SENATE PANEL QUIZZES EX-NSC AIDES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201530005-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 2, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/10 :CIA-RDP90-009658000201530005-9
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Senate Panel Quizzes Ex-NSC Aides
1~IcFarlane and 1Vorth Testify in 'Closed Hearing
By ~sk der and Helen De~~ar
Waan~r~Kt,~n Pnyc `t;f ti'lr.tcr
The Senate Select Committee on [~~tel-
ligence be an a closed-door robe 'nt
eagan a mmistraUOn s clandestine [r n
an :icaraguan o erations esterday tak-
ing sworn testimonv rom ormer natirm~
security adviser Robert C. McFarlane and
L . o . ever . _ortil. ~ w 1
t e . aUonal Security Council staff for his
invo vemen
A third witness, believed to have been
fohn c~ a on, a ormer eputy director of
the Central Intelh ence enc also _tes-
ti ~e urm t e marat on session which
asted nearl 12 hours. Committee._mem-
bers re use to confirm the identity the
it witness. ~~
)vtcFarlane, who helped arrange an arms
deal for Iran that subsequently diverted an
estimated $10 million to $30 million in
funds to aid the Nicaraguan antigovernment
rebels, or contras, testified for nearly 6'/a
hours. When he emerged from the session
around nightfall, he looked flushed and grim
and refused to talk with reporters.
McFa.ianee a{~pearaT:ce before the com-
? mittee ti a~ requested over the weekend,
and he worked into the early hours Sunday
preparing for his testimony with his attor-
ney, Leonard Garment, White House coun-
sel :n the Nixon administration.
A source familiar with his testimony said
NtcFarlane wad asked repeatedly about who
else in the administration he told about the
diversion of money to aid the contras after
learning of it from North last May. McFar-
lane reportedly responded that he did not
tell others because he thought they knew.
McFarlane said last week that he as-
sumed the operation was administration
policy.
McMahon as
CIA
de ut director
agreed in Nove
er 1
5 to provide agen-~
c assistance in
elfin
an air lane for an
arms shipment to ran a ter an unusua ors
reciues rom ort ccor mg to n. an-
iel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.),
McMahon approved North's re-
quest but warned that he would re-
quire an order from President Rea-
gan to do it again.
In February, McMahon quit his.
job without explanation. [n the same?
month, the first U.S. shipment of
500 TOW antitank missiles went,
from the United States to Israel and
then to [ran.
North appeared before the Sen-
ate committee last night, after
McFarlane and McMahon. Attorney
General I;clwin Meese III said last
week that North had "precise
knowledge" about the operation.
Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter,
who Meese s