President Reagan denies Iran-Contra scheme, November 13, 1986
An Iranian cleric leaked news that the United States was selling arms to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages throughout the Middle East. Faced with the embarrassing report, Reagan appears live on national television and claims that his administration has sold “small amounts of defensive weapons and spare parts” to Iran. But he denies any knowledge of trading arms for hostages. “We did not—repeat—did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages—nor will we.” But the people do not believe him. In a poll taken shortly afterward, 62 percent of Americans correctly believe that Reagan is lying.