George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

Gregg: By the law, do you mean the Boland amendment?
Sen. Simon: That is correct.
Gregg: I guess my knowledge of that sort of came at me piecemeal after Hasenfus had been shot
down [Oct. 5, 1986] and there were various revelations that came out....
Sen. Simon: So what you are telling us, you found out about the law being violated the same time
the rest of us found out the law was being violated?
Gregg: Yes, sir....
Sen. Cranston: From February 1985 to August 1986, you have acknowledged that you spoke to
Rodriguez many, many times on the telephone. Let me quote from your sworn deposition to the
Iran- Contra Committee: `` Felix called me quite often and frequently it was what I would call sort
of combat catharsis. He used to do the same thing in Vietnam. He would come back from an
operation in which some people had been lost and he would tell me about it. '' Now, is it still your
testimony that Rodriguez never mentioned his deep involvement in Contra supply activities during
any of these phone conversations?
Gregg: That is my testimony.
Sen. Cranston: Is it still your testimony that prior to Aug. 8th, 1986, Rodriguez never mentioned
the status of his Contra resupply efforts during his numerous face-to-face meetings with you in
Washington?
Gregg: Never.
Sen. Cranston: Is it still your testimony that Rodriguez did not mention the status of his Contra
resupply efforts in the very meetings that were convened according to two memos bearing your
name, for Rodriguez to `` brief the Vice President on the status of the war in El Salvador and
efforts to resupply the Contras ''?
Gregg: There was no intention to discuss resupply of the Contras and everyone at that meeting,
including former Senator Nick Brady have testified that it was not discussed.
Sen. Cranston: As you know, it is difficult to reconcile those statements about what happened in
the meeting with the statement and memos from you that the agenda was ... two things, one of
them being efforts to resupply the Contras....
Gregg: Those memos first surfaced to my attention in December of 1986, when we undertook our
first document search of the Vice President's office. They hit me rather hard because by that time I
had put the pieces together of what had been going on and I realized the implications of that
agenda item. I did not shred the documents. I did not hide it.... [T]his is the worst thing I have
found and here it is, and I cannot really explain it.... I have a speculative explanation which I
would like to put forward if you would be interested.
Sen. Cranston: Fine.
Gregg: Again, turning to Felix [Rodriguez]'s book ... Felix makes the following quote.... [By the
way the book] is going to be published in October of this year. The text has been cleared by CIA
and it is now with the publishers. I was given an advance copy.... This is the quote, sir: `` ... I had
no qualms about calling [Sam Watson] or Don [Gregg] when I thought they could help run