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Chattanooga Knows: What Baylor graduate helped guide Reagan through scandal?

U.S. Ambassador to NATO David Abshire, appointed by President Reagan as his coordinator for the ongoing investigation into the sales of arms to Iran and diversion of profits to rebels in Nicaragua, gestures in 1986 while answering newsmen's questions at his residence in Brussels. (AP Photo/Pierre Thielemans)
U.S. Ambassador to NATO David Abshire, appointed by President Reagan as his coordinator for the ongoing investigation into the sales of arms to Iran and diversion of profits to rebels in Nicaragua, gestures in 1986 while answering newsmen's questions at his residence in Brussels. (AP Photo/Pierre Thielemans) U.S. Ambassador to NATO David Abshire, appointed by President Reagan as his coordinator for the ongoing investigation into the sales of arms to Iran and diversion of profits to rebels in Nicaragua, gestures in 1986 while answering newsmen's questions at his residence in Brussels. (AP Photo/Pierre Thielemans)

By Lew Gilliland 11 min read


Q. What Baylor School graduate helped guide the Reagan administration through scandal?

A. David Abshire compiled a lifetime resume full of honor and achievement. He walked among, served with, worked for and spoke truth to many of the most powerful people in Washington, including presidents. Twice, he was asked to help rescue a White House in crisis. He declined one of those requests but in 1986 accepted the challenge of navigating then-President Ronald Reagan through the Iran-Contra scandal.

Abshire was America’s ambassador to NATO when the 40th president of the United States asked him to come to Washington and join the Cabinet as coordinator of the administration’s response to multiple Iran-Contra investigations, according to Abshire’s 2014 obituary in The New York Times. He died Oct. 31 of that year at the age of 88.

Iran-Contra involved the U.S sale of arms to Iran in hopes of winning influence with an Iranian-backed group holding American hostages in Lebanon, the Times reported in recalling the scandal. Also, the administration used proceeds from the sales to benefit the Contras, anti-Communist insurgents in Nicaragua. Both the arms sales and financial support for the Contras violated U.S. law.