Show PARADE'S SPECIAL Intelligence Heport Bmahm of votvmo of mall rocohrod Pared lofroto Will Reagan Pardon the Guilty? LT"HU his Thursday the House and Senate committees commence public mess hearings on the Which is why a colleague of ours LI covering that unholy disaster in Washington phoned us the other day with this provocative and intriguing question: " IfRearAdm John Poindexter and Lt Col Oliver North axe found guilty eventually of having committed some crime in connection with the scandal Iran-Cont- Iran-Cont- ra ra H cannot antvtr quarto do you believe that Ronald Reagan if still President will pardon them?” Ponder that a moment What’s your reply? Ours was that unlike Richard Nixon who refused to pardon even one of his associates convicted in the Watergate transgression Reagan will pardon Poindexter North and if necessary others in the badly botched scandal — including former CIA Director William Casey who may have to be pardoned posthumously This reporter bases his response on Reagan’s record in the case which relatively few remember Felt-Mill- er g In April 1978 three former FBI— L Director of officials the acting Patrick Gray m acting Associate Director W Mark Felt and Assistant Director Edward S Miller —were indicted for authorizing from May 1972 to May 1973 the “black bag jobs” These were the illegal break-in- s and burglaries of the homes of relatives and friends of fugitive radicals The government subsequently dropped its case against Gray but Felt and Miller were convicted in November 1980 the very month Ronald Reagan was elected President Immediately their FBI associates lobbied the Reagan for compassion while Felt and Miller fined $5000 and $3500 respectively appealed the verdict in court The new President was enormously sympathetic and he granted both men full and unconditional pardons on March 26 1981 Lut on March 30 before the pardons could be publicized Reagan was shot in an high-rankin- so-call- ed er assassination attempt by the deranged John jaiiH!DaljSEia SdEHEnnItem Mni5viMnniSr Hinckley Jr On April 15 however while still in the process of recuperation Reagan explained his pardons of Felt and Miller in these words: “Their convictions grew out of their good faith belief that their actions were necessary to preserve the security interests of their country The record demonstrates that they acted not with criminal intent but in the belief that they had grants of authority reaching to the highest levels of government” If Poindexter and North two undeniably patriotic career servicemen should in the end be judged guilty — say of conspiracy to defraud the government or obstruction of justice or perjury — surely the above words could be applied to them and possibly to a a few others entangled in the web Iran-Contr- lULvi ORQfINED I Keith Carradine and Terry JoBeth Williams Kinney Written and Directed by as'-ib- m Bird” Mike Robe “CBS© Movie A CBS Special Presentation World Premiere Sunday May 3 Check local listings for time and channel J FBI officials Miller (I) and Felt after 1980 convictions: Beagan soon pardoned them and history may repeat Itself BY LLOYD PAGE SHEARER ©1987 8 MAY 3 1987 PARADE MAGAZINE |