Tower Commission
| Formation | December 1, 1986 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | February 27, 1987 (report published) |
| Location | |
Chairman | John Tower |
| Staff | 23 |
membership. Replace with num_members.purpose. It should be removed.The Tower Commission was a United States presidential commission established on December 1, 1986, by President Ronald Reagan in response to the Iran–Contra affair (in which senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo). The commission, composed of former senator John Tower of Texas, former secretary of state Edmund Muskie, and former national security advisor Brent Scowcroft, was tasked with reviewing the proper role of the National Security Council staff in national security operations generally, and in the arms transfers to Iran specifically.
The Commission's report, published on February 27, 1987, concluded that CIA director William Casey, who supported the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks and notified Congress as legally required. The Commission's work was continued by two congressional investigative committees (both formed in January 1987).