MediaWatch: June 1988
Table of Contents:
Harvey and Maybeth Go Left
Cagney and Lacey, the CBS show about two New York City women detectives regularly mixes trendy liberal causes with entertainment. So it's no surprise that a two-part season finale probed the evils of a conspiracy to cover-up the true depth of the Iran/Contra affair.
The May plot went like this: "Mary Beth Lacey," played by liberal political activist Tyne Daley and her partner, "Christine Cagney," are told "Mr. Wright," a bank president, was part of a scheme to embezzle hundreds of millions for the Mafia. They are asked to escort him back from upstate New York for trial. In the car, "Wright" explains how "at the request of our government" he loaned Argentina money to buy missiles for the battle over the Falkland Islands, but the FBI didn't catch on to his secret money transfers until "the Iran/Contra thing" exploded.
"Wright" becomes afraid for his life after a local sheriff tries to kill him. He then explains he's actually FBI agent "Thomas Duggan," set up as a decoy for those, presumably CIA agents, out to kill the real "Wright" because of all he knows.
Men driving an evil looking black car chase them, leading to a farm yard shoot out where "Duggan" is killed. The duo return to New York and are told the real "Wright" committed suicide. But "Lacey's" not fooled. She tells her partner: "We're into some cover-up here that makes Watergate look like a fraternity prank." "Lacey" whines about how they were used by the government: "Nobody said CIA, Christine. Nobody said, hey, we're in the spy trade, weaseling our way around the Congress of the United States of America. Nobody said what we were doing pays for bombs to kill innocent little children."
Sound like a script written by Daniel Sheehan of the far-left Christic Institute, the group promoting charges that a CIA old boy alliance has been running an international drug and terrorist network? Well, that may not be far off the mark. In an episode originally aired in January and repeated June 6, "Lacey's" husband "Harvey" praises his work and calls Sheehan "my hero."
