Televised Iran-Contra Congressional Hearings Begin, Riveting Nation

Joint congressional hearings on the Iran-Contra affair begin, launching seven weeks of televised testimony that becomes the most-watched series of congressional hearings since the Senate Watergate Committee hearings in 1973. The House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran and the Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition conduct joint public hearings that expose the extent of illegal operations conducted by Reagan administration officials.

Between May 5 and August 6, 1987, the committees question 28 witnesses publicly and four more in closed sessions, including Secretary of State George Shultz, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, National Security Advisors John Poindexter and Robert McFarlane, and Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North. CNN covers the hearings gavel-to-gavel, while ABC, CBS, and NBC provide broadcasts when important witnesses appear, with tens of millions of viewers tuning in to watch the political drama unfold.

Oliver North’s week-long testimony in July 1987 becomes the hearings’ dramatic centerpiece, transforming the proceedings into what observers describe as “gripping, first-rate dynamite political theater.” Appearing in his Marine uniform with medals, North admits to lying to Congress, shredding documents, and conducting illegal operations, while portraying himself as a patriot following orders. His performance generates both public support and revulsion, demonstrating how national security officials can use appeals to patriotism to deflect accountability for lawbreaking.

The hearings expose how NSC officials ran a shadow foreign policy, systematically deceived Congress, destroyed evidence, and violated explicit prohibitions on funding the Contras. However, the decision to grant immunity to North and Poindexter in exchange for testimony ultimately undermines criminal prosecutions, as their convictions are later overturned due to immunity contamination. The hearings thus demonstrate both the power and limitations of congressional oversight when confronting executive branch officials willing to break the law in the name of national security.