Two people notoriously involved in the Iran–Contra scandal that rocked the Reagan administration in the 1980s have secretly married, according to a report.
Oliver North, 81, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, and his 61-year-old former secretary, Fawn Hall, tied the knot in a private ceremony in Virginia on Aug. 27, journalist Michael Isikoff reported in his SpyTalk Substack.
The union comes four decades after the pair became central figures in the controversial covert sale of weapons to Iran by the U.S., with proceeds funneled to the Contra rebels fighting to overthrow Nicaragua’s left-wing Sandinista government.
The wedding was described as “low-key,” and none of North’s four children attended. “It was a secret marriage,” one friend of the couple told Isikoff.
North, who served on the National Security Council (NSC) staff under President Ronald Reagan, played a key role in facilitating the secret arms sales to Iran and diverting the funds to the Contras.
At the time, U.S. aid to the Contras was prohibited under the Boland Amendments. Iran was also considered a hostile regime following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent hostage crisis, in which more than 50 Americans were held for over a year at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
Hall, North’s secretary on the NSC staff in the 1980s, also played a significant role in covering up the scandal. She helped North shred documents related to the arms deals and even took the audacious step to smuggle papers out of the White House in her boots and tucked them into the back of her skirt to prevent investigators from finding them.
North was convicted in 1989 of aiding and abetting obstruction of Congress, destroying documents, and accepting an illegal gratuity, but his convictions were overturned on appeal in 1990.
Hall, who testified during the televised Iran–Contra hearings, received immunity in exchange for her cooperation and was never prosecuted.
The pair reportedly reconnected in December 2024 at the funeral of North’s first wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Stuart North, according to Isikoff.
A friend told him that Hall “rekindled the relationship” with North at the service, held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia, and that the two soon began spending time together.
North has been contacted for comment by the Daily Beast.
