Let’s pull back the curtain. Nearly 40 years ago, the news burst out of its classified vaults and on to the headlines of global media: the U.S. government’s covert and illegal enterprise of supplying arms to a “freedom fighting” insurgency in Central America and to the “terrorist” Iranian government in its war with Iraq. Afterward, the Reagan administration went into full cover-up mode to protect the president, who had been ardently directing these policies. The president narrowly escaped impeachment and quietly transitioned out of office. In this course, you will journey from the early events that laid the groundwork for this criminal endeavor through to the ignominious conclusion six years later when another president, himself a participant, pardoned the conspirators. Regardless of your own opinion of treason or patriotism, you will find the story itself, and the levels of power and risks involved, nearly  unbelievable - but true.

John Powers holds an MFA in Drama from University of Southern California where he also earned a BFA in Drama. His career has been in entertainment as a writer and director of film and theater. For more than 10 years, he has been an instructor at various OLLI programs across the nation via Zoom and in person at UCR, UCLA, and CSU Dominguez Hills. Having produced a theater series for 15 years at a cultural center in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, John created original content drawing on mid-20th century American history. He has delved into this wealth of content to present engaging explorations in the classroom, always providing lifelong learners with provocative insights into the major events of their lives. John “pulls back the curtain” to show what really happened.