7 Ronald W. Reagan 7Presidents (left to right) George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter,
Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon attend the opening of the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif., 1991. Marcy Nighswander—
Associated Press/U.S. Department of Defense
the sale had been illegally diverted to guerrillas (known
as Contras) trying to topple the Nicaraguan government.
Senate hearings on what became known as the Iran-Contra
Affair began in 1987. Among those indicted were the
National Security Council’s John M. Poindexter and
Lieut. Col. Oliver North. By 1990 six former Reagan offi -
cials had been convicted in the affair.
Retirement and Declining Health
In the presidential election of 1988, Reagan campaigned
actively for the Republican nominee, Vice President Bush.
In large part because of Reagan’s continued popularity,