Word: contra
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...testimony before the congressional committees investigating the Iran-contra affair, Poindexter insisted he and he alone gave final approval to Lieut. Colonel Oliver North's proposal to take profits from U.S. arms sales to Iran and divert them to the Nicaraguan rebel forces. He claimed to have exercised this authority without ever telling the President, so as to protect Reagan from the "politically volatile issue" that subsequently exploded on them. "I made the decision," Poindexter declared in an even, matter-of-fact tone. "I was convinced that the President would, in the end, think it was a good idea...
Moreover, Poindexter said, his extraordinary exercise of authority did not end with the contra diversion. As the scandal was breaking last November, Poindexter testified, he destroyed a piece of vital evidence: a covert-action finding, drafted by the CIA and signed by the President in December 1985, that retroactively approved Israel's shipments of U.S. arms to the Iranians. The document, said the admiral, depicted the weapons transactions as a straight arms-for-hostages swap with Iran rather than a diplomatic effort to establish contacts with Iranian moderates, as the President has maintained. "I thought it was politically embarrassing," said...
...President's supporters, Poindexter's confession was a turning point in the Iran-contra melodrama, resolving one of the essential issues of the scandal. There would be no evidence directly linking Reagan to the ugly and possibly unlawful use of money garnered by selling weapons to terrorists. While the White House staff breathed a sigh of relief over the admiral's disclosure, Reagan at first seemed nonchalant. "What's new about that?" he shrugged. "I've been saying that for seven months...
...performance fueled rather than stilled speculation in Washington that Poindexter was the Administration's designated scapegoat for the scandal. In earlier testimony North, who was Poindexter's hyperactive aide at the NSC, claimed he and Director of Central Intelligence William Casey had often ! discussed the intricacies of the Iran-contra operation. According to North, Casey said the Marine might have to play the "fall guy," taking blame for the entire operation if it was ever exposed. On further consideration, Casey speculated that North might not be "senior enough" to make a credible scapegoat; the CIA director suggested Poindexter would have...
Poindexter contended that during daily briefings he reported to Reagan "in general terms" on the status of the contras. He said he told the President of North's "instrumental" role in helping sustain the rebels, filling Reagan in on the secret airstrip built in Costa Rica by North's contra resupply network. The admiral said that while the President knew the rebels were being supported by private donations and contributions from third countries, he never asked where precisely the money was coming from. "The President . . . is not a man for great detail," said Poindexter, inadvertently provoking chuckles from the audience...