The [[Tower Commission]] was a presidential commission of inquiry established to investigate the [[Iran-Contra Affair]]. It was headed by former Senator [[John Tower]]. The commission's investigation focused on the years 1984 to 1986. Its conclusions were largely seen as a cover-up, as it declared that some individuals in the [[National Security Council]], interested in the release of hostages in [[Lebanon]], had tried to make a deal with the [[Iran|Iranians]], selling them 97 [[TOW missile]]s and some [[Hawk missile]]s. The commission made no mention of the ongoing original arms channel between [[Israel]] and [[Iran]], despite [[John Tower|Tower's]] inside knowledge of the weapons trade with [[Iran]].[^1] [[George Bush]] later nominated [[John Tower|Tower]] for defense secretary, but he was not confirmed by [[USA|Congress]] due to the controversy surrounding the commission's findings.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992. (Hereafter, "Profits of War")