The Nation : Release of Secrets Opposed in North Trial

The White House has told the chief Iran-Contra prosecutor that it opposes releasing certain classified information during Oliver L. North’s trial because of national security concerns, a senior Reagan Administration official said. The official, who spoke on grounds he not be identified, said that this, in effect, was President Reagan’s response to U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell’s recent challenge to spell out his position on secrets that might be disclosed if the case goes to trial, possibly in late January. “Now, it’s up to the judge to decide what to do next,” the source said. The official would not disclose the volume of information the White House was seeking to block, or what steps the Administration might take. He said the White House position was stated to independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh “earlier this week.” The decision to try to withhold an unspecified number of documents, the official said, was based on “national security grounds”--and was not an attempt to help North scuttle his prosecution.