NORTH SAID TO PLEDGE REAGAN'S SUPPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 28, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
STAT t~
WASHINGTON POST MAY 2 $ 1997
North Said to Pledge Reagan's Support
Contra ft re '
~.., -. gu Cites Assurance., re rirlrsq ar the Prpwifont
Den mown and Wafter Pincus minted that he wanted to show It to found North's office, is In the cue-
IOW and ire his "top boa..
`/ w tody t independent counsel Law-
"Who did You understand CAI n.ec. E. Walsh ft sown k-- 1.
i
+FM ret
red nIr ruCC4 1.01onel
who ran a private airlift to the NI.
earlpuan rebels during the cutoff of
U.S. military support testified yes.
terday that Marine Lt. Col. Oliver
L. North, then a white house aide,
. uur.d him that "we were working
for the president of the United
States."
"Bob, you're never going to get a
medal for this, but someday the
preaida' a ,..It .Iu,1w yvu& Iinud u.id
thank you for it," retired colonel
R+rt C, Dutton aeotad North as
saying last September. About that
time Dutton gave North a photo.
graph Album of the Central Amer.
Icon operation and North com-
Norm to be rularring to when he
said he'd like to two the photo-
graph album to his 'top boas?
naked Ken Ballen, a staff counsel for
the House and Senate committees
whose hearings on the Iran-contra
affair entered their fourth week
yesterday,
I 'understood he was talking
about ' the president," Dutton re.
Plied,
limited Immunitydfrom preosseccution
that he was In charge of the day-to-
day opwadmw of the snaresPrivate
airlift under the command of North
and retired Air Force major general
Richard V. Secord.
The photo album, which was
^ lipmepply liquro aoye Ito iatrnod Nurfh of possible seamfuL fly A14
the rlnp yesterday by an FBI
agent attd ldentitfed by Dutton.
Ps of Chia album showed traces
of th black dusting material used
to de t fingerprints.
r the hearing yesterday, the
Senate committee's chief counsel.
Arthur L. Liman, sold there was no
evide#ce of President Respt's fin.
gerrp~vats on the book.
The airlift was bet up in late 1983
who thf Cqp4r a, linens by
cret udl donat logic.
tieal ' taaoe to begin fighting
bad Nioa,uaua. During the next
year, the North-directed Airlift op-
eratlde was fdaatteed by donations
and fends diverted from the sale of
U.S. rats to Iran.
On Oct. S, one of the airlift's two
16 DUTTON, A18, Cell
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
 P'lA '::-;'-' 09:01 EUFRELLE'S [,!DArli, FLORIDA
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
Sic benefit" from being involved In who still employs him, and North, was a "detriment" once he reebarri
the Iranian transactions," with whom he was In frequent con- that Dutton. North and Secnrcl
"Business channels would be tact in the final months of the pri? would call the shots. A guarriiiA-
opened up because of the relations vate airlift. warfare specialist who had earned
that were going to be made by Mr. However, it took months to over- the respect of the Salvedorana.
(Allure A, f Hakim Arul by Mr. So- come oca red to". po t ca, Rodrigues had A close relationship
cord lnetde of Iran , ... When the weal e d problems wtth the e with the commanding general At"
time came that we could do buei? endAry Irelix Rodrig s Mer well AS "connections" in Washing-
ness there, the benefltn fnr (the-t. ton, to Vice President Husb's office,
lww
thnti those contacts would AirsAdy orators once found themselves tot Sridrlguez to come to they Whitt,
be made," Dutton said, locked out of their section of Ilo. House and, with Dutton present,
ror this reason, Duties said, I. pango air base In ElUvader..ap^ aoeasWl hilts of ,Ii ~14curityr
cord And Hakim, ;yecord'n business patently In retaliation for the ttmw he had seen National Seen.
partner Apparently were willing to ter of emote U.S , WIlwT aid dog flip In ter+~t>+ of Rairi?
assign button to the centre oilier. nelghlsiring niintry. Drops were gyoi'4 41 c
slam uptli the Iranian opportunities aborted because of bed weetbelt or Ta however, North cit.
meterleUsed. because the drop sites couldn't be eidad o Rodrl~?a foe frnr
Dutton described a genernlty har? locate& that i"00 Ssivadorwe would thr"
monious reintlonship with Secord, Rodrigues, According to Dutton, us of(tK jleee.' Uuttoo cold,
_Vv
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
 P'4;( `h 'P" 09:O1 RUPPELLE''; h1THMT. FI i-PTT)A
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TESTIMONY
Robert C. Duties, who ran jeel1vate airlift
sa
soatras, dada baltde for ltitfupelsI aidty
a ildmt spa, ftollaylna oboto album hr raw to Lt
Col No,ik. Dutton te,tlfod that North said he
wonted to show pbotea of effort to his "top roan,,,
These pgkfls tsgr rrrgde during yaetea'?
day's lrai,..eontra heulrig:
ON THE "TOP BOW:
^ Robert C, Uut#an, a M9060 Air ForNG
eeianal who helped supervloo the air rscup.
ply operation set up for the contras, testified
that than-White House aide Oliver 6. North
assured him that "we were workln4 for the
president of tho United Btetes." When Out-
ton gave North a photo album of the Central
Arrwrlcer, uperalla,, Nwth tb111miiitOd that
no wanted to snow it to near `top boss."
ON WARNING= OF SCANDAL
^ Felix I. Rodrigues, a former Ctrl oar-__
etlve also known as Max d said he told
North that the p ent could be %-_
a wandel wo
W I a On we the contra resupply
ItTb (became 11011C. RocrI are warned t
assoc s of convicted former
employe Edwin P. Wilson, who helped train
and arm the forces Uryan mow m
mar aadhan, were involved in the oa-W-1-fiN ,
Ith "the reputation that may nav ?
rlguez said, "R would be a disaster if It was=
Known by a body."
ON THE CONTRA AIRLIFT;
is nuttltn aald U.B. efNalolo In Conti:
America pr vlded crucial aaalstance, tr+l w
l sac a Oak a< ep-
tember when 185000 unds of supplies
were delivered in about 15 missions, 1nos.'
het In were identified h Dutton 0,1 the CIA:
chief in s ca nown an omAA-
Nita edvtct rests
$.i.ador. Armor Gel. James ale, and n Cfrr
official known as "Vine."
ON THE DOWNED CARGO PLANE: -
d Dutton said he sierad North that fed-
eral officials had started an W estiptlon of
ggythem Air Transport In Miami after pa-
per, found aboard the downed 0123 iC
linked the company to the W *ft, North, h,f
sold, told him that he had spoken to Meow
and that It would be talon are of." A
spokesman for Attorney General Edwin
Mena III said Mme had no mcollection of'=
any such conversation with North.
Z~ -
'J, 411~
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504550002-4 i