[Reily]

The National Security Agnecy is AN INTELLIGENCE AGENCY !!!
It was NSC ~ National Security Council which is a 'policy making' agency not a 'operations or intelligence gathering' organization. There is nothing in the stautes which set up the NSC that expressly forbids it from undertaking 'operations'. (Of course 'post-Iran-Contra World' that may have changed!)
Actually there is some precedent for the NSC doing such things; Colonel House doing 'things' for Wilson, in pre-OSS days Donovon did 'things' for Roosevelt. (Also when I mean 'things' that were NOT alone. These 'wise men' were impowered with 'Presidential Authority' in an obvious way and they used such authority to draw on 'executive' resources to get things done!) There are other examples but I can' recall the details. BUT all of that was back in the days when there were few 'policy-advising or covert action' mechanisms for the President to use, such things then were very 'ad-hoc'.

[Happy2BMe]

In the case of the Iran-Contra "thing," many good men were dying in Nicarauga in an effort to stop the forceful takeover of communism in that country.

The Rats blocked any and all efforts by Reagan to prevent this and so Reagan left them completely out of the loop.

Rats still try to steer clear of this one.