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Introducing... Fiasco: Iran-Contra

Apr 21, 2025
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ANECDOTE

Kevin Katke's Double Life

  • Kevin Katke lived a double life as a Macy's maintenance engineer and a volunteer intelligence operative for the Reagan administration.
  • On a bad day at work, he received a call from the White House connecting him to Oliver North for covert anti-communist missions.
INSIGHT

Volunteer Agents Left No Traces

  • The Reagan administration used non-government volunteers like Katke since they left no official fingerprints.
  • Outsiders' motivation and distance from government made them ideal for covert operations.
ANECDOTE

Medical Students Trapped in Grenada

  • During the 1983 Grenada invasion, U.S. forces rescued about 1,000 American medical students trapped amid a coup.
  • Students experienced fear and isolation before the military rescue, which greatly relieved them.
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