U.S. PROBING CONTRA INQUIRY DELAY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403620008-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: December 16, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP9O-00965ROO0403620008-2
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U.S. Probing Contra Inquiry Delay
~Yleese Action on Diversion of Funds Alay Also Be Examined
By Howard Kurtz securing the release of one hostage and negotiating
secret arms shipments to Iran.
opened an inquiry into the department's decision to But the delay also raised questions about whether
briefly halt an FBI probe into arms shipments to the Meese and other department officials knew of the con-
Nicaraguan contras, informed sources said yesterday. nection between the [ran arms sales and clandestine
The inquiry by Michael Shaheen, head of the depart- funding of the contras earlier than they have acknowl-
ment's Office of Professional Responsibility, may also edged. Department officials have strongly denied this.
examine Attorney General Edwin Meese [II's initial Shaheen may also examine Meese's weekend fact-
inquiry into the Reagan administration's diversion of finding inquiry on the matter, which began four days
money from arms sales to Iran to the contras, the before he publicly disclosed the allegations Nov. 25.
sources said. Meese has been criticized for waiting several days be-
Shaheen, who acts as an independent inspector gen- fore bringing in the FBI and for not disqualifying him-
eral and has the power to seek indictments, was self from the probe, despite his role in advising the
prompted by a letter Friday from Sen. Joseph R. Biden White House on the arms shipments to Iran.
Jr. (D-Del.), incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Justice Department spokesman Terry Eastland,
Committee. Biden asked Shaheen to examine "allega- while saying he had no information on the Shaheen
tions of possible improper or unethical activities" in probe, said yesterday that "the department's handling
connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's of this matter can withstand scrutiny. We have done the
10-day delay of the contra probe in south Florida. right job at every stage. In every step along the way,
Sources have said that Associate Attorney General the attorney general has handled this appropriate to
Stephen S. Trott asked FBI Director William H. Web- what the evidence is."
ster Oct. 30 to delay non-urgent aspects of the contra The FBI is continuing the Iran-contra investigation
probe, citing delicate negotiations to free American while waiting for a special three-judge court to name an
hostages in the Middle East. The Justice Department independent counsel. Eleven Democrats on the House
has said the 10-day delay did not damage the invests- Judiciary Committee asked the court yesterday to
gation and was based on "legitimate national security broaden the counsel's mandate beyond that requested
concerns." but refused to elaborate. by Meese.
The FB[ robe is focusin on Southern Air Transport The letter says the counsel's charter should include
[nc~ a former -owned company at was Usea o all contra funding investigations and the justice Depart-
shiparms to [ran and to the contras in Central America. ment's handling of the allegations, according to a
The delay was ordered while the administration was spokesman for Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.).
W1, nnigron N,,.( ,
v.,11 Wrtcr over several others, an effort that could have been jeop-
The justice Department's internal inspector has ardized by disclosure of Southern Air's role in the then-
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP9O-00965ROO0403620008-2