George Keow’s death, the CIA officer who played a role in the “Iran-Contra” case

🔸George W. Keow, the CIA officer who, after 20 years of covert activity in the Middle East and Pakistan, was recalled from retirement during the famous “Iran-Contra” scandal to help secure the release of American hostages in Lebanon, died on August 14 in the U.S. state of Maryland. He was 97 years old at the time of his death.

🔸The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said in a statement that Mr. Keow had social ties with prominent, alluring, and sometimes legendary figures; some of them were brought into the intelligence apparatus, while others later gained worldwide fame.

🔸Mr. Keow, one of the few people proficient in the Persian language at the CIA, was assigned twice in Tehran during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah. According to The New York Times, he had a deep understanding of Iranian politics and even after retiring from the Central Intelligence Agency in 1980, had maintained his contacts in Iran.

🔸Keow, who in 1986 was still working as a contractual consultant with the CIA, accepted William Casey’s request, the then head of the agency, to join a small group that, over several months, visited officials and Iranian intermediaries in Tehran and other cities to negotiate the release of seven American hostages who were held in Beirut by the Islamist quasi-militant groups supported by the Islamic Republic.

🔸The “illegal” arrangement that ultimately took shape included the sale of American weapons to Iran in exchange for the hostages’ release and the covert transfer of the proceeds from that sale to right-wing Contra rebels in Nicaragua. In practice, this action circumvented the arms restrictions imposed by the U.S. Congress. The political scandal involving President Ronald Reagan’s administration—known as “Iran-Contra”—is considered the second biggest scandal in the United States after Watergate.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.