ABSTRACT
In September 1983, conceding Congress's point that the contras were not interdicting arms, the Ronald Reagan Administration submitted a second Presidential Finding. On June 1, 1984, Secretary of State George Shultz visited Managua to begin talks with the Nicaraguan government that continued until January 1985. These negotiations proved an effective rebuttal to the argument of Democratic Presidential candidate Walter Mondale that Reagan's reelection would mean United States (US) involvement in war in Central America. The Nicaraguan government saved the Reagan Administration from tearing itself apart. Daniel Ortega rejected any disarmament and insisted that the contras be disbanded before they would sign. The original goals of the Reagan Administration's policy toward Nicaragua were to end Nicaraguan support for Salvadoran guerrillas, reduce Nicaragua's dependence on the Soviet Union and Cuba, and increase the prospects for democracy. In fact, the US government was intimately involved, and as the story unfolded, the Reagan Administration faced its most serious crisis.
