Senators to Open Inquiry on Choice of Webster to Head CIA

WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee announced Friday that hearings on FBI Director William H. Webster’s nomination to head the CIA will begin Wednesday, opening the way for public questioning on what role the FBI might have played in the Iran- contra affair.

A spokeswoman said the committee is planning one day of questioning, but Sen. William S. Cohen (R-Me.), the panel’s vice chairman, said a second day could be added.

Webster has won wide respect during his nine-year tenure as director of the FBI, and was praised by congressional Democrats and Republicans alike when President Reagan announced his nomination last month to replace ailing CIA Director William J. Casey.

However, the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has conducted its own inquiry into the Iran-contra matter, is expected to ask pointed questions about investigations the FBI suspended or delayed.