Ethics: Most of the Decade

Snappiest Salute. American political morality divided along the Oliver North fault line. While his superiors nodded approval, the rogue Marine lieutenant colonel diverted proceeds from arms sold to the Iranians to aid the contras and then lied to Congress. The resulting furor produced hearings, headlines and Ollie dolls. In the end, the colonel paid a fine of $150,000 and put in 1,200 hours of community service. Parade rest!

Most Brazen Fake. Hitler fans got an unexpected thrill when the German magazine Stern claimed to have uncovered the Fuhrer's secret diaries. At first historians, including Hugh Trevor-Roper (The Last Days of Hitler),...

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