TOP BUSH AIDE TIED TO SECRET CONTRA OPERATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302030005-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 29, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302030005-2
-2
APED
TOXIN
AIDE TIED
TO SECRET
CONTRA
?PRAWN
By RACHEL FLICK
WASHINGTON ? A
top aide to Vice Presi-
dent George Bush has
been linked to a secret
contra operation that
was run by the man
who played a key role
in the sale of U.S. arms
to Iran.
Donald Gregg,
Bush's foreiffn_ policy
expert, reportedly
had hired a former
CIA man to help pro-
vide supplies for the
Nicaraguan rebels.
That operation ?
which came to light
after pilot Eugene
Hasenfus was shot
down ? was report-
edly financed by re-
tired Maj. Gen. Rich-
ard Secord.
This week The Post
reported that Secord,
formerly a top De-
fense Dept. official,
handled the Iranian
arms money that was
funneled to the con-
tras.
The Gregg-Secord
connection is part of
an emerging web of
contacts in the com-
plex Nicaragua-Iran
affair that apparently
also involves Saudi
Arabia.
Gregg. a former
CIA station chief, is
known to have close
ties to Saudi officials
and to former colonel
Robert Lilac, who
now worl?Tajr/r"--? mice-
I3anctaz-7-TEE?Saral
ambassador to Wash-
higton.
Lilac is a longtime
associate of Secord.
NEW YORK POST
29 November 1986
The Saudi connec-
tion is significant be-
cause of reports that
the Saudis were the
source of the money
paid for U.S. arms
that were shipped
over the last year to
Iran.
Bush's own ties to
the Saudis were illus-
trated this week when
? according to a top-
level government
source ? the vice
president invited
Prince Bandar and
Lilac to a private
viewing of the movie
"Top Gun."
Bush, a former head
of the CIA, remained
out of sight in Wash-
ington yesterday and
his spokesman was
unavailable for com-
ment.
Gregg first attracted
attention when it was
reported that he had
hired former CIA aide
Max Gomez to run the
airriTt of military sup-
plies to aid the contras.
Ln the 1970s Gregg
served q the CIA's
station chief in Seoul,
Korea, and ag...Prezi-
dent Carter's Intelli-
gence liaison with the
National Security
Council.
One source told The
Post that under Bush,
Gregg has involved
himself in foreign
policy matters in
every region of the
globe ? while keep-
ing out of sight.
"He was on the
CIA," the source said.
"He was on the dark
side of the house."
Lilac ? a former
NSC staffer ? and Se-
cord have worked to-
gether to arrange of-
ficial U.S. arms sales
to Saudi Arabia, in-
cluding the 1981
AWACS sale.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302030005-2