Government Publications Review, Vol. 18, pp. 285-304, 1991 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.

0277-9390/91 $3.00 + .OO Copyright o 1991 Pergamon Press plc

REVIEWS

JEAN SLEMMONS STRATFORD Institute of Governmental Affairs, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA, BITnet: jsstratford@ucdavis

and

JURI STRATFORD Government Documents Department, Shields Library, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA,

BITnet: jtstratford@ucclavis

The Iran-Contra Affair: The Making of a Scandal, 198?+1988. Edited by Malcolm Byrne and Peter Kombluh. Co-published by Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc. and Washington, DC: The National Security Archive, 1990. ISBN o-89887-066-6. 4,635 microfiche, plus two-volume printed guide and index, $3,900; two-volume index and guide available separately, $900.

This is another in a continuing series produced by The National Security Archive of Washington, DC. These efforts to date have examined several important national security actors, periods, and events includ- ing the Iranian Revolution, El Salvador, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and now the events surrounding the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal. The National Security Archive has refined to an art Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests, and with the help of a large and dedicated staff and volun- teers, has made significant and successful attempts to uncover government documents relating to important periods of the United States’ security policy and history.

The documents in this series were primarily obtained through FOIA requests. What is extraordinary is that the documents are available so soon after the unfolding of a major, important, and far-reaching govem- ment scandal. Too frequently researchers must wait decades for the declassification process to occur on par- ticularly sensitive documents. In this case, many heretofore unrevealed chronicles of national security policymaking are available, including National Security Council System IV channel, the White House com- puter messages (PROFS notes), and other reflections on White House, bureaucratic, and intelligence deci- sion-making.

The Iran-Contra scandal, which broke in November 1986, renewed debates in several areas of national security, including presidential and congressional powers under the Constitution, the use of covert foreign policy initiatives, President Reagan’s controversial funding of the Nicaraguan Contras, and the continued strained relations with Iran. The subsequent congressional and legal inquiries into the matter settled some questions, while fueling others. This compendium of documents does not attempt to make a final statement on the matter. Instead, it makes available to scholars a vast array of historical and policy documents on the development and breakdown of the Iran-Contra initiatives. These documents, both mundane and integral to the enterprise of Iran-Contra, provide a near dizzying amount of information from which any number of in- quiries may be developed.

Two important questions form the focus of this review. First, how does this set of documents differ from the already available information published after the congressional and Tower Commission inquiries? Sec- ond, given the extensive holdings of this collection, how can it be utilized by researchers, who will most benefit from it, and can it be the basis for serious investigations into this and related national security policies?

The fist question is easily answered. According to the editors of this study, “by narrowing their pur- view to the period from 1984 to 1986 and to the simple question of whether President Reagan knew of the

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diversion, the select committees lost much of the historical and policy background which gave rise to arms- for-hostages deals in Iran and covert Contra resupply operations in Central America” (p. 25). Additionally, this study includes documents uncovered during the trial of Lt. Col. Oliver North in 1989. Hence, this col- lection provides a more comprehensive means to understand and uncover the events and policies that re- sulted in Iran-Contra and the subsequent congressional and legal proceedings, which followed the scandal’s discovery.

The second question is the fundamental one around which this review rests. Although an intimidating number of documents have been compiled-totalling some 14,000 pages-every attempt to create a clear, concise and usable guide has been made.

Virtually every conceivable study aid has been included in this compilation: a helpful introduction to the scandal and this particuhu set, regional maps, suggested uses for the guide, a brief overview of the Iran- Contra scandal, a chronology, a glossary of terms, events. names and organizations, a bibliography of books, articles, and government documents, and finally, the name and subject index. The most appropriate comment one can make about each of these components is that they are impeccably detailed and helpful. The name index provides a listing of each person named in the microfiche and gives a brief description of the type of record-e.g., named in document, signator of, personal schedule or diary of, named in deposi- tion. The subject index is alphabetical, and it provides a brief description of each document, including events, actors, and policy statements contained therein.

With these tools as background material, clearly the most si~ificant portion of this compilation is the microfiche collection. Utilizing these in conjunction with the name and subject indices, one can take sev- eral paths in the reconstruction of the Iran-Contra scandal. It is easy to select a topic and thoroughly ex- plore it. For example, if one wished to analyze the role of former National Security Advisor Robert C. McFarlane in the evolution of the scandal, the name index provides several hundred reference points from which McFarlane’s role can be examined (pp. 822-836). The scope of what the National Security Archive has uncovered is expansive. Internal White House memos, PROFS notes, National Security Council direc- tives, travel requests and vouchers, and other internal sources are coalesced with info~ation from Oliver North’s diary and schedule.

For the purposes of this review, approximately 30 randomly selected microfiche were available for anal- ysis. The documents on microfiche are arranged in chronological order with each document assigned a spe- cific number. The attempt to capture the full range of information available on Iran-Contra means that while the National Security Archive has provided a “big picture” account of the Iran-Contra scandal, what lies before the researcher is still a prodigious amount of work and discovery. Among all the info~ation that will be impo~~t to the researcher is much that will not be: travel vouchers, meeting notes, schedules, and so on. The more concise the researcher’s agenda, the more helpful this guide will be.

There is little difficulty in passing on the quality of this work. However, some caveats are in order. While other reference books often are utilized as complete stories on particular subjects, this guide makes avail- able every bit of information that could be obtained without trying to tell a story. Hence, its scope, utility, and the uses for which it is intended should not be misunderstood.

Without question this will be an implant and first-rate addition to any library collection. Major re- search universities and individual researchers will be the most apparent beneficiaries of what is offered in these volumes. Scholars in all branches in the social sciences-from management and decision-making to domestic and international politics- will find much here, as will historians. This set will be an important research tool for scholars in these fields and provides the starting point for various inquiries into this scan- dal. One can easily envision comparative decisionmaking studies with other events and actors, quantitative studies based on the information flow and participation of specific actors in the evolution of the study, new inte~retations of American foreign policy in the Middle East and Central America, and other pertinent in- vestigations. Addition~ly, students, especially those graduate students seeking doctoral dissertation topics and information, may find this to be a goldmine of ideas, information, and answers. It is clear that scholars will find this guide an important instrument in evaluating the Iran-Contra scandal and reevaluating others.

It should be remembered, however, that this is truly a research tool-a vehicle by which information is placed in the researcher’s hand. There should be no misunderstanding as to the purpose and role this guide will play. It does not seek to answer the many questions still outstanding regarding the Iran-Contra scandal, nor does it pretend to be an authoritative or complete guide to the scandal. Instead, one should approach this guide as a compendium of available info~ation on a most important event in American political his- tory. This material can be utilized by researchers as long as they are prepared to invest some time in fram- ing the questions they wish to ask, seeking the points at which the information is available, and following the cross references to other connected leads. While this guide does not purport to tell the Iran-Contra scan- dal story, it will, perhaps, allow industrious scholars to uncover parts of the story and follow those leads where they might go.

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This is an important and valuable addition to the information available on Iran-Contra specifically, and on American politics, executive decisionmaking, and foreign policy, generally. While this set will not be necessary for everyone, those serious scholars of political science, history, regional studies, and decision- making will find this to be an invaluable guide to their future investigations. This set is highly recom- mended.

SCOTT HILL Institute of Governmental Affairs

University of California Davis, CA 95616

USA

United States Intelligence: An Encyclopedia. Edited by Bruce W. Watson, Susan M. Watson, and Ger- ald W. Hopple. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1990, (Garland Reference Library of Social Science Vol. 589) ISBN o-8240-3713-8. $95.00.

United States Intelligence: An Encyclopedia is well organized, its scope is well defined, and it fulfills the stated objective of the editors. The introduction identifies the work as an encyclopedia “intended for the serious researcher of the U.S. Intelligence Community” (p. xi). The scope of the volume is limited to the major activities and issues surrounding United States intelligence agencies active today. Unlike many other compilations of espionage terminology, the book concentrates on the post-World War II period. This volume is the first in a Garland Series on U.S. Military Affairs.

The editors provide a clear and concise introduction to the work. They make general comments on the intelligence community, define the scope of their work, offer advice on using the book as a reference tool, and describe the arrangement of the book. United States Intelligence: An Encyclopedia is divided into the following major sections: Acronyms, Major Weapons Systems, Chronology, Bibliography, Entries, and Ap- pendixes.

One of the more helpful sections of the book is the Acronyms section. The editors have compiled an ex- tensive list of acronyms dealing with the Intelligence Community and its work. Many of the acronyms are derived from military terminology. The reason for the listing of acronyms is the editors’ “hope that many of our readers will be using this work to research the intelligence that the Community (particularly its mil- itary components) have produced” (p. xii).

The section on Major Weapons Systems includes military jargon and acronyms. It is meant to help re- searchers avoid confusion when working with research materials that might, for example, refer to a Soviet Turboprop Transport (11-18) as COOT.

The Chronology begins with the establishment of the Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service in 1941 and represents the editors’ compilation of the most significant intelligence events up to March 1989. Most of the events are also described in the entries that constitute the bulk of the book. The chronology notes sig- nificant changes in the administration of the intelligence bodies, significant terrorist events, espionage con- victions, and legislative and executive actions. Some of the chronology entries are vague, some offer exact dates, while others offer only a month or year of an event.

The Bibliography includes a list of the sources and references used to compile the encyclopedia. Re- searchers will note a number of popular and scholarly book titles, journal articles, newspaper articles, and a wide range of government documents. At least one popular spy novel is also included.

A cross-referenced alphabetical listing of entries follows the bibliography. Entries range in size from a two-sentence definition of a “knuckle dragger” to a 19-page entry on the “Defense Intelligence Agency.” Events, individuals, agencies, jargon, intelligence techniques, and technology are all included within the en- tries. The entries dealing with the technology used to gather intelligence information are particularly useful. Many of the entries contain definitions created by the U.S. Senate Select Committee to Study Govemmen- tal Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (Church Committee). A list of references follows each entry. In most cases, the references indicate extensive research and the use of a variety of sources in pre- paring an entry. Occasionally, entries may be based on a single source. Since references follow each entry, the researcher can easily make judgements about the credibility and usefulness of a particular entry. The introduction indicates that the editors drew heavily on a single source in the case of entries on the National Security Agency or various entries on strategic intelligence. This was probably unavoidable due to the lack of public information available on some intelligence topics.