The Iran-Contra scandal involved selling weapons to Iran to fund the Contras; violated the Boland Amendment.

• A. Watergate
• B. Bay of Pigs
• C. Iran-Contra Scandal
• D. Operation Mockingbird

Answer: (C)

Understanding this item hinges on recognizing a case where officials secretly bypassed congressional restrictions to pursue foreign policy goals. The Iran-Contra affair involved selling weapons to Iran and using the proceeds to fund the Contras in Nicaragua, in defiance of the Boland Amendment, which restricted U.S. aid to the Contras. Because the scenario describes arming Iran in conjunction with funding the Contras in violation of those specific limits, it identifies the Iran-Contra scandal as the event in question. Other notable events differ in scope and action: Watergate centers on a domestic break-in and cover-up, the Bay of Pigs was a failed 1961 invasion of Cuba, and Operation Mockingbird refers to alleged CIA efforts to influence the media.