Documents Link Arms Deal With Kidnapings

Lt. Col. Oliver L. North and others were aware that the arms-for-hostages program may have contributed to the seizure of Americans in Lebanon as well as the release of three U.S. hostages, documents show.

North, during his testimony at the congressional Iran- contra hearings last week, defended selling U.S.-made weapons to Tehran on the grounds that three men were freed, and “there was no terrorism while we were engaged in (the deal) until it started to come unraveled.”

Two previously classified documents, which Congress released in conjunction with North’s testimony, appear to conflict with the former White House aide’s testimony. North is scheduled to resume testifying today.

Disclosed by Magazine

The weapons sales, which ran from August, 1985, to October, 1986, were disclosed by a Lebanese magazine in early November, a few days before the final shipment of TOW missiles arrived in Tehran.

On Sept. 9, 1986, Frank H. Reed, an educator in Beirut, was kidnaped in the first hostage-taking of an American in 15 months. Joseph J. Cicippio was captured two days later, on Sept. 11, and Edward A. Tracy was seized on Oct. 21.

A package of papers sent by North, a former National Security Council aide, to his boss, Rear Adm. John M. Poindexter, on Sept. 24, 1986, contains a reference to the possibility that the kidnapings of Reed and Cicippio were related to the arms shipments.

Written by CIA Man

The memo was written by George Cave, a CIA employee who attended a meeting with an Iranian official in Washington. Recounting the meeting, Cave wrote:

“In addition (blank) said (blank) played a role in the Reed kidnaping. He did this as a means of putting additional pressure on the U.S. to send the next shipment.” The names were deleted by an official censor.

North also mentioned the possibility that the arms sales contributed to the hostage-taking in an Oct. 3, 1986, memo outlining “talking points” for an upcoming meeting between retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard V. Secord, North’s operative, and Amiram Nir, an Israeli counterterrorism expert.

“We think that (blank) may have believed that he could bring additional pressure to bear on us to commence further deliveries by seizing another hostage (or hostages).”

“Quite the contrary is true,” the memo said, adding that U.S. officials are “also concerned that the two new hostages (or at least Cicippio) represents a clear violation of the ‘understanding’ we have had with the Iranians on anti-U.S. terrorism since June of last year.”

North said Reed was probably seized by a group other than Hezbollah, an umbrella group of Shia Muslims in Lebanon with loyalties to Iran. But Hezbollah “may have him (Reed) in their hands now,” the memo stated. Islamic Jihad, a group that says it holds some of the hostages, is thought to be part of Hezbollah.