President Ronald Reagan - Address on Iran-Contra — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:11my fellow Americans I've spoken to you
2. 0:14from this historic office on many
3. 0:15occasions and about many things the
4. 0:18power of the presidency is often thought
5. 0:20to reside within this Oval Office yet it
6. 0:23doesn't rest here it rests in you the
7. 0:26American people and in your trust your
8. 0:28trust is what gives a president his
9. 0:30powers of leadership and his personal
10. 0:32strength and it's what I want to talk to
11. 0:34you about this evening for the past 3
12. 0:37months I've been silent on the
13. 0:38revelations about Iran and you must have
14. 0:41been thinking well why doesn't he tell
15. 0:43us what's happening why doesn't he just
16. 0:45speak to us as he has in the past when
17. 0:46we've faced troubles or tragedies others
18. 0:50of you I guess were thinking what's he
19. 0:52doing hiding out in the White House well
20. 0:54the reason I haven't spoken to you
21. 0:56before now is this you deserve the truth
22. 0:59and as frustrating as the waiting has
23. 1:01been I felt it was improper to come to
24. 1:03you with sketchy reports or possibly
25. 1:05even erroneous statements which would
26. 1:07then have to be corrected creating even
27. 1:10more doubt and confusion there's been
28. 1:12enough of that I paid a price for my
29. 1:15silence in terms of your trust and
30. 1:17confidence but I've had to wait as you
31. 1:20have for the complete story that's why I
32. 1:22appointed Ambassador David Abshire as my
33. 1:25special counselor to help get out the
34. 1:27thousands of documents to the various
35. 1:29investig ations and I appointed a
36. 1:32special review board the tower board
37. 1:34which took on the chore of pulling the
38. 1:36truth together for me and getting to the
39. 1:38bottom of things it has now issued its
40. 1:41findings I'm often accused of being an
41. 1:44optimist and it's true I had to hunt
42. 1:47pretty hard to find any good news in the
43. 1:49board's report as you know it's well
44. 1:52stocked with criticisms which I'll
45. 1:53discuss in a moment but I was very
46. 1:56relieved to read this sentence
47. 2:00the board is convinced that the
48. 2:01president does In Deed want the full
49. 2:05story to be told and that will continue
50. 2:08to be my pledge to you as the other
51. 2:10investigations go forward I want to
52. 2:12thank the members of the panel former
53. 2:14John Senator John Tower former Secretary
54. 2:17of State Edmund musky and former
55. 2:19National Security adviser Brent
56. 2:21skorr they have done the nation as well
57. 2:24as me personally a great service by
58. 2:26submitting a report of such integrity
59. 2:28and depth they have my genuine and
60. 2:31enduring gratitude I've studied the
61. 2:33board's report its findings are honest
62. 2:36convincing and highly critical and I
63. 2:38accept them and tonight I want to share
64. 2:41with you my thoughts on these findings
65. 2:43and report to you on the actions I'm
66. 2:45taking to implement the board's
67. 2:48recommendations first let me say I take
68. 2:50full responsibility for my own actions
69. 2:53and for those of my
70. 2:55Administration as angry as I may be
71. 2:57about activities undertaken without my
72. 2:59knowledge
73. 3:00I am still accountable for those
74. 3:03activities as disappointed as I may be
75. 3:05in some who serve me I am still the one
76. 3:08who must answer to the American people
77. 3:10for this behavior and as personally
78. 3:12distasteful as I find secret bank
79. 3:14accounts and diverted funds what of the
80. 3:17Navy would say this happened on my watch
81. 3:21let's start with the part that is the
82. 3:22most
83. 3:23controversial a few months ago I told
84. 3:25the American people I did not trade arms
85. 3:27for hostages my heart and my best
86. 3:30intentions still tell me that's true but
87. 3:33the facts and the evidence tell me it is
88. 3:35not as the tower board reported what
89. 3:39began as a strategic opening to Iran
90. 3:41deteriorated in its implementation into
91. 3:44trading arms for hostages this runs
92. 3:47counter to my own beliefs to
93. 3:49Administration policy and to the
94. 3:51original strategy we had in mind there
95. 3:54are reasons why it happened but no
96. 3:57excuses it was a mistake
97. 4:00I undertook the original Iran initiative
98. 4:02in order to develop relations with those
99. 4:04who might assume leadership in a postom
100. 4:07government it's clear from the board's
101. 4:09report however that I let my personal
102. 4:12concern for the hostages spill over into
103. 4:14the geopolitical strategy of reaching
104. 4:16out to Iran I asked so many questions
105. 4:20about the hostages welfare that I didn't
106. 4:22ask enough about the specifics of the
107. 4:25total Iran plan let me say to the
108. 4:28hostage families we have not given up we
109. 4:31never will and I promise you we'll use
110. 4:33every legitimate means to free your
111. 4:35loved ones from captivity