Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Tuesday, 13 Oct 1992 23:11:37 CDT
From: <U56503@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Subject: ==> Bush: Arms For Hostages Time To Come Clean

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Information in the public interest which does not imply that it
is the opinion of UIC.  Contact 75300.3115@compuserve.com for
further information.
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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 October 13, 1992

     GEORGE BUSH AND ARMS-FOR-HOSTAGES: IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH

    (Statement of George Stephanopoulos, Communications Director)

      It is time for George Bush to tell the truth about Iran-Contra.
 For six years, George Bush denied he knew about the arms-for hostage
 deal with Iran.  Today, he admitted he did know.

      For six years, George Bush has acknowledged he knew of the arms
 shipments to Iran, but not of the trade for hostages.  He has
 maintained, despite an avalanche of evidence to the contrary, that he
 was "out of the loop" and did not learn of the arms-for-hostage deal
 until December 1986.

      In 1987, George Bush was asked if he was comfortable with the
 personal role in the Iran- contra affair.  He replied it was proper
 to reach out to Iran, but "if this includes arms for hostages, that's
 wrong.  I wish I had known something so I could have done something
 different on that."  [NYT, 2/27/87]

      In January 1988, stumping for the Presidential nomination in
 Iowa, Bush said, "I sensed that we were sending arms.  And I sensed
 that we were trying to get hosages out.  But not arms for hostages."
 [news conference transcript, 1/8/88]

      But this morning in the White House, Today Show host Katie
 Couric asked, "You knew about the arms for hostages?" George Bush
 replied, "Yes, and I've said so all along, given speeches on it."
 Bush also claimed on Today that sworn answers confirm his current
 account.  Asked whether he had knowledge of the arms-for-hostages
 deal, he replied, "I've testified 450 times under oath, some of them,
 and our staff 3,500 that yes, but nobody's accused me of not doing
 it."

      But Bush's answers under oath -- given to the Tower Commission
 and to the Special Prosecutor's Office -- have never been made
 public.  Since his current story is now different from his original
 alibi, Bush either told the American people one thing in public and
 told investigators another in private -- or misled both.

      It's time for George Bush to make public the transcripts of his
 questioning by the Tower Commission and the Special Prosecutor's
 office.

      George Bush's statements just don't add up.  Today, Bush yet
 again denied he was aware of the opposition to the deal of Defense
 Secretary Casper Weinberger and Secretary of State George Shultz.
 "There were two key meetings where they almost got into a shouting
 match, I'm told, that I did not attend."

      Yet, Bush was in the room during a January 7, 1986 National
 Security Council meeting with President Reagan to discuss a
 Presidential finding that authorized the arms for hostage deal.
 Shultz and Weinberger were present at that meeting and expressed
 strong objections to the idea.