Archive
The October Surprise Mystery
(For articles after May 1, 2011, go to homepage and see Categories: October Surprise.)
The Original Eight-Part Series --
'October Surprise X-Files'
The Russian Report
What the KGB knew about the October Surprise mystery, but the American people
didn't. (12-11-95) The Ladies Room Secrets
How historic secrets about this political era were recovered from a remote Capitol
Hill wash room. (12-21-95)
Bill Casey's Iranian
What FBI wiretaps captured about secret payments from BCCI and a Bush-connected
lawyer to an Iranian "double-agent."(12-31-95)
Follow the Money
How some of the world's most secretive and powerful players joined forces to fix
the pivotal 1980 election. (1-15-96)
Saddam's 'Green Light'
What a "top secret" report reveals about the origins of the bloody
Iran-Iraq War. (1-31-96)
Where's Bill Casey
How the national news media and Congress "debunked" the October Surprise
allegations by adopting bogus alibis for Bill Casey. (2-14-96)
Bush & a CIA Power Play
What CIA veterans and former CIA director George Bush did to regain The White House
in the 1980s. (2-29-96)
Lies Spun into History
How absurd alibis became part of the October Surprise historical record. (3-14-96)
More Recent Updates
Twenty Years Ago, a Lost Opportunity
Two decades ago, the U.S. political/media system had a chance to get Ronald Reagan's history right, but didn't, says Robert Parry. April 15, 2011
Inside America's 'Adjustment Bureau'
Almost like Matt Damon's movie, "The Adjustment Bureau," powerful forces redirect U.S. national narratives, explains Robert Parry. March 14, 2011
The Back Story on Iran's Clashes
The U.S. media presents the new street protests in Iran as a morality play, but they are more complex, reports Robert Parry. February 17, 2011
Iranian Students Ask About 1980
Robert Parry responds to questions from Iranian students about the 1980 Iran-US hostage crisis and the October Surprise case. October 30, 2010
Don't Try These GOP Alibis at Home
When powerful Republicans are in a pinch, they can use crazy alibis that would make anyone else look guiltier, says Robert Parry. August 12, 2010
October Surprise Cover-up Unravels
Die-hard defenders of the October Surprise (1980) cover-up keep citing alibis that have long ago disintegrated, says Robert Parry. August 6, 2010
Accusation of October Surprise 'Lying'
Attorney Lawrence Barcella accuses journalist Robert Parry of "lying" about the October Surprise case, and Parry responds. August 5, 2010
To Publish Official Secrets -- or Not
The Pentagon says disclosing Afghan War secrets has risked lives, but the life-or-death issue is more complicated, writes Robert Parry. July 30, 2010
Rethinking Iran-Contra
The recent collapse of the long-running October Surprise cover-up shifts the history on the Iran-Contra scandal, writes Robert Parry. July 1, 2010
The CIA/Likud Sinking of Jimmy Carter
With the October Surprise cover-up in shambles, the evidence points to a CIA-Likud plot against President Carter, says Robert Parry. June 24, 2010
The Tricky October Surprise Report
A House task force deceived the American public in clearing Ronald Reagan of a treacherous scheme with Iran, reports Robert Parry. June 17, 2010
Key October Surprise Evidence Hidden
A Russian report on the 1980 October Surprise case was apparently kept from the chief congressional investigator, says Robert Parry. May 6, 2010
How Two Elections Changed America
Secret Republican operations around elections in 1968 and 1980 set the U.S. on today's troubled course, says Robert Parry. November 4, 2009
The Crazy October Surprise Debunking
To protect the Reagan-Bush-I legacy, Republicans and Democrats created absurd October Surprise alibis, reports Robert Parry. November 6, 2009
The October Surprise Crystal Balls
A sub-plot of the 1980 October Surprise mystery is how some Reaganites foresaw the U.S. hostage release, says Robert Parry. November 13, 2009
Iran Divided & the 'October Surprise'
Today's divisions in Iran's leadership date back to secret decisions made to influence a U.S. election in 1980, reports Robert Parry. June 24, 2009
GOP Judge Gives Bush a Gitmo Victory
A weakness in the habeas corpus hearings for Guantanamo detainees is that many cases will be heard by partisan Republican jurists, like U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, writes Robert Parry. December 31, 2008
Henry Kissinger: Eminence Noire
Newly released tapes of Lyndon Johnson denouncing "treason" by Richard Nixon's campaign in 1968 reflect on Henry Kissinger, who may have joined in dirty tricks then and in 1980, writes Robert Parry. December 28, 2008
The Significance of Nixon's 'Treason'
The Richard Nixon campaign's successful "treason" in sabotaging Vietnam peace talks in 1968 to win an election explains a lot about Republican dominance of the era, writes Robert Parry. December 9, 2008
Nixon's 'Treason' and Historical Gaps
In a newly released tape, President Lyndon Johnson accuses Richard Nixon's team of "treason" over the Vietnam peace talks. But the U.S. news media still misses the big picture, writes Robert Parry. December 5, 2008
Henry Hyde: Mr. Cover-up
The death of ex-Congressman Henry Hyde is drawing fond eulogies from both sides of the political aisle and across Official Washington. But no attention is being paid to Hyde's crucial role in covering up the worst political crimes of the Reagan-Bush era. November 30, 2007
The Original October Surprise
Both Republicans and Democrats are fretting about the prospect of an "October Surprise" that might hurt them in the last days of Election 2006. But perhaps no "October Surprise" has been more mysterious or more influential than the one in 1980 that -- with the help of George H.W. Bush -- gave the concept its name. Arguably, the 1980 "October Surprise," which involved secret contacts with Iran, launched the modern era of Republican dominance. October 25, 2006
Original October Surprise (Part 2)
Part 2 of our series on the "Original October Surprise" of 1980 focuses on the role of banker David Rockefeller and his collaboration with Republicans during the Iranian hostage crisis. That national humiliation, which played out over 444 days, doomed Jimmy Carter's presidency and helped open the door to the modern era of GOP dominance. October 27, 2006
Original October Surprise (Part 3)
Part 3 of our series on the "Original October Surprise" of 1980 addresses the troubling question of whether disgruntled CIA officers collaborated with their former boss, George H.W. Bush, to sabotage President Jimmy Carter's Iran-hostage negotiations -- and thus changed the course of U.S. political history. October 28, 2006
The Bushes & the Truth
About Iran
As George W. Bush turns to the military option on Iran, the American
people first might want to demand that he and his father release secret
records about back-channel Republican dealings with the Iranian mullahs
dating back to 1980. Those records might show whether face-to-face
negotiations with Iran are worth trying, but the documents at least
would let the public in on the true history of U.S.-Iranian relations
before more people die. September 21. 2006
Secret 'October
Surprise' Files
Some of the historical records about the secret Republican-Iranian
relationship were salvaged by this Web site. To review the actual
documents and read about their significance, click on the above
headline. September 21. 2006
When Republicans Loved a
Filibuster
Supporters of George W. Bush are
furious that some Democrats might filibuster Samuel Alito's nomination to
the U.S. Supreme Court. But 15 years ago, the Republicans mounted a crucial
filibuster of their own to block an investigation that might have destroyed
the legacy of the Reagan-Bush era -- and ended the political viability of
the Bush Family. January 27, 2006
The Imperium's Quarter
Century
The origins of George W. Bush's imperial-style government can be traced
back to the extraordinary moment a quarter century ago when Ronald Reagan
was sworn in as President and 52 Americans hostages were simultaneously
freed in Iran. Americans were swept up in a surge of patriotism and many
bought into the idea that Reagan's tough-guy image had scared Iran's
fundamentalist Islamic government. The reality of that fateful day now
appears to have been quite different, but the cover-up of a Republican
scheme that bordered on treason remains an important state secret even 25
years later. January 20, 2006
The Bushes & the Death of
Reason
Some Americans can't understand why George W. Bush and the
neoconservatives were so confident in their ability to sell the nation on a
bogus case for war with Iraq. Part of the answer can be found in the
Republican success in turning back Iran-Contra accusations through the use
of irrational arguments. One such case study starts with an unpublished
photograph taken at the Bohemian Grove resort on the last weekend of July
1980. May 9, 2005
Real-Life 'National
Treasure' -- in Reverse
Walt Disney's action film, "National Treasure," is a fanciful hunt for
hidden treasure with characters following complex clues left behind by the
Founding Fathers. In real-life Washington, the "October Surprise mystery" --
whether Republicans sabotaged Jimmy Carter in 1980 with behind-the-back
dealings with Iran -- represents how the world really works, with modern-day
leaders doing all they can to destroy any clues that might lead the nation
to an honest conclusion. May 6, 2005
A Lawyer & National
Security Cover-ups
Prominent Washington lawyer Lawrence Barcella has come under criticism
for the use of a false affidavit to convict former CIA officer Edwin Wilson
on terrorism charges in 1983. But the unraveling of the Wilson case -- and
its damage to Barcella's reputation -- also raise new doubts about
Barcella's role in "debunking" the October Surprise allegations that
the Reagan-Bush campaign disrupted President Jimmy Carter's Iran-hostage
negotiations before the pivotal national election in 1980. May 4, 2005
David Rockefeller &
'October Surprise' Case
Election 1980 was a turning
point in American political history, but how the Republicans exploited Jimmy
Carter's humiliation over the Iranian hostage crisis to ensure Ronald
Reagan's victory is still little understood. Nor do the American people know
the background roles in the "October Surprise" case played by David
Rockefeller, the Shah of Iran's banker, and his many powerful friends.
Adapted from Secrecy & Privilege. Posted April 15, 2005
Rockefeller
Aide's Tie to 'October Surprise'
Some of the most intriguing
documents found in the files of the House 'October Surprise' Task Force
relate to the role of Joseph Verner Reed, one of Chase Manhattan Bank
Chairman David Rockefeller's top aides. According to an FBI agent's notes,
Reed tried to stonewall the investigation of alleged Republican interference
in President Carter's 1980 Iran-hostage negotiations. The Reed documents
were never released to the American people but were found by reporter Robert
Parry in a Capitol Hill storage room. Part of our new Document Archive.
Posted April 12, 2005.
Russian
Report on 'October Surprise' Case
For the first time, we are
posting the "confidential" Russian government report about the 1980 "October
Surprise" case. The report -- a rare case of Moscow cooperating with the
United States on an intelligence investigation -- asserts that Reagan-Bush
campaign officials did secretly negotiate with Iranian leaders behind
President Carter's back. Posted April 5, 2005
Arafat & the Original
'October Surprise'
Skeletons of an election controversy
past -- the alleged Reagan-Bush "October Surprise" scheme of 1980 -- have
surfaced, as a top aide to Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat describes a
secret meeting between the PLO and a key Republican. The Arafat aide says
the Republican sought the PLO's help in sabotaging President Carter's
efforts to free 52 American hostages in Iran. November 2, 2004
Russia's Prime Minister & 'October
Surprise'
Boris Yeltsin’s nominee for Russia’s new prime
minister wrote a secret report in 1993, confirming the 1980 ‘October Surprise’
charges and implicating top Republicans in a hostage plot with Iran. Sergey Stepashin sent
the explosive report to the U.S. Congress, but the extraordinary document was hidden. By
Robert Parry. May 14, 1999
Earl Brian: Reagan's 'Scandal
Man' Off to Jail
In the early 1990s, the word of Ronald Reagan's friend Earl Brian helped debunk two
major scandals. But now, Brian's credibility has collapsed with his federal fraud
conviction. (8/25/97)
October Surprise: Finally, Time
for the Truth?
Seven years ago, Jamshid Hashemi, an Iranian businessman and CIA operative, broke
his silence about the October Surprise controversy. Now, with more and more public figures
corroborating parts of the story, Jamshid Hashemi is revealing new details about this
ultimate dirty trick and the CIA. (5/5/97)
October Surprise: Time for
Truth? (Part 2)
The enduring mystery of George Bush and alleged Paris meetings with Iranians in
1980: Did he go or did he stay? (5/19/97)
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