Word: scowcroft
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There are deeper worries by some thoughtful folks, chief among them Brent Scowcroft. He was one of the three members of the Tower board, whose report shook the White House and has set the stage for the congressional hearings. Recently he spoke publicly on this issue for the first time, to a small gathering at Georgetown University. "I found myself wondering how well any past operation would have fared if subjected to the same microscopic scrutiny which we gave to this affair," said Scowcroft. "We all make mistakes. The thing that is troublesome is whether or not the national tolerance...
From his vantage point behind the table of the Tower board, Scowcroft noted a disturbing pattern. "I was struck by the number of times that front- page stories on Iran-contra appeared containing only the thinnest and most speculative of new material, just enough to generate a headline and to provide a hook on which to hang a rehash of the same old stories. In this manner the issue seemed to be able to sustain itself as big news, almost regardless of the emergence of new material...
That feature of the plan has raised old worries at home and abroad. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and Congressman Les Aspin, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, have resurrected the fear that the zero option may be decoupling. Some Europeans are concerned that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and other leaders have invested so much political capital in forcing through the deployments despite domestic opposition that it would be awkward for them now to feign enthusiasm for the total removal of the missiles...
...knew of the diversion of Iran arms proceeds to the contras? Scowcroft conceded in an interview that the report "only scratches the surface of the contra diversion." The board was able to determine that at least $23 million in profits from the arms sales was available for diversion. This includes $3 million from the first two Israeli shipments and $20 million from the four U.S. deliveries. In each case "the price charged to Iran was far in excess of what was paid to the Department of Defense." The board reports that "nothing is known" about the disposition of the Israeli...
...Although North made himself into the point man for Iranscam's excesses, the Tower commission blames Poindexter for failing to restrain his aide in carrying out what were, after all, presidential policies. "Poindexter's own bent for operations aided and abetted rather than compensated for North," Commission Member Brent Scowcroft told TIME. "There's nothing wrong with having a 'cowboy' working for you, but you have to keep the reins tight...