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cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.” 65 “Loyalty, fairness, accountability—that’s what makes themilitary work,” noted former Reagan Secretary of the Navy James Webb, North’s boxing rival in theAnnapolis class of ’68 (and current United States Senator from Virginia). 66The integrity of an officer’s word, deed and signature were considered paramount and rested on apragmatic understanding: that if senior officers were allowed to lie to their men about the dangers theyfaced, vital missions might fail and the men could be condemned to pointless death. Some observerspoint to a deterioration of these ethical values occurring during the war in Vietnam, when pressure toinflate statistics on enemy dead and false reports meant to win decorations and promotions caused,in the words of a former officer, “the erosion of trust upon which professional relationships, lifelongfriendships and loyalties of comrades in arms and the honorable perception of military service havebeen based.” 67The testimony of North and Poindexter at the Iran-Contra hearings, long-time New York TimesPentagon correspondent Richard Halloran noted, “raised a fundamental question of military ethics:May an officer lie?”Is it permissible for a military officer to lie? If so, under what circumstances, to whom andabout what? If not, why not? After considerable deliberation, the nation’s top military officersdeclined to reply to the query, thus underscoring the ambivalence that runs through the officercorps of all services on a critical issue of military ethics and integrity. … in recent years, thepractice of what military officers refer to as ‘situational ethics’ has become pervasive. Thatview … says that a higher end, such as national security, justifies such means as lying anddeception. 68Halloran observed that the importance of trust as a military value was underscored by the feelingthat: “an officer lying through the press to the people he has sworn to defend soils his uniform andviolates the time-honored code dictating that officers do not lie, cheat, or steal.” Even deception,Halloran said, “a basic principle of war” used to deceive the enemy, “is not permissible when it …deceives American citizens. The lie would not only be dishonorable but would erode the credibilityof the military service once the lie has been discovered.” 69As North catapulted into national headlines, the head of the Marine Corps, Gen. Paul X. Kelly,whose many detractors criticized his leadership style and the type of role model he himself offered,avoided commenting directly on the case. Kelly was asked whether he considered North “a heroor a bum,” or if he objected to the lieutenant colonel wearing his uniform while taking the FifthAmendment. He noted that North had an “outstanding combat record” before he left the Corps forduty at the White House in 1981, after which “he hasn’t belonged to me” and therefore could notjudge his performance. It was North’s “call,” he said, whether to wear his uniform while testifyingbefore Congress. 70 (Although the public did not know it at the time, North had been directed not towear his uniform in his appearance before Congress as none of his activities under investigation hadbeen done as a Marine. The Corps stood down on its position, however, when the Administrationoverrode the order and Kelly acquiesced.) 71Other military officers and civilian experts on national security issues were less forgiving in65One critical cadet in the 1970s observed that: “The central, ironic paradox of Academy life is that the institution attempts to build leaders by denyingthem room for individual choice, through and initiative.” Quoted in Bill Kauffman, “The West Point Story,” The American Enterprise Online @ http://www.taemag.com/issues/artcileid.17027/article_detail.asp66“Tradition in the Military,” The American Enterprise Online @ http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.16210/article_detail.asp67Halloran, The New York Times, op. cit. The officer quoted was Lewis S. Sorley III, a 1956 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.68Halloran, The New York Times, op. cit.69Halloran, “Soldiers and Scribblers Revisited: Working with the Media,” Parameters, Summer 1995.70George C. Wilson, “Top Marine Sees U.S. Losing Moral Fiber; Working Mothers a Factor,” The Washington Post, June 26, 1987.71Author’s communication with long-time military analyst who worked with the Marine Corps.Security and Defense Studies Review 2010 Fall-Winter Issue / Edicíón Otoño-Invierno 2010 / Edicão Outono-Inverno 2010 / Volume 11 141