European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 7, 1991 the stars and stripes c Page 7former senior Cia official indicted charges accuse him of lying to Congress about Iran Contra Washington apr a former senior Cia official was indicted Friday on charges that he lied to Congress about his Agency a role in the Iran Contra affair. Clair George who served As the Ciao a Deputy director for operations was accused in a 10-count indictment returned by a Federal grand jury that has been investigating the role of current and former Cia officials in the Iran Contra affair. He was charged with perjury making false statements and obstructing investigations into the Iran Contra affair. The indictment charges among other things that George obstructed the Senate foreign relations committees inquiry into the october 1986 shooting Down of a Southern air transport plane that was carrying arms to the nicaraguan rebels. It charges that George lied to the panel when he said he did not know who was secretly providing arms to the contras. It alleges that George knew at the time of his Senate testimony that former White House aide Oliver North was directing the secret operation to re  the contras. George is also charged with lying to the Federal grand jury that returned fridays indictment. He is accused of making false statements to the grand jury about his role in preparing congressional testimony about the Iran Contra affair in 1986. If convicted of All 10 charges he could be sentenced to 45 years in prison in addition to fines totalling More than $60,000. The indictment was sought by Independent counsel Lawrence e. Walsh who since late 1986 has been investigating the Reagan administrations Sale of arms to Iran and its role in a Clandestine network to  the nicaraguan contras despite a congressional ban on military Aid. In recent months Walsh has focused on the conduct of current and former Cia officials who were questioned by Congress about the Agency a role in the Iran Contra affair. Georges indictment comes at a particularly difficult time for the Agency and the Bush administration. Robert Gates president Bush a nominee to be Cia director will undergo confirmation hearings starting sept. 16 before the Senate intelligence committee. He is expected to face Tough questioning about his role in the Iran Contra scandal. Gates served As the Ciao a Deputy director for intelligence in 1985 and was elevated to the no. 2 Slot of Deputy director in 1986. Walsh a 4vi-year criminal investigation began picking up Speed this summer when Alan Fiers the sex chief of the Ciao scentral american task Force pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours and began cooperating with prosecutors. Meanwhile the Justice department is considering whether current Cia officials under scrutiny in the scandal can receive financial assistance in paying their Legal Bills government sources said. On thursday the spy Agency notified its employees in the United states and overseas that they Are allowed to contribute Money to a Legal defense fund set up by Cia retirees. The retirees say they want to help defray the Legal costs of retired Agency officials who have hired private attorneys to defend  rate stays at 6.8% during August Washington apr the nation s unemployment rate remained at 6.8 percent in August As new hiring failed to Post a Large enough gain to make a marked improvement in the labor Market the government reported Friday. The rate unchanged from july a figure had been expected to stay Frozen or even Worsen slightly because employers apparently Are not confident enough in any economic recovery to hire workers Back. Fridays report by the labor department said employers added 34,000 jobs in August a relatively Small payroll gain for an Economy trying to pull out of a recession. The number of americans who Are jobless stayed at 8.5 million a about 1.7 million higher than when the recession started in july 1990. A labor Market conditions in August continued to Lack Clear direction a said Janet Norwood commissioner of the Bureau of labor statistics. With the jobless rate refusing to Budge the unemployment level is now Back to where it was in March. The rate had worsened to a five year High of 7 percent in june but then dropped to 6.8 percent in july. That decline was dismissed As a Fluke caused by americans abandoning the Job Hunt rather than any hiring rebound. Augustus Flat conditions mean that Job conditions arc neither improving nor deteriorating significantly. The White House sought to put an upbeat interpretation on the report. A it certainly is better to stay the same and not go up a said Michael Boskin chairman of president Bush a Council of economic advisers. The brightest spot in fridays report was that manufacturing added 42,000 jobs Over the month. Gains in factory jobs total nearly 70,000 Over the past two months the labor department said. 2 climbers 1 without use of legs Inch Way up Yosemite s half dome Ted Farmer carries Mark Wellman to half domes Northwest base where Wellman and climber Mike Corbett began their ascent of the famed Rock. Yosem1te National Park Calif. Up a Mark Wellman who lost the use of his legs in a 1982 climbing Accident inched up the Granite face of giant half dome on thursday the second Day of an expected we Klong ascent. Wellman a 31-year-old National Park service Ranger was aided by fellow Yosemite Valley resident Mike Corbett 37, who also helped him climb nearby Al Capitan two years ago. Leaving the Valley floor wednesday the climbers spent three hours on a mule ride then Corbett carried Wellman piggyback for five hours up the shoulder of the landmark that towers 8,842 feet above sea level. They climbed to a ledge 20 feet Long and 8 feet wide 150 feet up the face of half dome then bedded Down. A Light rain fell during the night but the climbers said it had no effect on them. After what they said was a sound sleep and a breakfast of Candy bars and soft drinks they resumed the ascent at 9 . A it was a fairly strenuous Day yesterday Quot Wellman told support people by radio. A the mule ride piggyback and then some Low Angle climbing had their effect on me. The pitches Well be climbing today Are a Little steeper so it will be better for  a steeper pitch is advantageous for Wellman who uses ropes set by Corbett and a mechanical device to Inch himself up the Spires 2,200 feet of vertical Rock to the Summit. Wellman and Corbett Hope to reach the top by wednesday. Temperatures were expected to reach a High of 95. Wellman was paralysed from the Waist Down in a climbing fall in 1982. Since then he has directed Yosemite a program for disabled people As a National Park service Ranger. Corbett has climbed half dome six  asked 2nd woman out after alleged rape West Palm Beach Fla. A William Kennedy Smith invited a 25-year-old woman to the movies hours after another woman claimed he raped her the Young woman said in a pretrial statement made Public Friday. Margaret Scheid said that Smith and his Cousin Patrick Kennedy approached her As she walked her dog on the Beach in the late afternoon of March 30. After they talked Smith invited her a to go to the movies with us tonight a Scheid said. She said they told her their phone number but she never called because she had a Boyfriend. Scheid had been listed As a potential defense witness for Smiths rape trial scheduled for Jan. 13. Questioned by Lead prosecutor Moira Lasch she said she did no to know of any information she had that would help Smiths defense. Hers was one of the few new versions about events surrounding the alleged rape. Many of More than 20 statements made Public Friday were defense questioning of Likely state witnesses including police investigators who had Given earlier statements to prosecutors. Among the new statements was testimony from Denny Abbott the rape crisis Counselor who has talked often with the 30-year-old woman who says Smith the 31-year-old Nephew of sen. Edward Kennedy d-mass., raped her at his family a estate Early March 30. For weeks afterwards the woman was a an emotional wreck who expressed fears about the Kennedy family and Smith Abbott said under defense questioning. He also disclosed under questioning that the woman told him that Smith had tested negative for the aids virus. He said he considered her an emotionally stable person who has a made Good Progress in dealing with the incident. Also made Public was testimony of or. Barry Lotman the woman a Ortho Peist who saw her a week after the alleged assault. He gave details on his examination of her a earlier made Public when his office report was released a in which he found bruising and swelling on her shoulder and tenderness in her hips and pubic area. Smiths attorneys said thursday that they  Appeal for now the release of the depositions requested by the associated press Palm Beach Post and other news organizations. In a letter to c circuit judge Mary Lupo Lead attorney Roy Black indicated he May App a the deposition Issue later. Prosecutors have said they Are bound by Florida Public records Laws to release pretrial evidence sought by the Media. Lupo ordered the prosecution tuesday not to release any More information about allegations against Smith of Pas sexual crimes. However she denied de sense motions seeking restrictions on re lease of All depositions. Smiths attorneys said pretrial publicity has severely damaged his chances for fair trial. His trial was delayed after prosecutors disclosed july 22 that three othe women want to testify he sexually Al tacked them in the past