Rex 84 - Readiness Exercise 1984

Overview

Rex 84 (Readiness Exercise 1984) was a National Security Directive signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. This directive authorized:

• Suspension of the Bill of Rights
• Declaration of martial law in the United States
• Establishment of civilian detention camps on military installations

Key Personnel

• Oliver North - Lieutenant Colonel assigned to develop plans
• William Casey - CIA Director
• FEMA - Primary agency for implementation

Camps Established

Under Rex 84, civilian slave labor camps were established on:

1. Fort Drum (New York)
2. Fort Chaffee (Arkansas)
3. Military bases in California
4. Military bases in Arizona
5. Military bases in Wisconsin
6. Military bases in Virginia
7. Military bases in Pennsylvania
8. Military bases in Georgia
9. Military bases in Florida

Iran-Contra Connection

During the Iran-Contra Hearings in July 1987, Senator James Brooks questioned Oliver North about his role in developing plans to suspend the Constitution. Chairman Daniel Inouye interrupted and classified the discussion as "highly sensitive."

Later, Congressman Henry Gonzalez confirmed: "The truth of the matter is that yes you do have those stand-by provisions and the plans are there... whereby you could, in the name of stopping terrorism, apprehend, invoke the military and arrest Americans and hold them in detention camps."

Purpose

According to the book America In Peril, Rex 84 was designed to:

• Round up civilians during national emergencies
• Establish detention facilities for "subversives"
• Allow military to conduct house-to-house searches
• Confiscate firearms and hoarded food
• Implement martial law