Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah) questions North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Chairman Senator Daniel Inouye (D - Hawaii). Mr. Hatch. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah) Colonel North, for the last four days, really the fifth day now, I have listened to your testimony. You ve sat there at the witness table, armed only with that potted plant there at your side. Or should I say non potted plant? I think that would be more accurate. And in some respects, from where I sit, you have shed new light on matters that have come before this committee. You ve admitted error. You ve accepted some blame. You ve provided some helpful explanations of what was going on and why they occurred in the first place. And from what you ve said your motives and your intentions were, it seems to me, from your perspective, were always good for our country, were always well intentioned in the best interest of our country. And I think that s important. You ve helped take this affair, it seems to me, away from the media. Some of whom, I think, have for months have tried to make of it something it was not. Now having said that Colonel North, and I didn t say all of them, I said some of them. Now having said that, and they can judge themselves whether they fit in one or the other category. But I think the American people know. Now having said that I don t want to give the impression there weren t some mistakes made here. There were. And I think that trading arms for hostages is wrong. And to the extent that the Iran initiative became strictly an arms for hostage s deal, which it was not, but nevertheless has been portrayed by certain people in the media to be, I think that was wrong. I also don t feel that misleading or lying to Congress can ever be condoned. You need to know that. As a general proposition Colonel North would you agree however that we have got to come up with a workable system where the executive branch does not feel that it has to mislead the Congress? Do you agree with that? Colonel Oliver North. I do.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Okay what about drug smuggling? There have been a lot of allegations thrown around that the Contra resupply operation was involved in cocaine trafficking? The news program over the weekend suggested that Rob Owen, who testified earlier, was involved in drug smuggling. Now is there any truth to that? Can you shed any light for us on that subject? Colonel Oliver North. Absolutely False. Mr. Owen is the last person, right beside me that would engage in those kinds of activities. And when Mr. Owen found any information pertaining to the possibility of involvement in drugs, he told me and I would tell the appropriate federal authorities. And there were several of such instances. Absolutely False Senator. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). I believe that.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). I take exception with something you said in your opening statement Colonel North. You stressed several times that this committee s final conclusion would be apt to put the blame on the executive branch and we would not be willing to share some of that blame ourselves. In that regard, Colonel I think you are prejudging us. In my view, thanks in part to your testimony the past couple of days, we may yet stand a chance of understanding the broader foreign policy objectives of the Iran initiative. I d like to read something from the infamous diversion memo, which I might add says very little about diversion. It s interesting to me that the foreign policy goals and memorandum don t get much attention, while the eight lines referring to the diversion, it seems to me, have been dwelled on incessantly. In that memorandum you make the following statement, The US side made an effort to refocus Iranian attention on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. And the need to establish a longer term relationship between our two countries on more than arms transactions. It was emphasized that the hostage issue was a hurdle which must be crossed before this improved relationship could prosper. Now does that statement accurately reflect the objectives of the arms transaction? Colonel Oliver North. It does and I wrote them Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). You bet you did. And there hasn t been much said about that. And in a note you said Admiral Pointdexter dated September 17, 1986, a half year later. You wrote your talks with the Iranians were going well they and we want to move quickly beyond the obstacle of hostages. Sincerely believe that we can be instrumental in bring about an end to the Iran Iraq war. Now Colonel North, if you had achieved that objective alone the Iran initiative would be considered a success would it not? Colonel Oliver North. I m sure it would have Senator. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). That was quite an initiative. That was quite a desire, right? Colonel Oliver North. Yes, it was.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Colonel North hopefully these hearings can educate the public on these broad foreign policy goals that were associated with the Iran initiative and stated in your diversion memorandum. In addition to the ones I just referred too were the protections of the Northern tier states such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, India. Was that part of what you were trying to do? Colonel Oliver North. It was. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). And keep them supporting the freedom fighters in Afghanistan? Colonel Oliver North. Yes Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). You bet. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). And was the protection of the Southern tier states such as Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. Was that part of your goals? Colonel Oliver North. It was. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Important part wasn t it? Colonel Oliver North. We thought so. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Could have been disastrous, it still could be disastrous couldn t it? Colonel Oliver North. There s great potential for that Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Is one of those goals to win Iran away from its support of terrorism? Colonel Oliver North. It was. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). By opening up a second channel to moderates who believed that it was not in Iran s best long term interest to continue to foster and support terrorism? Colonel Oliver North. Yes and for 18 months it worked Sir.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Was the delivery to the United States of captured Russian military equipment a significant part of this plan and one of the goals? Colonel Oliver North. Yes Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Was the lessening of the Iranian reliance on the Soviet Union as an arms supplier one of the goals? Colonel Oliver North. The Soviet block - that is correct Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). Was the elimination of Iranian Support for the Sandinista one of your goals? Colonel Oliver North. It was and we clearly told them that. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). And finally if we could have gotten hostages out, which it unfortunately appears in the end to have consumed all of these broader foreign policy goals that still would have been an excellent result wouldn t it? Colonel Oliver North. Yes Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). You would have been very happy about that? Colonel Oliver North. I would not have been alone. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). In the end you were mainly concerned about that because you were afraid they were going to be killed, isn t that right? Colonel Oliver North. Yes sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). In fact there are memoranda that you have brought forth that are part of these stacks of documents that are taller than you? Colonel Oliver North. Yes Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). That have indicated that. That you were terribly afraid that they might be murdered or killed. Colonel Oliver North. Yes Sir. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). That s one of the reasons you were so frenetic isn t it - that you were flying all over the world, running back and forth working 18 to 20 hours a day. Isn t that right? Colonel Oliver North. We did a lot of travel Senator. Senator Orrin Hatch (R - Utah). You weren t the only one concerned are you? Colonel Oliver North. No Sir. I don t believe so