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learning of the CIA’s activities, Representative Edward Boland of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, proposed legislation in December 1982 to prohibit the federal government from providing any military support “for the purpose of overthrowing the Government of Nicaragua.” Reagan reluctantly signed the bill into law later that month but continued to advocate for assistance to the Contras. His administration argued that no act of Congress could interfere with the president’s powers as commander in chief of the armed forces. With that in mind, it set out to circumvent Congress by seeking secret aid for the Contras from private entities and foreign governments. Vice Admiral John M. Poindexter, who was the military assistant to the National Security Advisor under Reagan, and his deputy, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver “Ollie” North, were put in charge of the effort, which they called “the Enterprise.
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Donovan X. Ramsey (When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era)