North’s Opinion of CIA Decoded

Prosecutor John W. Keker added some humor Tuesday to the tense proceedings at the Oliver L. North trial when asking North about a code word that he and associate Richard V. Secord used for their CIA contacts.

North conceded that the word was “fools.”

“But I certainly didn’t think that about the director (the late William J. Casey),” North added quickly.

“What about the rest of the CIA?” Keker asked.

“I think there probably are some people there that fit the category,” the defendant replied.

Keker asked if there was another code word and handed North a document obtained from his files.

“It was a profanity I would not choose to use in the presence of ladies,” North said, bowing his head in a courtly manner. “It was male language used among friends. If you want to use it in this courtroom, you may, Mr. Keker.”

“Does it start with an ‘a’ ”? Keker asked with a smile.

“Yes,” said North.

“Does that describe what you thought of them?” Keker continued.

“At the time, yes,” the retired Marine replied.