FUTURE LOOKING GRIM FOR GATES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290074-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 21, 2013
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: March 2, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Ii
ART c Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/21: CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290074-3
ON PAOF 'C- ,S % 2 March 1987
Future looking
E
grim. for Gates
nomination is held up for a half year or hands-off policy are seriously over,"
more while investigators finish their Laxalt said.
By HARRISON RAINIE probe of Gates' role in the scandal.
_ The President plans to deliver that
News wasnfngtonBureau Gates was criticized by lawmakers message to the American people
WASHINGTON-Robert Gates' nomi- and members of the Tower board for Wednesday night in a prime-time tele-
nation to become CIA director is "damn overseeing intelligence analyses at the vised address in response to the Tower
near doomed" by his role in the IranCon CIA that encouraged the administration report, Laxalt said on ABC-TV's David
arms scandal, a knowledgeable source to think it could begin dealing with Brinkley show.
said yesterday. "moderates" in Ayatollah Khomeini's Though most lawmakers have urged
President Reagan's allies yesterday government. And Gates was denounced Reagan to admit he personally made
could count no more than 30 sure votes for failing to vigorously pursue evidence mistakes in launching the arms-for-hos-
among the 100 senators for Gates' con- that cash from the Iran arms sales was tages swap with Khomeini's government
firmation, though a fill GOP headcount being diverted illegally Contras in Nica- and in allowing his National Security
won't be finished until late today. A ma- ragua. Council to run wild, Laxalt said Reagan
jority of senators voting would be need- In another IranCon development yes- is not yet willing to make that conces-
ed for the confirmation to go through. terday, Scowcroft and former Sen. John sion.
Sources said Reagan probably will not Tower, the head of the presidential pan- "He must, if not apologize, get very
decide until late this week whether to el that probed the scandal, disagreed close to that," said Dole. "He should
pull 4the plug on Gates. The President about a key point of testimony by the, say, `Mistakes were made and some of
wants to see whether criticism of the President them were mine.'"
CIA deputy subsides after Gates gives Asked about memo "In 20-20 hindsight, he should say this
secret testimony on IranCon to the Sen- was a flawed policy-it was a trip that
ate Intelligence Committee on Wednes- Tower said Reagan was asked directly shouldn't have been taken," said Laxalt.
day. whether he had seen the "smoking gun" "More important than that, though, he
Another potential candidate to head memo from National Security Council (Reagaq) piust.get. bia head_and his. gut
the CIA, sources say, is retired Gen. aide Oliver North outlining plans to di- _SGtiai~3t,Gp.ta8 Q:t~ U?s ab-
Brent Scowcroft, a Tower Commission vert money from the U.S.-Iran arms osefrrt g fl tlm hej~Aatttight'?
member and former national security sales to the Contras, and that Reagan
adviser to President Gerald Ford. Scow- denied ever seeing it.
croft said on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press" i But Scowcroft said Reagan was not
'.o, y, . about the menu, LutAva&
that he was "not particularly" interest- drdiraatl
;He.badrany knowiedt di the It
ed in the job and that it hadn't been of- ,
fered, but he did not rule it out.
Reagan's friends have told him Gates
"has the smell of Irangate on him," and
Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), a widely re-
spected lawmaker, said the odds now
are 51% to 49% against Gates being con-
firmed.
Look again, Ron
"I think the President ought to take a
second look," said Reagan's close
friend, former Sen. Paul Laxalt.
Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole
(R-Kan.) said Gates. is in trouble on two
fronts. If Senate Democrats decide to
move for a quick confirmation vote after
his Wednesday testimony, Gates would
likely lose, according to Dole. But the
administration also would suffer if the
version, and that Reagan said he had
not known about the diversion.
The memo was written in early April
1986 and had markings that indicated it
was prepared for the President. It out-
lined how $12 million in proceeds from
the upcoming arms sale could be fun-
neled to the Contras. When it was found
in North's safe, the memo was stapled to
a document that Reagan had initialed
that spelled out the bargaining terms a
U.S. team was to use when it went to
Tehran to try to win release of Ameri-
can hostages held in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Tower re-
port, which was released last Thursday,
sources say the President is determined
to show that he can run his government.
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/21 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290074-3