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More than 30 years ago, Washington, D.C. was rocked by a scandal known as the Iran Contra

Fair.

It was a story that seemed right out of a thriller movie, and it raised profound questions about

the United States' democracy and our role on the world stage.

Today, there's another power shift underway in Washington, and with the transition to a

new presidential administration, the nation has once again discussing the U.S.'s role in

international affairs.

With those conversations again in the public spotlight, we decided to re-air our series

on the Iran Contra Fair.

We hope you enjoy it.

It's early morning on October 5, 1986.

An American cargo plane soars through the skies above Costa Rica, headed for Nicaragua.

On board are two pilots, a radio operator, and a single passenger.

The passenger checks the cargo at the back of the plane to ensure everything is secure.

It's routine mission, but the cargo today is far from ordinary.

In the back of the plane are 70 Soviet-made AK-47s, 100,000 rounds of ammunition, rocket

propelled grenades, and other military supplies.

The passenger thought his day's flying missions like this were over, but a call to fly over

Nicaragua and drop boxes of cargo a few months back seemed like easy money.

He's flown this route more than a dozen times.

...