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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1987)
Friday, February 27, 1987/The Battalion/Page 7 World and Nation Tower Commission report suggests over-up by presidential assistants WASHINGTON (AP) — The lower Commission suggested Thursday that the president’s men [tried to cover up the full story once [the Iran arms deal began unravel ing- Its report cited what it said was a nisleading account of events by for- ner National Security Adviser Rob- brt McFarlane, indications of con cealment efforts by Lt. Col. Oliver torth and a lack of notes from neetings at which McFarlane’s suc cessor, John M. Poindexter, was offi cial note-taker. The commission said it did not be lieve President Reagan intended to lover up unlawful conduct, but that jie wanted the full story told. But its critical report said those iround the president who prepared pis supporting documents “did not kppear, at least initially, to share the president’s ultimate wishes.” Although there have been reports hat North, the president’s National ecurity Council aide, may have de- Itroyed, altered or removed docu- nents from the White House, the Commission provided the first offi- Three major investigations continue in Iran arms deal WASHINGTON (AP) — With the release of the report of the Tower Commission on Thursday, three ma jor investigations still are looking into the secret arms sales to Iran and the reported diversion of profits to the Nicaraguan rebels. The current investigations in clude: • The Senate select committee headed by Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D- Hawaii, and co-chaired by Sen. War ren Rudman, R-N.H. The Senate panel has until August to compile a report. • The House select committee headed by Rep. Lee Hamilton, D- Ind., which has until October to file its report. • Independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh, a retired federal judge who is running a wide-ranging in vestigation authorized by a special panel of federal judges. Walsh is ex pected to take several months to complete his work. But the constitutionality of Walsh’s appointment and position has been challenged in court, a move that could delay or terminate his ef fort. , cial suggestion that Poindexter had a hand in missing documents. In a section devoted to actions of the administration in the aftermath of the first disclosures of the arms deal, the commission said it was “concerned about various notes that appear to be missing.” “Poindexter was the official note- taker in some key meetings, yet no notes for the meetings can be found,” it said. “The reason for the lack of such notes remains unknown to the board.” The commission said it lacked the evidence to confirm or refute that North destroyed documents. But it said there was “considerable reason to question the actions” of North in the aftermath of last No vember’s first disclosure of the arms sales. “The board found indications that Lt. Col. North was involved in an ef fort, over time, to conceal or with hold important information,” the commission said. It recounted efforts by the White House, after the first revelations in a Lebanese magazine last Nov. 3, to reconstruct the events in a chronol ogy- It said the NSC put together the events in a way that was inaccurate and misleading. “Mr. McFarlane described for the board the process used by the NSC staff to create a chronology that obscured essential facts,” the com mission said. ioviets conduct 1st nuclear test since 1985 MOSCOW (AP) — The Soviet Union deto nated its first nuclear explosion in 19 months Jhiirsday and said it was forced to resume test- |ig because the United States refused to go along Hth a Kremlin moratorium on weapons tests. I The explosion under the steppe in remote Kazakhstan was announced by tnc Soviet news Igency Tass. The rapid announcement was |ighly unusual and appeared intended to under- pre the Kremlin’s contention that continued American testing required a resumption of Soviet psts. “I want to stress once more that the termi- lation of the moratorium was a forced measure lictated by security interests only,” said Maj. pn. Gely Batenin, a Defense Ministry spokes- But at a special news conference on the test, he said, “The resumption of nuclear explosions by the Soviet Union does not mean that it has aban doned its struggle for the complete cessation of such tests.” Batenin added, “A historic chance for ending nuclear tests once and for all has been missed.” In Washington, the State Department said the Soviets’ decision to resume nuclear testing was their own affair. “The U.S. position on nuclear testing is clear,” department spokesman Phyllis Oakley added. “As long as we depend on nuclear weapons for our security, we must insure that those weapons are safe, secure, reliable and effective. This de mands some level of underground nuclear test ing as permitted by existing treaties.” The White House has said in the past that the blasts also are necessary to develop the “Star Wars” anti-missile system based in space. During the 19-month freeze, Mikhail S. Gor bachev and other Soviet leaders repeatedly called on the United States to halt testing and accused Washington of being unwilling to work toward arms control. Soviet officials stressed that the Kremlin was leaving the door open for a superpower test ban. Tass said the blast, the Soviets’ first since July 25, 1985, had a yield of less than 20 kilotons, the force of the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiro shima, Japan in 1945. The United States conducted two tests in the Nevada desert this year. nate Before You Spring Break’87 VclC&te aggie blood drive March 2,3,4, & 5 Places and Times: Commons: 10 am to 8 pm MSC: 10 am to 6 pm Fish Pond: 10 am to 6 pm Zachry: 10 am to 5 pm THE blood center at Wadley "^agg]e\\\ s ///cinema/^ RALPH MACCtHO PAT MORI TA -Jig Fri, Sat, Feb. 27,28 $2 Rudder Theatre 7:30/9:45 Next Week: "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" \ Junis The Concert Film ^ Ftb.27&28 Midnight s' ft.SO f Rudder Theatre i MSC Aggie Cinema Port Arthur, Texas’ songbiid performs Me uid Bobby McGee Mercedes Benz A Piece of My Heart and o.hcr 1960 s hits * ctAMUj %) ^INTERNATIONAL POTLUCK DINNER AT THE BHAV VTiTH WLLEV. 900 3CTSET PV PlL_ 1.41 La — cPreseqts tsS^ BC f S *^. c SUNMY /AARCH1' "TOO pm. WOMEN WHO FLEW DURING WWII March 3 8*30pun Room 501 Rudder ) cpreseiits March ^ 0 t a free _ 5 A message from Nicaraguan Women"* 7~8 i 30 pun. 601 Rudder admission $too CrAM &'> y? c Preseqts qVight of Culture performances by: Tina Bustamante of Austin Karen Elba of Chapel Hill, N.C. 201 MSC 7^00 pJTL March 8* Adm. $2.00 Another service of Alpha Phi Omega, Student Government, Omega Phi Alpha