Lt. Colonel Oliver North: HIS STORY
Focusing principally on Ollie North's Iran-Contra hearings testimony, this documentary shows why a Vietnam war hero who was working at the National Security Council during the Reagan administration has become a folk hero to some American conservatives. When the Iran-Contra scandal exploded, most of the participants scurried for cover. By contrast, Colonel North, dressed in his Marine uniform, confidently acknowledged to Congress what he had done and that he was acting as a true American.
Colonel North was often the initiator of an illegal scheme to trade arms for the possible release of U. S. hostages, while also skimming off funds to support the Nicaraguan Contras, whose funding by the U. S. had been blocked by the Boland amendment. North acknowledged lying to Congress. Subsequently he was convicted on three charges. Eventually his convictions were vacated by an appeals court on technical grounds.
One must see Colonel North’s in-your-fact presence before Congress to appreciate why he has become a conservative folk hero. Subsequently North ran unsuccessful for a Senate seat in Virginia. He has published several books, hosted a number of TV shows, and is a popular public speaker. As is evident in this documentary, whether North was guilty or innocent of illegal actions was irrelevant to the “Olliemania” triggered by his Congressional testimony.
