George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

sales to Iran, amounting to $2 billion, was `` going to be signed by Mr. Bush and [U.S.
Marine Corps commandant] Gen. [Paul X.] Kelley on Friday. ''@s3@s5
Loudly and publicly exposed in the midst of Iran arms deals, Veillot was indicted by the
U.S. Then the charges were quietly dropped, and Veillot went underground. A few
months later Hashemi died suddenly of `` leukemia. ''@s3@s6
January 2, 1986 (Thursday):
Israeli counterterrorism chief Amiram Nir met with North and Poindexter in Washington.
The Bush report on terrorism had now been issued within the government but was not yet
published. Bush's report was urging that a counterterrorism coordinator be named for the
entire U.S. government--and Oliver North was the one man intended for that slot.
At this meeting, Nir proposed specifically that prisoners held by Israeli-controlled
Lebanese, and 3,000 American TOW missiles, be exchanged for U.S. hostages held by
Iran. Other discussions between Nir and Bush's nominee involved the supposedly new
idea that the Iranians be overcharged for the weapons shipped to them, and the surplus
funds be diverted to the Contras.@s3@s7
January 6, 1986 (Monday):
President Reagan met with George Bush, Donald Regan, McFarlane and Poindexter. The
President was handed a draft `` Presidential Finding '' that called for shipping arms to Iran
through Israel. The President signed this document, drafted following the discussions
with Amiram Nir. The draft consciously violated the National Security Act which had
established the Central Intelligence Agency, requiring notification of Congress. But Bush
joined in urging President Reagan to sign this `` finding '': `` I hereby find that the
following operation in a foreign country ... is important to the national security of the
United States, and due to its extreme sensitivity and security risks, I determine it is
essential to limit prior notice, and direct the Director of Central Intelligence to
refrain from reporting this finding to the Congress as provided in Section 501 of the
National Security Act of 1947, as amended, until I otherwise direct '' [emphasis
added]. `` ... The USG[overnment] will act to facilitate efforts by third parties and third
countries to establish contacts with moderate elements within and outside the
Government of Iran by providing these elements with arms, equipment and related
materiel in order to enhance the credibility of these elements.... '' Of course, Bush, Casey
and their Israeli allies had never sought to bolster `` moderate elements '' in Iran, but
overthrew them at every opportunity--beginning with President Abolhassan Bani-
Sadr.@s3@s8
January 7, 1986:
President Reagan and Vice President Bush met at the White House with several other
administration officials. There was an argument over new proposals by Amiram Nir and
Iranian arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar to swap arms for hostages.