ABSTRACT
The most remarkable thing about President Ronald Reagan’s role in the Iran and Contra affairs is that he came out of them without anything more than a temporary dip in his political standing. As for the Iran-Contra story itself, the authors have produced a useful primer that is as critical of the Congress as it is of the Executive. The first wave of books on the Iran-Contra affairs has been peculiarly unlucky. The books have largely based themselves on the public hearings of the select congressional committees in May—August 1987. What was not to be expected was the appearance in the meantime of the private testimony, or depositions, given to the joint committees in preparation for the public hearings. These depositions are in many respects richer and more detailed than the public hearings. William S. Cohen and George J. Mitchell reveal that the congressional hearings were shockingly improvised and politicized.
