Tower Panel Studying NSC Computer Records

“Voluminous,” recently discovered computer records that are part of the electronic filing system used by the National Security Council have been obtained by the special presidential panel investigating the operations of the NSC staff, a well-placed source said Thursday.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the discovery of the material and its delivery to the review panel were responsible for the one-week delay that the body, the Tower Commission, has sought and been granted in making its final report.

The three-member commission, the source said, will produce “a very honest, objective report that will not necessarily please the White House.”

Probe of Staff’s Role

The panel, chaired by former Sen. John Tower (R-Tex.), was named by President Reagan on Nov. 26 to investigate the NSC staff’s role in the wake of the disclosure that proceeds from the Administration’s secret sale of arms to Iran had been diverted to the rebels fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The operation was said to have been run by Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, at the time an NSC staff member.

The existence of the NSC computer records was disclosed earlier this week by The Times. The records contain copies of private messages sent between NSC offices to the White House’s internal IBM computer network, called PROFS. Sources have said the messages, which range from routine memos and off-hand jokes to eyes-only accounts of intelligence operations, may shed new light on the Iran- contras affair.

A government source said that the probe by independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh has been expanded to include recently discovered indications that key figures in the operation tried to cover up the scandal as it began to unravel last fall. It was not clear whether information in the records was related, however, to the broader investigation.

Seeks Extended Deadline

The Tower Commission and the White House announced Tuesday that “a recent acquisition of new material” had led it to request a new deadline, of Feb. 26, for delivering its report to the President.

Herbert Hetu, the board spokesman, refused to elaborate on the new material. One source, however, said the documents were turned up by staff members of the panel, with the assistance of the White House.

The panel may be the only investigative body that will interview Reagan on the Iran operation. Overall, about 50 interviews were conducted with witnesses, including two with Reagan.