith and Mo Mowlam were chief instigators of the “prawn cocktail offensive” on the city of London. It was, effectively, a surrender to the City’s wishes.

Colombia had gone through a popular awakening in the 1970s
state terror apparatus mobilised in response.
Patriotic union (UP) –the left wing opposition
Reaganite official Thomas Carothers “democracy enhancement” programs “inevitably sought only limited top-down forms of democratic change that did not risk upsetting the traditional structures of power to which the US has long been allied.
Avoiding the ‘populist-based change’ that might upset established economic and political orders.”
Since 1986 over 20,000 were killed for political reasons – till when? 90s?
Drug dealer and landowner VICTOR CARRANZA had a private army
Vote buying – Cali cocaine cartel in March 94 election
Pretext for terror is war against guerrillas (partial truth) and drugs (myth).

Central American Peace Accords. Reaganites had escalated the war against thr “internal enemy” and atrocities escalated – Colombia.
US manuals of counterinsurgenciy and low intensity conflict
New technology of repression
Improved structures and methodologies to maintain ‘stability’ and obedience.