Iran-Contra: Reagan's Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power by Malcolm Byrne

Author:Malcolm Byrne [Byrne, Malcolm]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: Reagan&#x2019, s Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 2014-10-14T21:00:00+00:00

THE PRESSURE ON NORTH

Toward the end of his June 25 meeting with Rodriguez, North reportedly glanced at a television in his office tuned to the congressional debate on the pending Contra aid bill. As Rodriguez recalled the moment, North quipped: “Those people want me but they cannot touch me because the old man loves my ass.”55

Although he exuded his usual brash confidence, by this point North was under enormous political pressure. Both his current and former bosses took note. McFarlane, who was dealing with North mostly on Iran, broached the subject in the first half of June in an email to Poindexter: “I’m getting very worried in Ollie’s behalf. … Too many people are talking to reporters from the donor community and within the administration.” McFarlane recommended clinical treatment. “I don’t [know] what you do about it but in Ollie’s interest I would get him transferred or sent to Bethesda for disability review board.” There was some history behind the suggestion. “Apparently the Marine Corps has already tried to survey him once,” McFarlane noted, although he gave no details.56 Subsequent news reports disclosed that a dozen years earlier North had been hospitalized at Bethesda Naval Hospital for emotional distress, a fact that raised questions in retrospect about how he received clearance to serve on the NSC staff.57 News-week magazine quoted sources saying he had been seen running through his neighborhood waving a .45 handgun and shouting “I’m no good! I’m no good!”58 Despite the “major loss to the staff and contra effort” that would result, McFarlane thought it was worth removing North from the picture.59

Poindexter was inscrutable: “I will think about Ollie” was his only reply.60 Yet, the subject was already on his mind. That very day he had written to North: “I still want to reduce your visibility.” As noted, North had been complaining about lack of sleep and had pleaded for Poindexter to help return CIA control of the operation. The day before, he referred to himself offhandedly as “one slightly confused Marine Lt. Col.”61 By the following month, Poindexter’s apprehensions became more evident. On July 15 the Washington Times ran an item that described North’s position at the NSC as “precarious” and suggested there was concern about his having too high a profile.62 Congressional investigators suspected Poindexter may have planted the story. A dejected North wrote to him that day, lamenting the recent CBS broadcast and the “appalling” Washington Times piece, noting Poindexter’s “intention that I extricate myself entirely from the Nicaragua issue. … It probably wd be best if I were to move on as quietly, but expeditiously as possible,” he wrote.63 Poindexter was avuncular but impatient with North’s melodramatic tone: “Now you are getting emotional again.” In the end he relented: “I do not want you to leave and to be honest cannot afford to let you go.”64

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.