Conviction of John Poindexter

Reading Bruce Fein’s “A Verdict With Harm to Spare” (Op-Ed Page, April 9) I waited for the two standard defenses for the criminal actions of John M. Poindexter, former national security adviser. That he was only doing it for patriotic reasons and the security of the United States of America. What these patriots don’t seem to realize is that every time they claim national security as a reason to cloak unpopular operations from U.S. citizens (does anyone believe the Soviets had no idea what the CIA was doing) they lose the trust of the people.

It doesn’t seem to bother Fein that the tactics used by Poindexter and his operatives appear more like those we accuse the Soviets and Cubans of using. Instead he tries to call the whole thing politically motivated, ignoring the fact that Ronald Reagan’s own attorney general started the investigation into possible violations of the law.

Instead of admitting that there was no general support in the American public for a dirty war in Nicaragua, he blames Congress for doing its lawful job, that of allocating funds and authority to spend those funds. He seems to think that the executive branch has the right to raise funds on its own authority when Congress doesn’t approve.

EDWARD BRUCE

Spring Valley