President Ronald Reagan Address on Iran Contra edited — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:01my fellow Americans I've spoken to you
2. 0:04from this historic office on many
3. 0:06occasions and about many things
4. 0:08the power of the presidency is often
5. 0:10thought to reside within this Oval
6. 0:12Office yet it doesn't rest here it rests
7. 0:15in you the American people and in your
8. 0:17trust
9. 0:18your trust is what gives a president his
10. 0:20powers of leadership and his personal
11. 0:22strength and it's what I want to talk to
12. 0:24you about this evening
13. 0:26for the past three months I've been
14. 0:28silent on the revelations about Iran and
15. 0:31you must have been thinking about why
16. 0:32doesn't he tell us what's happening why
17. 0:34doesn't he just speak to us as he has in
18. 0:36the past when we've faced troubles or
19. 0:38tragedies
20. 0:39others of you I guess were thinking
21. 0:41what's he doing hiding out in the White
22. 0:43House
23. 0:44well the reason I haven't spoken to you
24. 0:46before now is this
25. 0:48you deserve the truth and as frustrating
26. 0:50as the waiting has been I felt it was
27. 0:53improper to come to you with sketchy
28. 0:54reports or possibly even erroneous
29. 0:56statements which would then have to be
30. 0:58corrected creating even more doubt and
31. 1:01confusion there's been enough of that
32. 1:04I paid a price for my silence in terms
33. 1:06of your trust and confidence but I've
34. 1:08had to wait as you have for the complete
35. 1:11story
36. 1:12that's why I appointed Ambassador David
37. 1:14Abshire as my special counselor to help
38. 1:17get out the thousands of documents to
39. 1:19the various investigations
40. 1:21and I appointed a special review board
41. 1:23the tower board which took on the chore
42. 1:25of pulling the truth together for me and
43. 1:28getting to the bottom of things
44. 1:29it has now issued its findings
45. 1:32I'm often accused of being an optimist
46. 1:35and it's true
47. 1:36I had to hunt pretty hard to find any
48. 1:39good news in the board's report
49. 1:41as you know it's well stocked with
50. 1:42criticisms which I'll discuss in a
51. 1:44moment
52. 1:45but I was very relieved to read this
53. 1:48sentence
54. 1:49the board is convinced that the
55. 1:51president doesn't
56. 1:53deem one the full story to be told
57. 1:57and that will continue to be my pledge
58. 1:59to you as the other investigations I've
59. 2:01studied the board's report its findings
60. 2:03are honest convincing and highly
61. 2:05critical and I accept them
62. 2:07tonight I want to share with you my
63. 2:10thoughts on these findings and report to
64. 2:12you on the actions I'm taking to
65. 2:14implement the board's recommendations
66. 2:17first let me say I take full
67. 2:19responsibility for my own actions and
68. 2:21for those of my Administration
69. 2:23as angry as I may be about activities
70. 2:26undertaken without my knowledge I am
71. 2:29still accountable for those activities
72. 2:31as disappointed as I may be and some who
73. 2:34serve me I am still the one who must
74. 2:36answer the American people for this
75. 2:38Behavior
76. 2:39and as personally distasteful as I find
77. 2:41secret bank accounts and diverted funds
78. 2:44what does the Navy would say this
79. 2:46happened on my watch
80. 2:48let's start with the part that is the
81. 2:50most controversial
82. 2:52a few months ago I told the American
83. 2:54people I did not trade arms for hostages
84. 2:57my heart and my best intentions still
85. 2:59tell me that's true but the facts and
86. 3:02the evidence tell me it is not
87. 3:04as the tower board reported what began
88. 3:07as a strategic opening to Iran
89. 3:09deteriorated in its implementation into
90. 3:12trading arms for hostages
91. 3:15this runs counter to my own beliefs to
92. 3:17Administration policy and to the
93. 3:20original strategy we had in mind
94. 3:22there are reasons why it happened
95. 3:24but no excuses it was a mistake
96. 3:28before the end of March I will report to
97. 3:31the Congress on all the steps I've taken
98. 3:33in line with the tower board's
99. 3:34conclusions
100. 3:36now what should happen when you make a
101. 3:38mistake is this you take your knocks you
102. 3:41learn your lessons and then you move on
103. 3:45that's the healthiest way to deal with a
104. 3:47problem this in no way diminishes the
105. 3:49importance of the other continuing
106. 3:51investigations
107. 3:52but the business of our country and our
108. 3:54people must proceed
109. 3:57I've gotten this message from
110. 3:58Republicans and Democrats in Congress
111. 4:00from allies around the world
112. 4:02and if we're reading the signals right
113. 4:05even from the Soviets
114. 4:07and of course I've heard the message
115. 4:09from you the American people
116. 4:12you know by the time you reach my age
117. 4:14you've made plenty of mistakes
118. 4:17and if you've lived your life properly
119. 4:19so you learn
120. 4:21you put things in perspective you pull
121. 4:23your energies together you change you go
122. 4:27forward
123. 4:28and fellow Americans I have a great deal
124. 4:30that I want to accomplish with you and
125. 4:32for you over the next two years
126. 4:35and the Lord willing that's exactly what
127. 4:38I intend to do
128. 4:40good night
129. 4:41God bless you