CIA EXEC TESTIFIES NORTH WITHHELD IRAN CARGO DATA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89T00142R000700920037-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: August 30, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/04/08: CIA-RDP89T00142R000700920037-2
,HICAGC SUN TAMES
AU
1987
CIA exec testifies North
withheld Iran cargo data
N ownouse News *Orme
WASHINGTON-CIA counter?
terrorism chief Du ie "Dewey"
Ivembet ?985.
Clarridge has
told 'congres-
sional investi-
ptors that he
did not know
missiles being
sent to Iran as
part of a hos?
tage?release
deal were on a
plane for
which he ar-
ranged la4ding
rights in No-
Clarridge testified before the
Jran?ooatta committees in private
ton Aug. R. A deposition released
Wednesday quoted him as saying
$tnfortnation about the plane's cargo
Swan withheld from him by Marine
1Corpe Lt. Col, Oliver L. North.
ethen a National Security Council
aide managing the scheme from the
White House.
North and other U.S. officials
have said Clarridge was aware both
of arms shipmentii to Iran and aid
to contra rebels battling Nicara-
gua's leftist government. In his tes-
timony, Clarridge denied that he
knew about those operations.
But one member of the investi?
gating panels, Sen. William S, Co-
hen (R?Maine), told Clarridge that
he was bothered by the witnesss
"major lapse in memory" when
confronted with testimony and evi-
dence indicating that he actually
was told of the Iran and contra
developments.
Clarridge ehoi said the late Wil-
liam J. Casey wanted the CIA.
which he headed at the time, to run
the Reagan administration's entire
covert operation involving Iran but
was opposed by ether top officials
in the agency For that reason.
Clarridge said. the Iran operation
was turned over to North.
In thret months of hearings, the
committees heard extensive testi-
mony about the shipment of SO
Hawk missiles. apparently carried
out without written presidential in-
telligence findings.
The "cover stnn?" developed by
North and others described the
cargo as oil-drilling equipment
rather than weapon- Clarridge said
he believed that version until ,1snu-
cry. 1966+, when an unidcniifii?d
U S. official told him otherwise.
The cover story later was includ?
ed in a series of chronologies pre-
pared by North and former nation-
al security advisers John M. Puin-
dexter and Robert C. McFarlane as
the Iran-contra story was breaking
publicly late last year.
Clarridge testified that the na-
ture of the cargo in November,
198.'x, mattered little to the CIA's
then-deputy director, John McMa-
hon, because MIcMuhiin ini;ited
that a presiaeni ui Int.uiKri1C*
finding wa+ required to make the
shipment legal.
McMahon was concerned be
cause a private airline empiuyed ht
the CIA had been involved in the
shippment, the deposition indicated
Clarridge said McMahon "had
learned of the flight and the use of
our proprietary, and he said to me
that it didn't make much difference
as far as he could see whether they
were oil-drilling spare part4 or it
was gunpowder, weapons-or what-
ever.,,
STAT
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/04/08: CIA-RDP89T00142R000700920037-2