On this day, November 23, 1981, President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), authorizing the CIA to recruit, train, and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The directive was part of the Reagan administration’s broader effort to counteract the Sandinista government, which the U.S. viewed as a threat due to its ties to the Soviet Union and Cuba during the Cold War.
This controversial policy marked a significant moment in U.S. foreign relations and sparked heated debates about the legality and morality of American intervention in Nicaragua. It later played a central role in the Iran-Contra Affair, a major political scandal in the late 1980s.