Editorial
North admits to lying;
others must con fess
As the Iran-Contra congressional hearings unfold, one
thing is becoming increasingly evident: a nexus of con
tradictions and lies has permeated the Reagan administra
tion. the justice department, the CIA and the National
Security Council. Consider the following:
The original sin: The Reagan administration's postilion
regarding terrorism was not to give in to terrorist demands
under any circumstances. Hut when the United States
engaged in an arms-for-hostages deal with Iran, the Reagan
administration contradicted its own terrorist policy, thereby
beginning the erosion of the administration's credibility
with the American public.
With the same act came the betrayal of our allies' trust
The administration pressured allied nations not to sell arms
to Iran, hut then went on to contradict its own diplomatic
rhetoric by selling weapons to the Iranians.
Next, when the Iran arms deal broke, President Reagan
lied to the American public in a statement by denying U S.
involvement in the arms sale.
Two weeks later. Reagan reappeared to address the
public, this time justifying the arms sales to Iran. Reagan
asserted the arms deal was carried out with the purpose of
developing diplomatic relations with "moderate" Iranian
factions.
The term ''moderate Iranian." however, is a contradic
tion. much like the phrase "military intelligence" under the
direction of l.t. Col. Oliver North. The moderate that North
and others at the White House dealt with in Iran was the
speaker of the Iranian parliament. Rafsanjani.
Rafsanjani is an extremely radical Iranian. Me super
vises the Iranian government's relationship with Hezbollah,
the Shiite Moslem extremist group responsible for the ab
duction and detention of American hostages. In fact. Rafsan
jani allocated $12.5 million to Iran-sponsored terrorism for
198B-87. Thus, to label Rafsanjani a moderate is a lie, albeit
a semantic one.
Then came the diversion of profits from the arms sales
to the United Democratic Front, the anti-Sandinista counter
revolutionary force termed the Contras but propogated as
the"freedom fighters" which is yet another semantic lie.
The diversion of funds to the Contras by U S. in
telligence organizations was prohibited clearly by the
Holand Amendment.
Then came the great white lie While the Reagan ad
ministration implemented a war on drugs, the Contras
allegedly engaged in what appears to be drug trafficking —
including exporting cocaine to the United States in an effort
to finance its counterinsurgency.
Another lie: Assistant Secretary of State for Inter
American Affairs Klliott Abrams assured congressional in
vestigators he had not solicited funds for the Contras from
foreign governments when in fact he had.
Attorney General Edwin Meuse lied Nov. 25 in an at
tempt to cover up U.S. involvement in the November 1985
arms shipments to Iran. Specifically. Meese claimed that the
shipment "took place between Israel and Iran, (and) did not
involve at that time the United States."
The CIA, however, was involved in the shipment and
evidence suggests Meese knew about it.
Next, North and then-CIA director William Casey con
cocted a story that the CIA had not known it was delivering
HAWK missies, hut rather "oil drilling equipment."
North lied to Congress and created false chronologies of
events, lie later heroically admitted to these lies to congres
sional investigators and the American public — but that is
the only thing he has done heroically.
Now that North has told the truth, it is high time others
come forth and admit to their lies. This should be done for
the sake of accountability to the American people, if not for
the sake of veracity.
/me pic
Commentary
Hearing makes North celebrity
LI. Col. Oliver North. Viet
nam war hen» and admitted
liar, has become a celebrity
following six days of grueling
testimony to congressional
committees regarding his role
in the Iran-Contra fiasco.
In the wake of the hearings.
North has emerged as
America’s newest heartthrob;
a man who demonstrated
gusto, guts and conviction to
his ideals, even though those
convictions could lead him to
la* — well — convicted on
criminal charges.
Commentary by
Mike Drummond
Hut why is North enjoying
new-found celebrity status
and what does this say about
the American consciousness?
North has done an about
face in the eyes of the
American public. Before his
testimony, he had been
characterized as a "loose can
non" in the White House and
as somebody who put Presi
dent Reagan's integrity on the
line.
Hut that opinion has soften
ed considerably. Part of the
reason for his renewed ascent
to grace has to do with his
meritorious military perfor
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mance in Vietnam and.
ironically, his derring-do as a
National Security Council
employee.
North’s six rows of ribbons
and various other medals of
honor pasted to his Marine
uniform testify to the lieute
nant colonel's wartime
glories. The battlefield tradi
tionally has been a proving
ground for valor — a kind of
metaphor for masculinity —
and no matter what one can
say against North, no one can
deny that he was a good
soldier.
Mis stint with the NSC also
conjures images of a man serv
ing his country. Taken by
themselves, details of his
secret, global exploits while
with the NSC show fantastic,
albeit misguided, gumption.
Me has admitted to perform
ing classic cloak-and-dagger
sorties — from dawning
disguises to participating in
clandestine operations —
from implementing the
seizure of the Achilla l..iuro
terrorists to helping with
logistics fur the U.S. bombing
of Libya. Me even admitted he
was prepared to pop a cyanide
pill if captured and tortured
by kidnappers when he went
to Tehran.
To understand why the
United States has come to ac
cept. nay. to adore the colonel
one only has to look at the
superficialities of the Iran
Contra hearings. Oliver North
has swept the nation off its
feet with imagery, pure and
simple.
The medals and uniform
North wore to the hearings
each day were not thrown on
by accident, (t was all part of a
carefully orchestrated
defense, masterminded by
North's attorney, the famed
Brendan Sullivan Jr.
The spit-and-polish Marine
who, for the most part
answered the committee's
questions with a big-toe-in
the-sand brand of
sheepishness, came across as
a persecuted man being
harassed for doing his duty
and doing it well.
Sullivan's protestations to
the committee — the impas
sioned "Get off his (North’s)
back." comes to mind — il
lustrated the "maligned
Marine" scenario of the
hearings.
Indeed, at the onset of the
hearings North portrayed
himself as the underdog, and
America’s support for the
underdog is a time-honored
tradition.
Moreover, the glam of the
public through the watchful
eye of the media helped
North’s testimony rather than
hindered it. From their televi
sion sets, America got a first
hand view of North — alone
save for his wife and counsel
pitted against two rows of
inquisitive congressmen. It
was the perfect forum for the
underdog; a highly conducive
arena for eliciting emotional
support.
Hut all of these syrupy
sweet images of North as fami
ly man. North as dedicated
Marine, North as man
persecuted by his fellow man
gloss over the real, substan
tive issues — issues like, why
did he lie to Congress, the
American people and the
CIA? Why did he feel com
pelled to shred documents if
what he thought he was doing
was perfectly legal and
legitimate? And why. if he
received all of his orders from
superiors, were policies and
laws governing the sale of
arms circumvented?
Americans temporarily
seem to have forgotten these
issues and the possible
criminal repercussions North
faces and. instead, have suc
cumbed to "Olliemania.'This
is nothing less than frighten
ing, for the American public's
gullibility iias overshadowed
its sense of reason.