European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes monday april 30,1990panel did no to reveal All report says Washington apr congressional Iran Contra investigators discovered but kept secret a diversion to israeli intelligence of More than $ 1 million in proceeds from the Reagan administrations Sale of arms to Iran the new York times Magazine reports. The Magazine in an article by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh also reports that senators decided before the much publicized Iran Contra hearings that they would not a go after president Reagan. They agreed they would avoid seeking impeachment unless it seemed that Reagan had been fully aware of the diversion of arms Sale Money to Nicaragua a Contra rebels the article said. The decisions were governed by a desire to avoid jeopardizing the possible release of . Hostages held in Lebanon and to protect the emerging strategic arms negotiations with the soviet Union. Panel members also considered Reagan Sage and immense Public popularity Hersh writes. According to the article Senate and House committees Learned that Richard Secord and his partner Albert Hakim who worked for White House aide Oliver North had diverted arms Sale profits to the israelis for the Covert actions. The committees obtained documents that showed Fec discloses fund raising on abortion Issue Washington apr the leading abortion rights group has built up a political War Chest this year nearly seven times As Large As the funds held by the chief anti abortion organization but that Lead May not last Long. The political action committee for the National abortion rights action league raised More than $300,000 in the first three months of this year while the National right to life Pac raised just Over $7,000, according to Federal disclosure reports. The abortion rights groups Pac ended the Quarter with $347,000 in the Bank compared with $51,000 for National right to life according to Federal election commission records. The lopsided Pace of fund raising could end soon however. An anti abortion rally in Washington on saturday attracted some 200,000 people and the National right to life Pac is preparing to launch its annual direct mail Campaign. The anti abortion Pac has demonstrated before it can raise substantial sums quickly. It had $3,400 on hand at the end of june 1989 but raised $460,000 in the second half of the year. Most of that Money however was spent on special congressional elections and gubernatorial races in which abortion rights candidates were overwhelmingly successful. Those results led to some speculation that the prolife forces would lie Low or be shunned by candidates this year but leaders of the anti abortion Pac have promised to be even More Active. Sandra Faucher director of the anti abortion Pac said she is confident that they will a be Able to raise As much As it  a we never raise funds in the first Quarter a she said. A we have our own Agenda and done to worry about what anyone else is  Naralis Pac reported it had raised $308,000 so far this year and spent $ 142,000, of which $42,000 was contributed to Federal candidates or other pics. Despite their different approaches to fund raising four Cash transfers Between Hakim a Swiss Bank account and an account controlled by Amiram Nir an israeli counter terrorist official Hersh writes. This Transfer was not mentioned in the panels joint report in november 1987. The report devotes Only three paragraphs to the subject and describes the efforts by codename �?oth-1, th-2 and so on a the report says. It also says North testified that the efforts a had not progressed beyond the planning stage and that he therefore did not seek presidential authorization. But Hersh says a highly placed american intelligence officials a whom he did not identify by name told him that several of the North Nir operations did take place in 1985 and 1986. These included Covert electronic monitoring of the Damascus Beirut Highway a series of attempts to penetrate the shiite amal militia and the druse sect and a continuing Effort to locate Arab terrorists suspected of blowing up the Marine Barracks in Lebanon in 1983, Hersh reports. Hersh adds that Secord acknowledged in an interview that he was aware of the payments to Nir and said of them a this is Black Money a israeli Black Money a a term used to describe the financing of Covert operations. Senate committee chief counsel Arthur Liman is quoted by Hersh As saying there were limits on what he could publish from the investigation. Other sources told Hersh that both House and Senate chairmen told Liman not to make anything Public that might disrupt continuing efforts to gain the release of . Hostages in Lebanon. Liman told Hersh that the question of whether the diversion to the israelis was Legal without written presidential authority was referred to the Senate and House intelligence committees. Neither he Quot.  any Public report on the matter. The desire to protect both Reagan and the strategic arms negotiations motivated senators Hersh says. According to one participant Hersh writes a at an Early caucus in january 1987the senators reached one easy consensus. A we did no to want to go after the president a the participant said. A he was too  the witness also told Hersh that senators believed Reagan could not understand what had happened. Hersh quotes sen. Warren b. Rudman r-n.h., and the committees vice chairman As saying a we decided to follow the evidence but agreed that a if there was an impeachable offence it could Only be the diversion. The Point we talked about was that if there is a conscious diversion we have no choices but to seek impeachment. A if its nonfeasance and negligence there a too much at risk a Hersh quotes Rudman As saying. A we could go on for four  about 200,000 demonstrators rally on the mall in Washington on saturday in a protest against abortion. The Naral and National right to life pics Are relatively close in total receipts so far in the two year election Cycle according to Fec records. The National right to life Pac has raised $506,000 since january 1989, compared with Naral packs $591,000. But when the steady fund raising of voters for Choice is factored in the abortion rights forces have a Clear fund raising advantage. Voters for Choice has raised $577,000 in the past 16 months. It has made donations to a dozen candidates so far this year while spending the bulk of its Money on new fund raising  seeks payment for mistaken wine recall not Washington a the . Distributor of reunite wines is seeking compensation from the government for what it says was a mistaken recall of some of its italian wines that Cost the company $39 million. Rep. Robert j. Mrazek d-n.y., has introduced legislation in Congress that would permit the distributor Banfi vintners to argue its Case before the . Court of claims which is the first step toward compensation. The legislation is now pending before a House judiciary subcommittee. In 1985, the Bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms requested that Banfi recall about 10 percent of its imported wine after routine testing discovered that it contained Dieth Ylene glycol a toxic coolant that accidentally seeped into the wine during fermentation. Investigators consulted with the food and drug administration which said that the contaminant presented a health Hazard at six parts per million. The recalled wines contained 10 parts per million. Banfi whose Headquarters Are in old Brookville in Mrazek a District voluntarily recalled 1.3 million cases of reunite lambrusco Bianco Rosato and a Yumante beginning in october 1985. At the time Banfi imported 11 million cases of reunite wines a year. In May 1986, after conducting a health Hazard evaluation for the contaminant the Fra found that adulterated wine would be expected to be hazardous at 160 parts per million far More than was Ever found in the wine. The Federal tort claims act bars Banfi from suing the government Over an Agency a decision to require a recall but passage of the Bill would permit Banfi to argue its Case. If the court decides in favor of Banfi compensation would be subject to approval by Congress