6—The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Dec. 10,1986
state/nation/world
Dropped Reagan aides refuse to talk
By CLIFF HAAS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON,D.C. Two of
President Reagan’s recently de
parted national security aides
both still active-duty military offi
cers refused to publicly answer
questions yesterday from a House
committee trying to explore the
Iranian-Contra arms-and-money
connection.
The dramatic invocations of Fifth
Amendment rights by Vice
Adm. John M. Poindexter and Ma
rine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North
brought an increasing aura of mys
tery to the burgeoning foreign poli
cy scandal
The twin refusals to testify came
as the Reagan administration ap
peared, still, to be at odds with itself
over exactly what happened and
how officials should respond to con
gressional demands for answers.
Retired Maj. Gen. Richard V. Se
cord, another principal figure in the
controversy, took the Fifth Amend
ment before the Senate Intelligence
Committee.
In citing their constitutional right
against self-incrimination, Poin
dexter, Reagan’s former national
security adviser, and North, fired
as a key National Security Council
aide, declined in separate, national
ly broadcast, appearances before
the House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee to discuss any aspect of U.S.
arms sales to Iran or the transfer of
profits to Nicaraguan Contra re
bels.
“I must decline to answer that
question at this time because of my
constitutional rights under the Fifth
Amendment,” Poindexter, who re
signed Nov. 25, told the committee.
“On the advice of counsel, I re
spectfully and regretfully decline to
answer the question based on my
constitutional rights,” responded
North, who worked for Poindexter
at the NSC.. .
At the White House, President
Reagan, in an exchange with news
reporters during a picture-taking
session, said he has caught
glimpses of the nationally televised
House hearings, but also said, “If I
were taking questions, I would re
mind you that I am the one that told
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you all that we know about what
happened.”
In fact, Reagan used his regular
Saturday radio broadcast to the
nation last weekend to acknowledge
that elements of his policy to estab
lish contact with moderate political
forces in Iran were “flawed” and
that “mistakes were made.”
Without directly apologizing for
the policy that resulted in the big
gest flap of his nearly 6-year presi
dency, Reagan promised to “set
things straight” with the American
people.
While members of Congress
turned up the heat for answers, two
former presidents offered their
views:
• Richard M. Nixon described
the Iran-Contra controversy as “a
sideshow” and said it was time for
critics of Reagan to “get off his
back.” Nixon’s comments were
made during a closed-door meeting
with Republican governors in Pari
sappany, N.J
• Jimmy Carter said Reagan
appears to be trying to hide the
facts.
Reagan appears to want the Con
gress to have to dig for the facts,
meaning they will come out piece
meal “and that could be more dam
aging,” Carter said in an interview
in Atlanta.
In another development, Rep.
Charles Wilson, D-Texas, who
strongly supports covert U.S. aid to
Afghan guerillas said he had been
assured by CIA Director William
Casey that the mixing of money for
Nicaragua’s Contras with Afghan
aid was a clerical error and did not
divert any money intended for the
Aghans.
Reagan appears to want the Con
gress to have to dig for the facts,
meaning they will come out piece
meal “and that could be more dam
aging,” Carter said in an interview.
Poindexter and North had pre
viously declined to answer ques
tions during private.session of the
Senate Intelligence Committee, and
North later yesterday cited the
Fifth Amendment during an ap
pearance before the House Intelli
gence Committee, said a committee
source who declined to be named
publicly.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., vice
Fired National Security Council aide U. Col. Oliver North leaves the House
Foreign Affairs Committee room yesterday after invoking his Fifth Amend
ment right not to testify in response to probes-by a panel investigating
charges of illegality in arms deals with Iran.
chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee, said he was frustrated
by the repeated refusals by Poin
dexter and North to testify.
“I wish the White House would
stop talking about the tremendous
cooperation they're showing, when
the people they used throughout this
(arms deal) keep coming up and
taking the Fifth,” Leahy said in a
telephone interview from Puerto
Rico, where he said he was on a
“working vacation ”
“The PR (public relations) folks
at the White House might, not like it,
but it would be a lot more factual if
they just said, ‘We are not going to
guarantee you cooperation,’” Lea
hy said. “From the people most
closely involved, we are not getting
cooperation.”
Attorney General Edwin Meese
111, talking to reporters in London,
where he was conferring with U.S.
allies about measures against drug
trafficking, organized crime and
terrorism, was asked what impact
the refusal to testify would have on
the government’s investigation.
Meese replied that he did not
think taking the Fifth Amendment
“necessarily would indicate that
they (the officials citing the amend
ment) would not testify fully at
some time, nor for that matter, that
all facts won’t be brought out in the
future. In fact, I think they will.”
Knowledgeable congressional
sources said the intelligence inves
tigations were pursuing, among
other issues, the question of what
happened to the money paid by Iran
in the arms purchase and deposited
in Swiss bank accounts.
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State senators to
join the LCB fight
HARRISBURG (AP) Seven Demo
cratic senators yesterday joined the
legal fray over the state liquor sys
tem by filing suit to strike down a law
requiring the Liquor Control Board to
go out of business.
The lawsuit also asks Common
wealth Court to block an executive
order by Gov. Dick Thornburgh that
sets the framework for dismantling
the board.
Under the state Sunset Law, the
LCB must enter a six-month phase
out period beginning Jan. 1 because
the House and Senate failed to agree
on a resolution or a bill to extend the
agency
The suit argues that provisions of
the law may be unconstituional be
cause they “violate the principle of
separation of powers” between the
Legislature and other branches of
government.
Thornburgh’s plan created the Al
coholic Beverage Control Coordinat
ing Council to develop a phase-out
plan by the end of February. The
council also would transfer other
Job market grows
in low paying fields
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) More “If this pattern of development
than half the 8 million net new jobs continues,” they said, “the standard
created between 1979 and 1984 in the of living of a growing proportion of
United States paid less than $7,000 a the American workforce will be sig
year while the number of jobs paying nificantly jeopardized.”
$28,000 or more actually fell, accord- The report said low-wage employ
ing to a new study. ment, accounting for nearly three-
The report, released yesterday by fifths of new growth, increased by 4,-
the outgoing and new Democratic 687,000 between 1979 and 1984. The
chairmen of the Joint Economic Com- figures, however, indicated that more
mittee of Congress, also said the than two-thirds of those new jobs
middle-income share of job growth paying less than $7,000 annually were
dropped from 64.2 percent in the 1970 s part-time.
to 47.5 percent in the early 1980 s. Total middle-income employment
The two authors of the study rose by 3,837,000, including both full-
Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harri- and part-time workers. High income
son, political economy professors at employment, meanwhile, fell by 442,-
the University of Massachuselts-Bos- 000 from 17,374,000 in 1979 to 16,-
ton and Massachusetts Institute of 932,000 in 1984.
Technology, respectively said the But even among year-round, full
proliferation of low-wage jobs points time workers, the authors said they
to growing income inequality in the found the “trend toward low-wage
United States. employment.. .is almost as strong.”
Calder Square II
i i ft
Bn
TQC 3
duties of the LCB to other state de
partments by June 30.
“He cannot preempt the legislative
function of continuing or discontinu
ing a state agency,” said Senate
Democratic Minority Leader Edward
Zemprelli, D-Allegheny. Zemprelli
filed the lawsuit that was also signed
by six other Democrats.
The other Democrats were Sens.
Anthony Andrezeski, Erie County,
Freeman Hankins and Roxanne
Jones of Philadelphia, Michael
O’Pake of Berks County, James Ro
manelli, Allegheny County, and Pat
rick Stapleton of Indiana County.
A day earlier, the union represent
ing more than 3,500 employees of the
LCB filed a suit in Commonwealth
Court challenging the executive or
der. The suit says the governor over
stepped his authority by issuing the
order Dec. 1. The suit also questions
the state Sunset Law and actions
taken by the Legislature.
Two suits were filed against the
order last week.
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state news briefs
Debris halts TMI defueling
HARRISBURG (AP) Defueling at the idled Three Mile Island
Unit 2 nuclear plant was temporarily halted when a large-scale
drilling effort failed to adequately break up hardened debris inside
the reactor vessel, a plant spokesman said yesterday.
The setback casts doubt on whether plant officials can maintain
their one-year defueling timetable as part of a plan to put the
reactor in storage by late 1988, a federal official said.
“It’s an optimistic schedule. That’s particularly true in light of
the more recent findings,” said William Travers, who oversees the
cleanup at Unit 2 for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“The bottom line do I think they’re going to make it? It’s not very
likely.”
Gordon Tomb, a spokesman for GPU Nuclear Corp., said efforts
to break apart a crust of formerly melted fuel and debris inside the
reactor into gravel-sized fragments did not meet expectations.
Defense rests
HARRISBURG (AP) The defense rested yesterday in the
bribery-conspiracy trial of state Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer and
former state Republican chairman Robert B. Asher.
In a move that shocked courtroom observers, Dwyer’s lawyers
called no witnesses and Asher called only one substantive witness
and nine character witnesses.
Lawyers will argue legal points with U.S. District Judge Malcolm
Muir today, then make their closing arguments to the jury on
Thursday.
Acting U.S. Attorney James West said he expects the jury of
eight women and four men to begin deliberating Friday.
Dwyer and Asher are charged with mail fraud, interstate
transportation in aid of racketeering, perjury and conspiracy to
commit bribery.
The charges stem from a federal grand jury’s allegation that the
men were offered payoffs to award a $4.6 million state contract to
Computer Technology Associates, a California data-processing
firm.
nation news briefs
Sullivan warns of S. Africa revolt
WASHINGTON (AP) South Africa will slide into total revolu
tion unless it establishes racial equality by next year, the author of
the Sullivan Principles on conduct of business there said yesterday.
The guidelines have wrought fundamental changes in South
Africa but time is running out because “a freedom movement has
come and it won’t stop until apartheid is stopped, stopped from the
roots,” the Rev. Leon Sullivan told a news conference.
He renewed a call for all foreign business, even companies
successfully applying the Sullivan Principles, to withdraw from
South Africa unless that country abolishes racial segregation and
inequality by the end of next May.
The Philadelphia Baptist pastor urged President Reagan and
Pope John Paul II to personally press South African President P.W.
Botha to end apartheid, and American Methodists and Episco
palians to lobby their fellow members in South Africa.
Asked why not let such progress continue, he replied that the
pace must be quickened.
“If the Sullivan Principles had eight more years to move ahead
on their own ... you would have a silent revolution of momentous
proportions, but you don’t have even four, five or ;-:ix years.... As
long as apartheid continues, violence will continue,” he said.
These dolls really stink
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) —For $4.99, the holiday shopping
public can now buy revolting dolls the likes of ugly George
Garbagemouth, a rubbery creature who, when squeezed, blows a
foul breath.
George is one of family of “Breath Blasters” beifig offered by
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Nolan Busnell, who created the video
game Pong
The hand-size dolls are all ugly and, when squeezed in the belly,
emit aromas such as dog breath, dead fish and vomit.
In addition to young Garbagemouth, buyers car 'hoose his other
disgusting relations: Mackerel Mouth, Ms. M*> .agmouth, Dog
breath, Deathbreath, and Victor Vomit.
An advertisement boasts, “If (Victor) breaths on you, you’ll want
to vomit too.”
“What these toys are all about is testing the limits of society, and
that is what little boys are all about too,” said Jim Simmons,
marketing director for Bushnell’s Axlon Inc. “It’s their way of
rebelling and getting attention.”
world news briefs
Emergency powers continue in Chile
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) The military regime extended its
emergency powers to severely restrict civil liberties and press
freedom for 90 days beginning yesterday.
The nationwide state of emergency legislation has been enforced
since the military seized power in a coup in 1973. It has been
renewed every three months.
The legislation empowers the government to restrict freedom of
the press and assembly, curb political and trade union activities
and ban people from entering or leaving the country.
Six of the nation’s 13 administrative regions remain under the
more restrictive state of siege regulations, decreed by the govern
ment after the bloody Sept. 7 attempt to kill President Augusto
Pinochet. More than 8 million of Chile’s 12 million people live under
the state of siege.
Truce with Phillippine rebels set
MANILA,. Philippines (AP) —The government and rebels re
solved a dispute over weapons Thursday, removing the last
obstacle to a truce in the Communist insurgency that has plagued
the archipelago since 1969.
Spokesmen for President Corazon Aquino and the rebel National
Democratic Front said yesterday the 60-day cease-fire would begin
at noon Wednesday (11 p.m. yesterday EST) as scheduled.
Both sides said the agreement provides that armed guerrillas
will not enter “population centers” and soldiers will not confiscate
rebel weapons during security patrols.
One of Mrs Aquino’s first acts after becoming president last
February was to free political prisoners, including some former
Communist leaders, as part of a “national reconciliation” that also
involved seeking a cease-fire with the rebels.
She said there was no reason for them to continue fighting
'because President Ferdinand E. Marcos, against whom they
rebelled, had fled the country.
Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile said she was too soft, and
there were reports of coup plots by military officers loyal to him.
She fired Enrile on Nov. 23.
The last-minute negotiations over the cease-fire stemmed from a
military threat to seize illegal weapons, including those belonging
to the Communist New People’s Army that were found in “security
operations” during the truce.
Agreement came several hours after the military said rebels
killed five people, including a woman and child, in an attack on the
southern island of Mindanao.
After the attack, Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, armed forces command
er, ordered the military to conduct “more aggressive operations”
against “depredators of the peace, especially against Communist
terrorists.”
in conspiracy trial
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The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Dee. 10, 1986—7