North Compared to Lying Pinocchio, Jurors Told

A former colleague of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North jokingly compared North to a lying Pinocchio after reading misleading statements that North had drafted to respond to congressional inquiries in 1985 about his activities on behalf of Nicaragua’s Contra rebels, jurors at North’s trial were told Tuesday.

Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA supervisor who later worked with North at the National Security Council, testified during his second day on the witness stand that he made a “growing nose” gesture to North after examining North’s denials of allegations that he was working closely with the Contras.

The witness said that he made the gesture related to the puppet of children’s stories, whose nose would begin to grow when he told a lie, because “I was trying to convey to Col. North that the answers did not reflect an accurate picture of what he was doing.”

North is being tried on 12 felony counts in the Iran-Contra scandal, including charges that he made false statements to Congress and obstructed congressional inquiries into his dealings with the rebel forces after Congress had cut off U.S. funding for their military activities.

Sharp Questioning

Under sharp questioning by prosecutor John W. Keker, Cannistraro, a defense witness, conceded that among staff officials at the NSC, “there were occasions when myself and others had some questions about the veracity of some of the things he told us.”

Asked to elaborate, he added:

“With Col. North, you could never be certain if what he was telling you was true or fantasy or was being told deliberately to mislead you.”

A few minutes later Cannistraro, asked for his assessment of North, responded:

“I considered Oliver North one of the bravest and most dedicated staff officers at the NSC. But by late summer or early fall of 1986 my view of his believability changed. I became skeptical of what he said.

“My practice was to take everything he said with about four grains of salt.”

Evidence at the trial has shown that during 1985 and 1986, when congressional curbs on U.S. support for the Contras were in place, North drafted letters that were forwarded to congressional committees in which he declared that he had not solicited private funds for the Nicaraguan rebels or given them any tactical military advice.

However, a parade of prosecution witnesses who worked with North have testified that the now-retired Marine officer spent long hours helping raise funds for the rebels, helping them purchase military equipment and advising them on military tactics.

Cannistraro testified Monday that William J. Casey, the late CIA director, said at a meeting in 1984 that he and then-President Ronald Reagan had agreed that North should assist the Contras with military and paramilitary support. But under cross-examination Tuesday, Cannistraro said that some NSC staff officials whom he did not identify believed that North had “crossed the line” in helping the Contras after Congress passed a ban on assistance that took effect in October, 1984.

The trial was recessed until Thursday morning because of a death in a juror’s family.