Walsh Visits With Iran Arms Jury; Sources Hint at July Indictments

Independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh paid a rare visit Wednesday to the federal grand jury investigating the Iran- contra affair and warned reporters that vacation plans in July would be unwise.

After spending about 15 minutes with the panel at the U.S. District Courthouse, Walsh declined to comment on why he was there or when he might seek further indictments in the case.

He did indicate that his visit with the jury was routine. “I come down here from time to time,” he said.

Walsh declined to comment on when he might seek the indictment of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, the fired National Security Council aide who is at the heart of his probe.

He did indicate, however, that grand jury action could come within the next six weeks.

Asked by reporters when they could take vacations this summer, Walsh said: “It’s a little early yet.”

Points to Busy July

Walsh then made a reference to the schedule of hearings on Capitol Hill, which are set to resume June 22 for a week, recess the next week and then continue July 7 for most of the month. “Definitely not in July,” he said, referring to possible vacation plans.

Sources close to the investigation said later that unspecified grand jury action was possible by the end of July.

North, who has been named as a co-conspirator along with conservative fund-raiser Carl R. (Spitz) Channell and public relations executive Richard R. Miller in an illegal scheme to arm the Nicaraguan rebels, cannot testify publicly on Capitol Hill before July 16 under an agreement Walsh reached with the select committees that also are probing the affair.