Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane (born July 12,1937), was National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to late 1985 and became one of the administration’s primary scapegoats during the Iran-Contra Affair. He and his successor, Admiral John Poindexter, were heavily involved in both the Iran and Nicaragua sides of the scandal. The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor, serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1969 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Iran-Contra Affair (also called the Iran-Contra Matter and Iran-gate) was one of the largest political scandals in the United States during the 1980s. ... Rear Admiral John Poindexter (Ret. ...

Early life

After graduating high school, McFarlane attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. While there, he earned a commission in the United States Marine Corps. After attending The Basic School in Quantico, VA, he was sent to Vietnam where he served with the Marine artillery. The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is located in Annapolis, Maryland and Washington D.C. The Academy is often referred to simply as Annapolis although naval officers normally refer to it in... This article is becoming very long. ...

Iran-Contra Affair

A former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, McFarlane was serving as an assistant to Secretary of State Alexander Haig, in 1981, when he authored "Taking the War to Nicaragua" and led the Restricted Inter-Agency Group (RIG) which formulated and carried out the administration's Central America policies. Later, as National Security Adviser, McFarlane urged Reagan to negotiate an arms deal with Iranian intermediaries against the advice of Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Secretary of State George Shultz. This article is becoming very long. ... Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ... For other people named Alexander Haig, see Alexander Haig (disambiguation). ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and The Secretary is appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate, and is a member of the Cabinet. ... Caspar Weinberger in his official Department of Defence publicity photo circa 1983. ... Shultz in his official D.O.L. portrait. ...

In May 1986, after his retirement, he acted as an envoy for two planeloads of weapons parts delivered to the Iranians. When the first planeload failed to win Iranian cooperation or the release of any hostages, McFarlane refused to deliver the second plane and returned to the US where he advised the president to quit. When news of the secret mission was published in the Lebanese weekly Al Shiraa complete with unflattering details and confirmation from top Iranian officials, Chief of Staff Donald Regan attempted to spin the story. McFarlane refused to speak to the press but was rattled by Regan’s accusation that he had been the sole official behind the weapons transfers. McFarlane quickly shot off an email to Poindexter threatening a libel suit and warning that he “wouldn’t tolerate lies from Don Regan.” 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ash-Shiraa is a popular Lebanese magazine. ... Joshua B. Bolten, the current White House Chief of Staff. ... Donald Thomas Regan (December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003) was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury, from 1981 to 1985, and Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 in the Reagan administration, where he advocated supply-side economics and tax cuts to create jobs and stimulate production. ... E-mail, or email, is short for electronic mail and is a method of composing, sending, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. ...

Aftermath

Disheartened, and abused by his former colleagues, McFarlane tried to kill himself with an overdose of Valium on February 9, 1987, saying he had failed his country. In 1988 he pleaded guilty to four counts of withholding information from Congress for his role in the Iran-Contra cover-up. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and a $20,000 fine but was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush in the waning hours of his presidency on Christmas Eve 1992 along with the other key players in the scandal. Diazepam, brand names: Valium, Seduxen, in Europe Apozepam, is a 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, which possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the U.S. Congress. ... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... The Christmas Eve (1904-05), watercolor painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) Christmas Eve, December 24, the day before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the Christmas festivities. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

McFarlane later co-founded and served as CEO of Global Energy Investors.

McFarlane is a member of The Advisory Council of Aegis Defence Services. Aegis Defence Services is a London, U.K.–based private military contractor with overseas offices in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the USA. Formerly known as Sandline International, Aegis provides specialist security and risk management solutions to counter extreme threats. ...

On April 18, 2001, McFarlane said "I think in the Defense Department you may be seeing a little bit of a change, a significant change in how the Pentagon will contribute to policy formation, and that is that you have a very strong team, unusually strong team of service secretaries, who are usually irrelevant to the policy process. I think that'll be different in this administration."

References

• “Complaint That Donald Regan May Be Placing Blame for the Iran Initiative on Robert McFarlane,” Secret PROFS email (November 7, 1986). Original source: US National Security Council.
• Kornbluh, Peter and Malcolm Byrne, eds. The Iran-Contra Affair: The Making of a Scandal, 1983-1988 (Document collection). Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey; Washington, DC: National Security Archive, 1990.
• Kornbluh, Peter and Malcolm Byrne, eds. The Iran-Contra Scandal: The Declassified History. New York: New Press, Distributed by W.W. Norton, 1993.
• Walsh, Lawrence E. Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up. New York: Norton, 1997.
• Timberg, Robert, The Nightingale's Song. New York: Free Press, 1996.
• http://www.brook.edu/fp/research/projects/nsc/transcripts/20010418.pdf
• McFarlane, Robert C. / Smardz, Zofia: Special Trust. Pride, Principle and Politics Inside the White House. Cadell & Davies, New York, NY, 1994

See also

• US-Iran relations

National Security Advisors of the United States
Cutler | Anderson | Jackson | Cutler | Gray | Bundy | Rostow | Kissinger | Scowcroft | Brzezinski | Allen | Clark | McFarlane | Poindexter | Carlucci | Powell | Scowcroft | Lake | Berger | Rice | Hadley