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