Not Much Wiser Than Before

The meeting, according to Robert McFarlane, occurred on Aug. 6 or 7, 1985, upstairs in the White House living quarters, where Ronald Reagan was recuperating from his operation for colon cancer. Among the others present were Secretary of State George Shultz, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and John Poindexter, who would later replace McFarlane as National Security Adviser. The question: Would the President approve shipment by Israel of American-made arms to Iran as part of a shaky scheme to free U.S. hostages in Lebanon? Reagan was aware of the dangers, McFarlane told a congressional committee last week, but in the end gave...