Secord Drops Appeal in Contra Case

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard V. Secord, a key figure in the network set up by former White House aide Oliver L. North to arm the Nicaraguan Contras, agreed Friday to drop an appeal of his conviction for his role in the Iran-Contra affair, according to court papers.

In a plea agreement with independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh, Secord last year pleaded guilty to a felony count of lying to congressional investigators and was sentenced to two years of probation. He then appealed a technical ruling previously made by the judge in the case, an action that drew a sharp protest from Walsh, who charged that the appeal was a violation of the spirit of the plea agreement.

If Secord’s appeal had succeeded, it could have overturned his conviction.