◆ SpookStack

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN I$ UNCJASSIFIED DATE Q12-13 NGTON POST FJACK ANDERSON and DALE VAN ATTA Arms for Iran: How Much Did CiA Know? All of that occurred shortly after the September shipment--early October at the latest---the former secret Senate investigation has uncovered CIA desk officer has told the Senate committees. the possibility that the Central Intelligence In contrast, the Iran-contra report from the Agency knew far more than it admits about congressional investigating committees says the 1985 shipment of American missiles to Iran. then-CIA Director William J. Casey didn't find out A former ClA desk officer told two Senate about the arms-for-hostages deal until Nov. 14, committees this summer that the CIA knew about a 1985, in a meeting with former national security September 1985 shipment shortly after the missiles adviser Robert C. McFarlane. arrived in Tabriz, iran. Testimony before the National Security Council consultant Michae! Iran-contra investigating committees in 1987 implied Ledeen toid the Iran-contra committees that befare that the CIA was a latecomer to the operation, not Nov. 14, the NSC had left the CIA in the dark learning about it until November 1985. because the White House was afraid the CIA might The information raises the possibility that the leak the information. It has been generally assumed Iran-contra committees in Congress were duped that the CIA joined the arms deaJ in November when they tried to piece together the details of the 1985 with a shipment of Hawk anti-aircraft missiles operation to swap arms for American hostages. It to Iran on a CIA airline. also raises the specter of perjury by anyone who The only record of the earlier contact between knowingly misled the committees to believe that ' the CIA and the FBI was never turned over to the the CIA was not invoived until November, after two Iran-contra committees. That record is a memod missile shipments had already been made. written in 1987 by the same CIA desk officer. At Our sources say those questions are now being the time, the CIA was scrambing to prepare for. confirmation hearings for then-FBI Director probed by the Senate intelligence committee. William H. Webster; wbo had been nominated to As we reported earlier, the Iran-contra wound bead the CIA. Webster wrs qnied on what he *. was secretly reopened this summer when two 'knew about Iran-contra. Senate comnittees, working with the General The Senate committees were tokd the memo was Accounting Office, began probing the question of written in April 1987, the same month that what federal agencies knew about the illegal arms Webster's nomination was before the Senate shipments. Sources told our associate Stewart intelligence committee. That conmittee discussed Harris that the Federal Bureau of investigation had the information behind closed doors, but never gave developed information about the September it to the Iran-contra committees. Congress asked for shipment and took it to the CIA, onty to be told to all CIA docnents about the affair, but aides for both back off because it was a "White House operation." Iran-contra panels told us they never saw the memo.