European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes thursday april 9,1987 mar Mcgrory Inouye s groundwork promises fair Iran probe the office of sen. Daniel Inouye h Calm and Bright Decora cd with Brilliant artefact at tin native Hawaii in the Comer stand a tank in which tropical fish tide serenely in dark Waters. My blood pressure is says the chairman of the select Senate committee on the Iran Centra scan dalt Don t panic if he hat his Way the upcoming hearings to be held jointly with the House select committee will be peace nil and orderly too. He is using the watergate com Mittee on which he served As a most Junior member inthe turbulent summer or 1973, As an example of How not to proceed the committee under the colourful chairmanship of sen Sam Emu the Constitution layer introduced the country to the men around Rich Ard Nixon and their curious notions about politics As War but according to Inouye suffered from fishing expeditions and a circus his idea is to have an inquiry hat will be Crisp convincing and bipartisan one that will result in a Clear in depth report with half the witnesses and in hair the Lime of the watergate committee. I think we will be better prepared before we get to the Public phase says the chairman in his level voice. In the Eryin inquiry the minority and majority staff members were segregated with the result they became two armed Camps who did not share information with each other it is a Mailer of Pride with Inouye thai both staffs share quarters in one huge room on the ninth floor of inc Hart office building and that chief counsel Arthur Liman a former prosecutor with an impressive history in tracking dirty Money is in total charge Inouye emphasizes that All committee vote have so tar been unanimous. Members have agreed to be Bro Ken Down into teams of one Republican one demo crat and one counsel with special responsibility for key witnesses. The counsel will layout the Case and the team will Lead the questioning. Other members can be heard after the presentation. Remembering i frustration As the Man at the end of the line in the watergate hearings when All the sensible questions had been asked Inouye has prom ised his colleagues equal Lime under the Keg lights when the hearings open on May 5. Will this Harmony comity and Good Fellowship sur Vive the moment when the footsteps May be heard on the Stair Tor Ronald Reagan s complicity in or at least knowledge of the arms profits diversion Inouye believes that the habit of working together and the evidence itself could overcome the partisan instinct o protect the president. The republicans Are of course hoping thai Anthony Lewis foe Recd Tecott Tow i a d. I my a the hearings will be an anticlimax. They reason thai the dismal Facia of the iranian arms Sale which Reagan admits was a mistake Are now All out that Reagan arbitrary press conference statement of Complete Igno Rance of the Fate of the Money proves his prevailing Wisdom is that the press conference in which he said he did t know could t remember and could t imagine what happened was a Triumph hat he has put it the scandal behind Inouye his face impassive has no comment on such notions. Me Only says that the present scandal is far Raver ban watergate. This is no bungled burglary. It involves very very profound he s heard it said that the hearings will be Dull an tedious. We will give a steady diet of substantial Testi the committee has already granted immunity to Fawn Hall North s dishy Blond Secretary who has admitted to shredding and doctoring documents. Inouye is looking for other satellite from the Reagan administrations s Point of View the ominous note in the committee s procedure is the chronology. The country heard about the scandal in k see letter a two instalments first the nov. 4 revelation that Rea Gan sold missiles to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini the second three weeks later that the profits went o the contras. Inouye is reversing the order. His inquiry begins with the passage of the to land amendment in december 1982, capping funds. A second Boland amendment in octo Ber 1984, forbade any assistance for the purpose of or having the effect or supporting direct or indirect military or paramilitary Aid in Nicaragua by any ration group organization movement or we have to present a Clear picture of what happened after the Boland amendment the attempt to circumvent the Congress and Why it was wrong Inouye said. If the evidence shows that Money for the Centre was the cause rather than the consequence of the iranian arms Sale it would be damning to the presi Dent. That has yet to be established but the fact that i could be suggested that while House complacency about the hearings May be revised As time goes by
