Banner Graphic, Volume 17, Number 74, Greencastle, Putnam County, 26 November 1986 — Page 2

THE BANNERGRAPHIC, November 26,1986

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Meese: Others knew about Iranian scheme

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Edwin Meese said today that people outside the White House appear to have known of the secret scheme to funnel millions of dollars in profits from Iranian arms sales to Nicaraguan rebels. “It appears there were some others involved,” and not just the two presidential aides forced from their jobs Tuesady, Meese said in an interview on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America.” Meese said that, apparently, “there are some consultants involved and other people who have a tangential relationship to the U.S. government.” Appearing in another interview, Meese pledged that Reagan’s natonal security adviser, who resigned, and one of his top aides, who was fired will not be “scapegoats.” “People who have done things will be accurately portrayed and, if necessary, actively prosecuted ... if there’s anything criminal,” he said on the NBC-TV “Today” show. But he added in the NBC interview that his investigation, begun Friday, has so far found no evidence of involvement by others close to Reagan in concealing the secret arrangement from the president. “As far as anyone in the top levels of government let’s say at the department-head level or top people in the White House such as the chief of staff, certainly the president or vice president, or any Cabinet members being involved we’ve pretty clearly established at this point that that has not happened.” Minutes later, appearing on ABC, he said: “It appears there were some

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REAGAN

others involved and that’s what we’re looking into now, but I don’t have any definitive information at the present time other than that there are other leads that we will be pursuing and there will be a considerable number that will be talked to.” Asked if he was referring to people in the government, Meese answered: “At this stage, I couldn’t tell you for sure or tell you that there are not such people. There are some consultants involved and other people who have a tangential relationship to the U.S. government that we will be talking to.” He said he did not know long his investigation will take, but said it would not drag out. He pledged that “we’ll be getting to the bottom by talking to everyone who may have had any involvement whatsoever.” Asked if he would consider recommending a special prosecutor, as some on Capitol Hill have proposed, Meese said that decision would “depend on the people involved” and that if his investigation found apparent criminality on the part of people covered by the independentcounsel lesiglation, “then we will utilize those laws.” Meese would not speculate on whether some of the arms profits may have found their way to Eugene Hasenfus, the American convicted of anti-government activity by Nicaragua after his plane, which was carrying supplies to the U.S.backed Contras, was shot down. Hasenfus has said he felt the supply operation was a U.S. government operation.

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Meese, asked about that, said: “I’m not going to speculate. Our investigation will bring out whatever did happen. I think we have to wait until then to make those conclusions as to exactly what did occur.” The swirling controversy over the secret sales and profit diversion deepened as a top Contra leader, interviewed on the “CBS Morning News,” denied that any of the money had made its way through a Swiss bank to his forces. “We do not control a Swiss bank account and we have not gotten any money from any Iranian connection,” Adolfo Colero said. While he said the Contras have, “like the Red Cross, received anonymous donations,” he added that he had “gotten no donation near the amount being talked about.” Earlier, Colero, leader of the largest Contra army, the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, said that during 1986 the Contras had received only “a trickle of money,” estimating it at $300,000 to $500,000 in addition to humanitarian aid approved by Congress. Meese said Tuesday that up to S3O million from the arms sales, carried out by Israel with U.S. blessing, had gone into numbered Swiss bank accounts controlled by the Contras. As Meese, Colero and several members of Congress made the rounds of the morning news shows, President Reagan prepared to fly west for a five-day Thanksgiving holiday in the solitude of his California mountaintop ranch. The only public activity before leaving: the annual presentation of a Thanksgiving turkey to the president.

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Tower, Muskie, Scowcroft named to NSC review board

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Reagan today appointed former Sen. John Tower, former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie and one-time national security adviser Brent Scowcroft to a special review board that will investigate the activities of the White House National Security Council, which coordinated the secret sale of U.S. arms to Iran. Tower, who most recently served as a U.S. arms negotiator, was picked as chairman of the three-member panel. The NSC was rocked Tuesday by the resignation of its chief, Vice Adm. John Poindexter, and by the firing of one of his chief deputies, Lt. Col. Oliver North, in the aftermath of the disclosure that up to S3O million from the arms sale was secretly funneled to Contra rebels battling the leftist government of Nicaragua.

Angry Congress stiffening against more aid to Contras

WASHINGTON (AP) The revelation that Iranian arms money funded Contras in Nicaragua is leading stunned legislators of both parties to call for more firings and new investigations of Reagan administration foreign policy. They also are predicting that Congress will ban further U.S. aid for the Nicaraguan rebels. Most appeared surprised by the White House announcement of the connection between secret arms shipments to Iran and military aid to the guerrillas trying to overthrow Nicaragua’s leftist government. President Reagan announced the removal of his national security adviser, Vice Adm. John Poindexter, and his assistant, Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. Attorney General Edwin Meese said money from the Iranian arms sales went into a Swiss bank account for use by the Contras. “Today you have a situation in which two policies are colliding around a Geneva bank account,” said Sen. David Durenberger, RMinn., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said his panel is investigating the tangled situation, but “it is way beyond our wildest imagination” that something like it would occur. “It comes as a shock.” Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “the Reagan administration has to understand that they cannot abuse the laws of democracy to foster democracy abroad.” Nunn said there should be an investigation of whether laws were violated, including the Boland Amendment, which bars U.S. support for overthrowing Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, and the 1977 Arms Export Control Act, which limits the transfer abroad of U.S. weapons. Durenberger, an opponent of Contra aid, said, “I suspect it will be a cold day in Washington before any more money goes to Nicaragua. Ollie North may have killed his Nicaragua program.” Nunn, a backer of Contra aid, con-

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While defending his Iranian initiative, Reagan said Tuesday that its implementation was seriously flawed. He ignored shouted questions from reporters today in the Rose Garden during a ceremony to receive a Thanksgiving turkey. Reagan said the review board was charged with conducting “a comprehensive study of the future role and procedures of the National Security Council staff in the development, coordination, oversight and conduct of foreign and national security policy. “In particular, I have asked the board to review the NSC staff’s proper role in operational activities, especially extremely sensitive diplomatic, military and intelligence missions,” the president said in a statement. “Specifically, they should look at the manner in which foreign and national security policies I

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Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia), incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday “the Reagan administration has to understand that they cannot abuse the laws of democracy to curred. “Contra aid was already a very close question,” and the latest revelation “puts it in further jeopardy.” Congress last month changed its earlier position and voted to permit SIOO million, including S7O million in military help, to the Contras. Senate Democratic Leader Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said, “It was a shocking revelation and it further shows up the chaotic state of our foreign policy.” Byrd said Reagan should “admit it was a mistake and pick up from there.” House Majority Leader Jim

established have been implemented by the NSC staff. In conducting their review, the board will have full and complete access to the NSC staff and its resources as well as the cooperation of the other departments and agencies in the executive branch,” he promised. Tower, a Texas Republican, served in the Senate from 1961 until 1985. Muskie was a Democratic senator from Maine from 1959 until May 1980, when he resigned to become secretary of state under thhen-President Carter. Scowcroft, a retired lieutenant general in the Air Force, served as national security adviser to President Ford from 1975 until 1977. He currently is associated with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in a consulting firm known as Kissinger Associates, Inc.

foster democracy abroad." Nunn was among members of Congress who called for an indepth investigation of the U.S. arms deal with Iran that tunneled money to Contra forces in Nicaragua. (AP Laserphoto) Wright, D-Texas, said he thought the operation violated the Boland Amendment, at least in spirit, and said it “defies credulity” to believe that North “could be making foreign policy.” “Surely someone else had to be involved in discussing it,” Wright said. “The president should have been aware. If nobody knew of it, that in itself is a confession of a great void in the execution of our foreign policy.” Bdt Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., called the Iran armsContra connection “a bizarre twist” and urged people to “do everything possible to resist” the temptation “to act and speak before they think or before all the facts are known. ” But Democrats didn’t wait. Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., said “An atmosphere of recklessness and lawlessness has permeated foreign policy.” And Sen. Tom Harkin, Dlowa, said, “It is clear from what has been said that laws have been violated” and called for an independent special prosecutor to investigate.

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