AFTERMATH OF THE TOWER REPORT : ‘Many Questions, Trails’ Open for Congressional Investigators

Members of congressional committees probing the Iran- contra scandal said Friday the Tower Commission report provides a foundation that will allow their investigations to bore in on the trail of money involved in the affair.

But those close to the House and Senate select committees expect the testimony they will hear from participants in the affair to provide a much fuller accounting.

“There are obviously many, many questions unanswered and trails to be explored,” a congressional source involved in the Senate investigation said.

“We’re planning to interview several hundred witnesses, not 80 like the Tower Commission. They did not have access to certain people, documents,” the source said.

Two lawyers with the Senate select committee are overseas gathering evidence, according to a Senate source.

Acknowledges Limited Role

The Tower Commission, which released its report Thursday after nearly three months of work, acknowledged that its role was not to “be the final arbiter of the facts.”

A spokesman for the Senate panel said the committee had “seen, had possession of, or will have possession of . . . 99%” of the Tower board’s source material.

The committees will begin public hearings in April into the sale of U.S. arms to Iran and the suspected diversion of profits to the contra rebels.