Poindexter to Begin Court Battle in Iran-Contra Case

John M. Poindexter will appear in federal court this morning as the last and highest-ranking former government official to be tried in the Iran-Contra scandal that became the biggest blot on the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

The trial of Reagan’s former national security adviser, who faces five charges of conspiracy and lying to Congress in connection with the secret arms shipments to Iran and diversion of profits to Nicaraguan rebels, is expected to take six to eight weeks.

Jury selection will occupy the first few days. Poindexter’s lawyers are hoping the jury will be as sympathetic to their defendant as the one that heard testimony last year against former Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, who was Poindexter’s subordinate at the White House.

North was convicted on three felony counts stemming from his role in the Iran-Contra affair. But the jury acquitted him on nine serious charges on the grounds he was mainly following orders from his superiors, including Poindexter.

The principal witness in Poindexter’s trial will be Reagan himself, who provided videotaped testimony last month that will be shown to the jury in whole or in part. Poindexter’s lawyers also are seeking access to Reagan’s personal notes and diaries.

Poindexter’s defense will portray Reagan as the ultimate policy-maker who expressed the wish that the anti-government rebels in Nicaragua should continue to receive secret U.S. support at a time when military assistance had been banned by Congress.

Poindexter’s lawyers are expected to argue--as did North’s attorneys--that Reagan wanted the undercover Contra aid to be kept secret from the public and from Congress.

Four of the five charges against Poindexter accuse the retired rear admiral of obstructing Congress by making false statements both orally and in writing.

For example, Poindexter is charged with making false assurances that all of North’s efforts were in compliance with the Boland Amendment, the congressional prohibition on aid to the Contras.

Prosecutors also contend that he lied when he denied to Congress that he knew about a November, 1985, shipment of U.S. Hawk missiles to Iran.

In his videotaped testimony, Reagan declared he never advised any of his aides to break the law, a possible point for the prosecution. But he also insisted that he does not believe any laws were violated, a possible point for the defense.

U.S. District Judge Harold H. Greene, who will preside at the trial, has not yet ruled on the defense request for Reagan’s notes and diaries.

Richard W. Beckler, a former Justice Department supervisor who is Poindexter’s chief lawyer, has said his client met alone with Reagan on an almost daily basis when he was national security adviser.

Beckler told Greene last fall that Reagan “formulated” policy in some instances and “entertained Poindexter’s plans without voicing any objection” at other times.

If convicted on all counts, Poindexter could receive a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.