A. Investigation Plan The investigation evaluates the extent of President Reagan's role in the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s. Reagan's role in aiding the Nicaraguan Contras, freeing American hostages, both of which led to the Iran-Contra affair, and during the cover-up, in America and partly in Iran, will be examined. Investigative reporting and American history are primarily used to evaluate Reagan's role. Two of the sources used in this essay, Firewall: The Iran-Contra conspiracy and cover-up written by Lawrence E. Walsh and The Age of Reagan by Sean Wilentz, will then be evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations.B . Summary of the Evidence Before the Iran-Contra affair, Reagan was in the final days of his first term. In his first term, among the things he dealt with were assassination attempts, opposition to trade unions and the order to build weapons for the détente strategy. His second term, which dealt mainly with foreign affairs, marked a collapse in his reputation. As part of his foreign policy and in an effort to stop the spread of communism, Reagan thought it was important to help the Nicaraguan insurgents, the contras, end their communist government. Under the Reagan Doctrine, built to oppose Soviet influence and which gave much “support to anti-Communist revolutions,” the CIA was ordered to assist the Contras in military activities. However, the excesses committed by the CIA led Congress to cut off aid as funds began to run low. The Boland Amendment, signed into law in early 1984, “denied requests for assistance to the Contras and prohibited any aid from any nation or group.” However, the Reagan administration decided to continue to arm and train… middle of paper… the rule of law so that it would not be applied to perpetrators of constitutional criminal activity.” After every effort made, the Americans were finally released. Works Cited Alterman, Eric. “Contra Gates.” The American perspective. (8 November 2006). Deaver, Michael K. A different drummer. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2001. “Iran-Contra Figure Will Drive Democratic Efforts Abroad.” New services. (February 3, 2005). Johnson, Julie. “Reagan Says Iran-Contra Defendants Not Guilty.” New York times. (May 2006). Krauthammer, Charles. “Essay: The Reagan Doctrine.” Time Magazine US (April 1, 2000). Walsh, Lawrence E. Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and the Cover-up. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc, 1997. Wilentz, Sean. The Reagan era. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997.Wolf, Julie. “The Iran-Contra Affair.” PBS. (October 17, 2010).