U.S. DISCUSSED ARMS, CAPTIVES WITH IRAN AGAIN LAST MONTH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000301230001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 22, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declasslied and Approved For Release 2012/08/22 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301230001-9
WASHINGTON POST
22 January 1987
urday radio broadcast that his
U.S. Discussed Arms, Captives "moderates" to forge relationships w
in Iran had been "b
With Iran Again Last Month He added that "it was not my int
ken off' after they were publiciz
to do business with [Ayatollah R
Shultz Says Contacts Continued Despite His Orders hollahl Khomeini, to trade weapo
for hostages."
Shultz, who has said he oppos
trading arms for hostages from t
time the issue first arose in 198
has also adamantly opposeal pre
suring Kuwait to release the terro
ists it is holding for a series of 19
bombings. The release of the
prisoners has been a consistent d
mand of the Islamic Jihad gro
holding American hostages in Le
anon.
The State Department has d
nied repeated rumors from the Mi
cue East that the United States
pressuring Kuwait about the pri
oners. A participant at yesterday
hearing said Shultz's testimon
seemed to explain why he sent
message to Kuwait's foreign mi
ister later in December reaffirmin
that. the United States is not linkin
freedom for., the terrorists bein
held there with release of U.S. hos
tages in Lebanon.
In his testimony, Shultz also pro,
vided new details about U.S. effort
to solicit aid from" other govern
ments to aid the contras fightin
the government of Nicaragua. Pre
viously Shultz had said he wa
aware of only one such appeal,?ap
parently the previously reported
solicitation of money from the sul-
tan of Brunei by a senior State De-
partment official. ?
Yesterday, however, he testified
that he had learned about several
others, including a.U.S. request for
communications equipment for the
rebels, according to sources famil-
iar with the testimony. It was un-
clear which nations were solicited,
by whom and why Shultz had not
previously disclosed the requests.
Shultz began his testimony by
reading for about an hour from a de-
tailed description of his knowledge
and actions concerning the Iran pol-
icy and the contra connection. The
document he read-was stamped "top
secret" and, contrary to normal prac-
tice, no copy was submitted to the
committee in advance or made avail-
able as he spoke.
et- Casey, former national security ad.
ith viser Robert C. McFarlane and ()di-
m- ers involved.
ed.
"Shultz presented the politica
ent equivalent of a legal brief with ev.
ery date and detail well docti.
ns mented," said Rep. Robert G. Tor-
ricelli (D-N.J.). "Ile did more than
ed separate himself from the admin-
he istration on Iran?he built a wall."
5, "There was a very good feeling
s- on both sides that Shultz was very
r- candid and forthright on his role,"
83 said Rep. William S. Broomfield
se (Mich.), the committee's ranking
e- Republican. He added, however,
LIP that "the real players are the ones
b- we haven't heard from"?North
and Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter,
e- a former national security adviser.
Both have declined to testify, as-
serting their Fifth Amendment
s_ rights against self-incrimination.
,s Committee Chairman Dante B.
Fascell (D-Fla.) expressed confi-
a dence in Shultz after hearing his
statement and called on the admin-
g istration to provide "more evidence
that he has full support and author-
ity to begin to put the pieces back
_ together in terms of foreign policy."
dro e,estsaid at a
Meanwhile yesterday, acting CIA
irecto Robrt ;Gat IA
s closed session of the-Senate For-
_ eign Relations Committee that the
g aallytical side of the intelligence
agency was unaware of the White
S I otT7iFTran initiative, according to
congres,sional sources,
gates said that former deputy,
CIA director John A. McMa
ppsed the sale of arms to Iran at a
key NSC meeting in December
1985. McMahon attended the
meeting because Casey was out of
town.
:A month later Casey, who sup-
ported the arms programayed a
key role in winning approval of a
Jan. IT presidential intelligence
"hnding" that authorized direct sale
ot U.S. arms-FoTran.
Gates also said that in 1985 and
last year acteiststrt-r
ports to the White House that
"downplayed" the chance for any
U.S.-Iran rapprochement, even if
Khomeini died; according to the
sources. It has been previously re-
ported, however, that some ele-
ments in the CIA urged_ as early as
spring 19$5 that the U.S. spvern-
inent consider easing its worldwide
arms embargo againsf-Tran and
work toward- better igatiiiiis with
Tehran.
By Don Oberdorfer and Walter Pincus
Washington Pont Staff Writers
Secretary of State George P. Shultz tes-
tified yesterday that, despite his objections,
U.S. officials continued to meet secretly
with Iranians about arms and hostages as
recently as last month, weeks after the
Iran-contra scandal had erupted and the
State Department supposedly had been put
in charge of Iran policy, according to con-
gressional sources.
Shultz told a three-hour, closed-door ses-
sion of the House Foreign Affairs Commit-
tee that he authorized a Dec. 6 meeting in
Europe of State Department and CIA offi-
cials with Iranian contacts, according to
sources familiar with his testimony. But
Shultz said he was astonished to learn that
the Iranians had arrived with a nine-point
"agenda," which included acquisition of
American TOW antitank missiles and spare
parts for Hawk antiaircraft missiles, the
release of 17 Islamic Jihad terrorists held in
Kuwait and the release of American hos-
tages held by pro-Iranian extremists in Leb-
anon.
President Reagan had announced publicly
Nov. 19 that no more arms would be fur-
nished to Iran. But at the meeting in Eu-
rope, the Iranians insisted that the agenda
had been worked out in earlier discussions
with National Security Council represent-
atives, according to an account of Shultz's
presentation. Shultz added that when he
discovered to his dismay that this was true,
he immediately ordered that the U.S.-Iran-
ian discussions end.
The secretary told the committee he was
furious to discover a few, days later
that, despite his instTctions, CIA
officials resumed the discussions
with the Iranian contacts. Shultz
"raised hell" when he found out, one
lawmaker said yesterday.
Prior to Shultz's disclosure yes-
terday, the last known meeting be-
tween 'Iranian and American offi-
cials, including CIA officials and Lt.
Col. Oliver L. North of the NSC
staff, took place in Geneva Nov.
8-10, in the week after disclosure of
the Reagan administration's Iranian
initiative by, a Lebanese magazine.
No details of this meeting have
been disclosed.
On Dec. 6, the day that U.S. and
Iranian officials were meeting again
in Europe, Reagan said in his Sat-
_
Committee members, who were
reluctant to discuss details of
Shultz's testimony, expressed con-
fidence in the secretary of state;
some said his story was more cred-
ible to them than accounts they had
heard from CIA Director William J.
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/08/22 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301230001-9
Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.),
chairman of the Senate panel, said
after the hearing, "I remain con-
vinced that our national interest
would have been better served if we
had listened to the advice of profes-
sionals." Ile added he believed CIA
officials had advised against the
arms sales.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/08/22 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301230001-9