Oil Pipeline

During the Iran-Contra hearings numerous Reagan Administration officials claimed that they were too preoccupied with more important state affairs to be able to devote much attention to Israel’s sale of U.S. made arms to Iran. (Wallach’s letter to Meese was dated Sept. 25, 1985, just after Israel’s first shipment.)

Now, we know one reason those officials were too busy to concern themselves with Israel’s illegal arms sale to Iran. They were concocting stratagems to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars from the construction of an oil pipeline.

Indeed, the paltry few millions of dollars which Lt. Col. Oliver North diverted to the Contras is a trivial amount when compared to the hundreds of millions which would have been diverted to Israel in return for its agreeing to not destroy the pipeline.

Unfortunately, we will probably never know if North and Fawn Hall may have shredded documents which might pertain to independent counsel James McKay’s investigation.

ARCH MILLER

Arcadia