Subject: WHERE GEORGE WAS DURING IRAN-CONTRA
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 Written 4:26 pm Feb 25, 1991 by christic in cdp:christic.news 


   WHERE GEORGE WAS DURING IRAN-CONTRA 

  Project Censored: Nomination for the "Ten Best Censored Stories of 1990" 


  Although the events of the Iran-contra scandal have faded from the minds 
of the American press, the unanswered and perhaps the most intriguing 
question continues to be: "Where was George?" 

  Despite the vast experience that Bush acquired while serving as U.S.  
ambassador to China, director of the CIA, and head of the Reagan 
administration's task force on combating terrorism, his assertion that he 
was "out of the loop" has yet to be challenged or explored by the mainstream 
press.  


  But new material from North's diaries, which has yet to be widely examined 
or disseminated by the mainstream media, combines with previous evidence to 
paint a different picture of Bush's role. The new evidence was obtained 
through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the National Security 
Archive and Public Citizen.  

  The diaries provide additional evidence that Bush played a major role in 
Iran-contra from the beginning. He passed up repeated opportunities to cut 
the transactions short or at least make President Reagan think twice. While 
the secretaries of state and defense were both cut out of the 
arms-for-hostages deals after objecting to it, Bush attended almost every 
key meeting.  

  While publicly stating that, "It never became clear to me, the arms for 
hostages thing, until it was fully debriefed, investigated and debriefed by 
(the Senate Intelligence Committee on December 20, 1986)," White House logs 
show that Bush attended the first key Iran-contra meeting on August 6, 1985. 
It was at this meeting that Reagan, Bush, Schultz, Weinberger, and Chief of 
Staff Donald Regan heard National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane present 
the first deal--a swap of 100 TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran in exchange for 
the release of four American hostages in Lebanon.  

  Neither the Tower Commission nor the congressional committees elicited 
from any of the participants in the Aug. 6 meeting any memory of Bush's 
position on the issue. Bush's staff has said he was not present, citing 
their own records in conflict with the White House logs.  

  Additionally, the combination of the North diaries, the congressional 
committee's report, and White House logs place Bush at key meetings on 
January 6, 7, and 17; May 29; July 1 and 29; August 6; and October 3rd of 
1986.  

  While mounting evidence continues to thoroughly contradict the President's 
disclaimers, The White House sticks by its stock response: "The vice 
president's role in the Iran-contra affair was completely examined in the 
congressional inquiry, and we have nothing to add." 

  Evidently, the mainstream press doesn't either.  

  SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST (Outlook), 7/10/90, "Where George Was," by Tom 
Blanton, pp C1-C5.  


  End of text from cdp:christic.news 
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