Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

By Saturday, Dec. 6, the national uproar over the Iran-contra affair was at a peak. In his weekly radio address that afternoon, Ronald Reagan made yet another attempt to quell the roiling scandal, assuring listeners that "it was not my intent to do business with Khomeini, to trade weapons for hostages." The secret efforts to forge ties with "moderates" in Iran had been "broken off," the President stated.

But a week later CIA and State Department representatives met with Iranian contacts in Geneva. The Iranians presented the Americans with a nine-point agenda that they claimed had already been approved by the National Security Council. The plan called for the sale of more TOW antitank weapons and Hawk missile parts to Iran and the release of 17 Muslim terrorists imprisoned in Kuwait in exchange for freedom for the American hostages in Lebanon.

The startling disclosure that channels to Iran remained open after the President had declared them shut came during testimony by Secretary of State George Shultz at a closed hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week. Shultz said he ordered his emissaries home when he learned of the Iranians' continued demands for arms. In defiance of Shultz's orders, former CIA Agent George Cave stayed behind to hold further discussions with the Iranians.

Shultz testified that he was outraged to discover that former NSC Adviser John Poindexter had pressured Kuwait to free the convicted Muslims. Shortly after learning of Poindexter's move, Shultz cabled Kuwait's Foreign Minister and reiterated U.S. policy against negotiating with terrorists. The Secretary had more difficulty communicating with the President on the matter: White House aides would not grant him an Oval Office appointment and demanded to know what he wanted to discuss with Reagan. Shultz reached Reagan only by telephoning the President's private quarters over the weekend.