President Reagan addresses the nation about the Iran arms deal. "For 18 months now, we have had under way a secret diplomatic initiative to Iran," he says. "That initiative was undertaken for the simplest and best of reasons: To renew a relationship with the nation of Iran; to bring an honorable end to the b.l.o.o.d.y six-year war between Iran and Iraq; to eliminate state-sponsored terrorism and subversion, and to effect the safe return of all hostages ..." [Subtext: if he mentions the hostages last, people won't think their release was the prime motivation for the deal.]

"During the course of our secret discussions, I authorized the transfer of small amounts of defensive weapons and spare parts for defensive systems to Iran ... These modest deliveries, taken together, could easily fit into a single cargo plane ... We did not repeat did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages, nor will we." [Subtext: the arms for hostages swap wasn't really a swap because we didn't give them too much stuff, and besides, the stuff we did give them hardly counts as weapons.]

11/14/86.

British Labor Party member Denis Healey calls President Reagan's speech "stupefyingly incredible." Sen. J. James Exon (D-NE) says, "He has damaged his credibility everywhere. And if the American people buy this one, G.o.d help us." Donald Regan is asked if it isn't hypocritical to ask other nations not to ship arms to Iran while we do just that. "Hypocrisy," he explains, "is a question of degree."

11/14/86.

Risk arbitrager Ivan Boesky who recently told a Berkeley commencement, "Greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself" agrees to pay $100 million in fines and repayments for insider stock trading. Since, considering his profits, this is actually a lenient penalty even with his eventual three-year jail sentence he shows his grat.i.tude by secretly recording incriminating conversations with colleagues.

11/15/86.

A Nicaraguan court sentences Eugene Hasenfus to 30 years in jail. The Sandinistas, having gotten considerable PR mileage out of him, magnanimously let him go home in time for Christmas.

11/15/86.

"Some of us are like a shovel brigade that follow a parade down Main Street cleaning up. We took Reykjavik and turned what was really a sour situation into something that turned out pretty well. Who was it that took this disinformation thing and managed to turn it? Who was it took on this loss in the Senate and pointed out a few facts and managed to pull that? I don't say we'll be able to do it four times in a row. But here we go again, and we're trying."

--Donald Regan defending himself in The New York Times The New York Times against charges of incompetence, oblivious to what someone else Nancy Reagan, say might think of his manure metaphor against charges of incompetence, oblivious to what someone else Nancy Reagan, say might think of his manure metaphor 11/16/86.

George Shultz appears on Face the Nation Face the Nation to distance himself from the Iran arms deal. Asked directly whether he can a.s.sure the public that no more arms will be sent, the Secretary of State the nation's chief architect of foreign policy says, "No." to distance himself from the Iran arms deal. Asked directly whether he can a.s.sure the public that no more arms will be sent, the Secretary of State the nation's chief architect of foreign policy says, "No."

11/18/86.

Los Angeles Times: 79% REJECT PRESIDENT'S EXPLANATION OF IRAN DEAL 11/18/86.

Discussing President Reagan's upcoming press conference, Larry Speakes tells reporters, "We can guess 99 out of 100 times the questions that you guys pose." ABC's Sam Donaldson says, "Yeah, but you can never guess what he's gonna answer."

11/19/86.

At his 39th press conference, President Reagan describes the arms shipment as "really miniscule," again claiming that "everything that we sold them could be put in one cargo plane and there would be plenty of room left over." He also states four times that Israel had no involvement in the Iran arms deal, but later issues a correction: "There may be some misunderstanding of one of my answers tonight. There was a third country involved in our secret project with Iran." How there could have been a "misunderstanding" of something he said four times four times is not explained. is not explained.

11/20/86.

Donald Regan places the blame for the arms deal squarely on Robert McFarlane, whom he has long despised. "Let's not forget whose idea this was," he tells his staff. "It was Bud's idea. When you give lousy advice, you get lousy results."

11/20/86.

"He's got to throw some of those babies out of the sleigh."

--Former Nixon aide John Ehrlichman colorfully advising President Reagan to fire some people 11/21/86.

The shredding machine in White House aide Oliver North's office jams.

11/22/86.

Mike Tyson, 20, defeats Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas and becomes the youngest heavyweight champion in history. "Look at me," he says. "I'm just a boy, and I got this belt on my waist."

11/23/86.

Suggesting that the First Lady might effect the necessary post-scandal personnel changes at the White House as Michael Deaver once observed, "Many times Nancy will react to a problem by wanting to do away with the person who created it" Sam Donaldson says, "Mrs. Reagan. There is the smiling mamba in all of this."

11/24/86.

Washington Post: REAGAN REJECTED AIDES' ADVICE TO ADMIT IRAN DEAL A MISTAKE 11/25/86.

A grim President Reagan appears in the White House briefing room to say he "was not fully informed on the nature of one of the activities" undertaken as an off-shoot of the Iran arms deal. He announces that National Security Adviser John Poindexter has resigned and NSC staffer Oliver North has been fired, then introduces Ed Meese to explain why.

"Certain monies which were received in the transaction between representatives of Israel and representatives of Iran were taken and made available to the forces in Central America which are opposing the Sandinista government there," says Meese. "We don't know the exact amount yet. Our estimate is that it is somewhere between $10 and $30 million ... The President knew nothing about it." As Meese talks, his large head is positioned in front of the White House logo (THE WHITE HOUSE / WASHINGTON) in such a way that the only letters that can be seen on TV spell out WHITE WASHING.

"If he knew about it," says Sen. John Glenn (D-OH), summing up the difficulty of finding an up side for Reagan here, "then he has willfully broken the law. If he didn't know about it, then he is failing to do his job. After all, we expect the President to know about the foreign policy activities being run directly out of the White House."

Later, Reagan calls North and tells him, "This is going to make a great movie one day."

11/26/86.

Explaining why his total ignorance of the diversion of funds to the contras is completely justified, Donald Reagan asks, "Does the bank president know whether a teller in the bank is fiddling around with the books? No." Meanwhile, Ed Meese appears on TV to a.s.sure viewers that "the President knows what's going on."

11/27/86.

Oliver North who reportedly shredded doc.u.ments while the Justice Department inquiry was underway is refused entrance to the White House.

11/28/86.

"100 percent pure urine suitable for unantic.i.p.ated urine demand."

--Ad in Austin newspaper by Byrd Laboratories, which is selling drug-free urine at $49.95 a bag DECEMBER 1986.

12/1/86.

President Reagan, who has complained to Time Time that "This whole thing boils down to a great irresponsibility on the part of the press," appears on national television with his newly appointed Tower Commission so Americans will know he's really serious about getting to the bottom of the whole affair, though not so serious that he would just call in Poindexter and North (who he calls "a national hero") and, being the most powerful man on the planet, demand that they tell him everything. that "This whole thing boils down to a great irresponsibility on the part of the press," appears on national television with his newly appointed Tower Commission so Americans will know he's really serious about getting to the bottom of the whole affair, though not so serious that he would just call in Poindexter and North (who he calls "a national hero") and, being the most powerful man on the planet, demand that they tell him everything.

A Gallup poll shows Reagan's popularity to have suffered the largest one-month decline ever recorded, plummeting from 67% to 46%.

12/1/86.

The National Archives releases 1.5 million doc.u.ments from the Nixon White House, among them a memo from aide Egil Krogh describing Elvis Presley's 1970 meeting with Nixon. "Presley indicated that he had been playing Las Vegas," wrote Krogh, "and the President indicated that he was aware of how difficult it is to perform in Las Vegas." After b.u.t.tering Nixon up by calling the Beatles "anti-American," the singer, stoned on speed and scratching at his face, convinced the President to get him a Federal drug agent's badge to certify his commitment to the anti-drug war and to exempt him from inconvenient airport searches.

12/2/86.

"Tonight the vault is full!"

--Geraldo Rivera hosting his second special, American Vice: The Doping of a Nation American Vice: The Doping of a Nation, which features a drug test of the studio audience and eight live drug busts in which doors are knocked down and suspects innocent or guilty, what's the difference? are hauled off to jail on national TV 12/2/86.

President Reagan names Frank Carlucci as his fifth National Security Adviser.

12/3/86.

Apparently believing that an affirmation of Reagan's detachment from reality will be somehow rea.s.suring, Vice President Bush says, "The President is absolutely convinced that he did not swap arms for hostages."

12/4/86.

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

--New Republic editor Michael Kinsley expressing his "glee" at the President's recent misfortune, prompting pompous columnist David Broder to attack those "juveniles" who are gauche enough to gloat. Says columnist Alexander c.o.c.kburn, "The sky is black with chickens coming home to roost." editor Michael Kinsley expressing his "glee" at the President's recent misfortune, prompting pompous columnist David Broder to attack those "juveniles" who are gauche enough to gloat. Says columnist Alexander c.o.c.kburn, "The sky is black with chickens coming home to roost."

12/4/86.

"If I could write my epitaph, it would read, 'He told the truth. Always.'"

--Larry Speakes who is leaving the White House at the end of January to take a high-paying job with Merrill Lynch on how he wants to be remembered 12/5/86.

Washington Post: MEESE BROUGHT IN FBI FOUR DAYS AFTER KEY DOc.u.mENT WAS FOUND 12/6/86.

According to The Washington Post The Washington Post, Nancy Reagan's nagging about the need to fire Donald Regan became so intense that the President finally told her to "Get off my G.o.dd.a.m.n back!"

Regarding the arms-for-hostages fiasco, President Reagan finally concedes that "mistakes were made," though he does not suggest who made them and implies that it certainly wasn't him.

12/7/86.

President Reagan is reported to have had three "long, rambling conversations" over the past 10 days with that noted expert on White House scandal containment Richard M. Nixon.

12/8/86.

"If Colonel North ripped off the Ayatollah and took $30 million and gave it to the contras, then G.o.d bless Colonel North!"

--White House communications director Pat Buchanan addressing a pro-Reagan rally in Miami 12/9/86.

Oliver North and John Poindexter invoke their Fifth Amendment rights and refuse to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Says North earnestly, "I don't think there is another person in America that wants to tell this story as much as I do."

Reporters ask President Reagan if he's watching the hearings. "Oh, now and then when I can't find a ball game," he quips, leaving them to wonder what kind of ball game he expects to find early on a weekday morning in mid-December.

12/9/86.

Richard M. Nixon tells President Reagan's critics, "It is time to get off his back." Says New Hampshire governor John Sununu of Nixon's speech, "I wish someone had videotaped that so it could be shown at every high school in the country."

12/10/86.

"There seems to be an inordinate amount of information he was not aware of. He would say 'I don't know.' It evoked laughter a number of times."

--Unnamed congressman describing William Casey's testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which precedes by eight days his operation for the removal of a malignant brain tumor 12/11/86.

The Reagans are reportedly "stunned" by his allies' refusal to defend him on the Iran-contra matter. Explains Rep. Robert Dornan (R-CA), normally one of the President's most rabid supporters, "When someone says, 'But he was giving arms to people he knew had killed our Marines,' it's hard to respond to that."

12/12/86.

"There might be something though not much to be said for a President who at political risk wrongheadedly ordered an action that he was convinced served the national interest. But there's nothing nothing to be said for a President so inattentive to duty that middle-rank Navy and Marine officers on his staff were able to embark unimpeded on a course almost certain to undermine the foreign policy of the United States in some of its most important concerns ... Presidents are elected to watch such matters, not to nap after lunch." to be said for a President so inattentive to duty that middle-rank Navy and Marine officers on his staff were able to embark unimpeded on a course almost certain to undermine the foreign policy of the United States in some of its most important concerns ... Presidents are elected to watch such matters, not to nap after lunch."

--Columnist Tom Wicker 12/15/86.

A Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times poll shows that 78% of Americans perceive a cover-up by the White House, while only 33% believe President Reagan to be "very familiar" with complex issues. poll shows that 78% of Americans perceive a cover-up by the White House, while only 33% believe President Reagan to be "very familiar" with complex issues.

12/16/86.

Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Warren Rudman (R-NH) are chosen to head the 11-member Senate committee investigating the Iran- contra scandal. The House, determined to create a panel even more unwieldy, appoints Lee Hamilton (D-IN) to chair a 15-member group.

12/16/86.

President Reagan meets with Republican congressional leaders to get their input on his upcoming State of the Union message. Urged by one to support a Federal health insurance plan for catastrophic illnesses, the President responds by complaining about a welfare family being put up at a ritzy New York hotel.

12/17/86.

Nancy Reagan denies that the President told her to "get off my G.o.dd.a.m.n back." Says the First Lady, "They happened to pick the one word that Ronnie never ever uses, ever." This rings untrue to anyone familiar with outtakes from Reagan's movies, in which "G.o.dd.a.m.n" turns up with numbing regularity.

12/18/86.

"There have been a number of people who have suggested that I abandon my individual rights under the Const.i.tution of the United States. The President has not asked that I do that. I don't believe the President really wants me to abandon my individual rights under the Const.i.tution. People have died face down in the mud all over the world defending those individual rights."

--Oliver North, annoyed by Nancy Reagan's incessant demands that he "talk"

12/19/86.

Lawrence E. Walsh is named independent counsel for the Iran-contra scandal.

12/20/86.

A dozen white youths, wielding baseball bats and other weapons, attack three black men in the Howard Beach section of Queens, NY, chasing one of them onto a nearby highway where he is killed by a pa.s.sing car, after which the beating of the others is resumed.

12/20/86.

New York Newsday: MEESE NOW SAYS REAGAN, UNDER SEDATION AFTER SURGERY, MAY HAVE OK'D 1ST ARMS DEAL 12/21/86.

Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-NV) announces that President Reagan "is going to be in high visibility" in coming days "to demonstrate to the country that he's fully in charge." Says a White House aide of Laxalt's statement, "When we heard it, we all cracked up."

12/22/86.

"We should brush this under the carpet real quick for the good of the country."

--Palm Springs mayor Frank Bogert suggesting the proper method of dealing with the scandal 12/23/86.

"The President ordered this whole operation on Iran. He ordered his Administration not to tell the intelligence committees what he was doing. Now he wants the intelligence committee to tell him what his Administration was doing during the time they were under his orders not to tell the intelligence committee. Even Alice in Wonderland doesn't get this twisted around."

--Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on President Reagan's eagerness to receive the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the arms deal 12/24/86.

"When one talks about what Reagan 'knew,' one could be dealing in metaphysics."

--Elizabeth Drew in The New Yorker The New Yorker 12/28/86.