Lee Hamilton
Lee Hamilton served as a Democratic congressman from Indiana from 1965 to 1999 and co-chaired both the House October Surprise Task Force (1992-1993) and the 9/11 Commission (2002-2004); his decision to decline a three-month extension of the October Surprise investigation, despite new evidence arriving in the final weeks, has been cited as a significant limitation on that inquiry.
Lee Herbert Hamilton was born April 20, 1931, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 9th congressional district from 1965 to 1999, a tenure of 34 years. During that period he served on the House Intelligence Committee, including as chairman, and was a central figure in congressional oversight of intelligence affairs. After leaving Congress he became President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University.1
House October Surprise Task Force
In 1992, Hamilton co-chaired the House October Surprise Task Force alongside Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), with E. Lawrence Barcella, Jr. serving as chief counsel. The Task Force was established to investigate allegations by Gary Sick, Ari Ben-Menashe, and others that Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign had secretly negotiated with Iran to delay the release of American hostages past Election Day.2
The Task Force's January 1993 final report found "no credible evidence" of such a deal. However, the investigation has been criticized on several grounds. Chief counsel Barcella reportedly requested a three-month extension as substantial new evidence arrived in the investigation's final weeks; Hamilton declined this request. A U.S. Embassy Madrid cable indicating William J. Casey was in Madrid in summer 1980 "for purposes unknown" was withheld by Bush administration officials and never provided to the Task Force. The Russian intelligence report confirming Casey's Madrid and Paris meetings with Iranians arrived in January 1993 after the Task Force had closed, and was buried in raw files until journalist Robert Parry discovered it later.2
Hamilton's decision not to extend the investigation was cited by Parry and others as reflecting concern about Republican backlash during a presidential election year.2
9/11 Commission
Hamilton co-chaired the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) alongside Republican former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean from 2002 to 2004. The Commission's report, released July 22, 2004, became one of the best-selling government documents in American history. Hamilton advocated for the Commission's intelligence reform recommendations, many of which were enacted in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.1
Sources
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. "Hamilton, Lee Herbert." bioguide.congress.gov. ↩
- U.S. House of Representatives, October Surprise Task Force. Joint Report of the Task Force to Investigate Certain Allegations Concerning the Holding of American Hostages by Iran in 1980. 102nd Congress, 2nd Session, January 1993. ↩
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