Beginning with the Iran-Contra Affair, some politicians and journalists began arguing that the CIA contributed to the rise of the epidemic. Allegations ranged from the presence of drug ties to the Contra rebels, to possible direct involvement in drug trafficking by the Contras and even members of the CIA. on April 17, 1986, the Reagan Administration released a three page report admitting that there were some Contra-cocaine connections in 1984 and 1985.