News Digest Edited by Brandon Loomis
Judge tells Reagan to surrender diary entries to court
WASHINGTON - A federal judge
Tuesday ordered former President
Reagan to provide excerpts of his
personal diaries to John Poindexter
for the former national security ad
viser’s upcoming Iran-Contra trial.
U.S. District Court Judge Harold
Greene said a 1985 entry includes a
“somewhat ambiguous comment”
indicating that Reagan knew of Poin
dexter’s work for the Nicaraguan
Contras.
Greene said Reagan must surren
der the material by Monday, a move
that could trigger a claim of execu
tive privilege by the former president
and might delay the Feb. 20 starting
date of the Poindexter trial.
Reagan submitted more than 100
diary entries to the judge last Thurs
day. Greene said entries covering more
than 29 different dates in 1985 and
1986 contain “information of signifi
cance.”
Theodore Olson, one of Reagan’s
lawyers, declined to comment.
If Reagan balks at turning over the
material, Greene said he would pro
vide the former president and the Justice
Department with a secret document
Poindexter submitted to the court
outlining why he needs the diaries.
After court filings by all sides,
including Iran-Contra prosecutors, the
court will “make a final decision
with respect to enforcement of the
subpoena” for the diaries, Greene
said.
Reagan was ordered to give Poin
dexter a diary entry relating to a
“successful” trip Poindexter took in
December 1985 to Central America.
“The entry includes a somewhat
ambiguous comment arguably indi
cating that the former president knew”
of Poindexter’s “activities on behalf
of the Contras,” Greene said.
The judge said Poindexter is en
titled to diary entries in which Re
agan describes an effort to persuade
the government of Honduras to re
lease a seized arms shipment that had
been destined for the Contras.
Greene also said Poindexter must
receive diary entries focusing on U.S.
military-type assistance to an uniden
tified Central American country that
may have been used in support of the
Contras.
The entries “may show what types
of aid President Reagan thought could
legally be provided for the military or
paramilitary operations of the Con
tras,” Greene said.
Poindexter also is entitled to Re
agan’s diary entries concerning meet
ings with Poindexter and others in
December 1985 “to discuss the sales
of arms to Iran,” Green said, adding
that one entry “addresses briefly the
Issue of ihe proceeds from these sales.’
Greene said that none of the diary
entries shed “any light on the ques
tion of what President Reagan may
have known about the diversion” of
proceeds to the Contras from the
administration’s secret sale ol arms
to Iran.
Reagan has denied knowing about
the diversion, and Poindexter testi
fied before Congress that he didn’t
tell the president.
Poindexter is charged with con
spiracy, two counts of obstructing
Congress and two counts of making
false statements in connection with
aide Oliver North's assistance to the
Contras and a November 1985 ship
ment of Hawk missiles to Iran.
Poindexter contends that Reagan
knew of and approved activities un
dertaken in the Iran and Contra initia
tives and that therefore Poindexter
had no reason to conceal these activi
ties from Congress, as charged in the
indictment.
" — I
South African unrest builds
as Parliament session nears
E. German communists seek votes,
endorse eventual reunified Germany
EAST BERLIN - East German
Communists on Tuesday, angling
to boost their popularity before
parliamentary elections, endorsed
eventual reunification with West
Germany.
An East Berlin court rejected
the Communist-dominated govern
ment’s request tc keep its ousted
leader, Erich Honecker, behind bars
until his treason trial in March.
Honecker was freed because of his
ailing health, and the official news
agency ADN said he was taken to a
nursing home.
Honecker’s successors in the
oncc-mighty Communist Party
launched titetr uphill campaign
Tuesday for the" March lg eiec
tions by acknowledging a national
fever for reunification, and paity
leader Gregor Gysi conceded that
the movement is unstoppable.
The nation is also in the throes .
of an anti-corruption backlash that
has jailed nearly two dozen senior
officials from the discredited
Honecker regime.
Honecker’s release was ordered
after an East Berlin court refused
to issue a detention order, heeding
the ad vice of doctors that Honecker
remained loo weak to withstand
jailing even in a prison hospital.
Honecker underwent surgery on
Jan. 8 to remove a malignant kid
ney tumor. He was jailed Monday
following his release from Charite
hospital. Doctors at the hospital
had argued against his imprison
ment on humanitarian grounds.
The 77-year-old was ousted from
the leadership on Oct 18 after
massive pro-democracy demonstra
tions. He was expelled from the
Communist Party in December, and
chief prosecutor Hans-Juergcn
Joseph announced the treason charge
against him during a parliamentary
address Monday.
Joseph’s initial request for a
detention warrant was denied by
East Berlin magistrates on Mon
day afternoon, and his appeal to a
higher East Berlin court Tuesday
was also denied.
Dieter Plath, Joseph’s spokes
man, told The Associated Press
that the second rejection exhausted
the prosecution’s means of keep
ing Honecker in jail pending trial.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
- Police used batons, rubber bullets
and tear gas Tuesday to prevent 1,000
blacks from marching on a stadium to
protest a boycott-busting English
cricket team’s match against a South
African university team.
The cricket team’s tour has caused
confrontations every place the visit
ing cricketers have appeared, includ
ing their hotels, where black employ
ees refuse to serve them. The team is
defying an international ban on sports
contact with South Africa.
There also were demonstrations
by black squatters in rising political
-4 4
There are firm indi
cations that...
deKlerk will
announce some eas
ing of the state of
emergency in his
opening address to
Parliament on Fri
day.
The Citizen
Pro-government newspaper
---f f
unrest only three days before Presi
dent F.W. dc Klerk is to open Parlia
ment. He is expected to discuss re
forms in South Africa and ease the
emergency regulations in force since
1986 to quell anti-apartheid activity.
A pro-govemment newspaper, The
Citizen, predicted that de Klerk would
end news media restrictions but proba
bly not ease other regulations. It also
said the release from prison of black
nationalist Nelson Mandela could be
Hpbi/pH hpraticri iho unmet
-J--- — - —
The stadium clash between police
and blacks was at Bloemfontein, in
the Orange Free State.
One policeman punched a black
teen-ager in the chest with a baton,
another pressed his truncheon around
a black youth’s neck to bring him
down as some demonstrators threw
stones at police vehicles and erected
burning tire barricades in the streets
of Mangaung township.
Obed Nkosi, an organizer for the
anti-apartheid National Sports Coun
cil, said 30 people were hurt.
Police said 45 people were arrested
and one while businessman was slightly
injured when his vehicle was stoned
by protesters.
An approved protest by about 500
people outside the stadium was al
lowed to take place.
Police also fired tear gas at 150
black squatters protesting their evic
tion from Kraaifontcin, a neighbor
hood designated for whiles outside
Cape Town. The Rev. Allan Boesak,
a prominent anti-apartheid activist,
was among those affected by the tear
gas.
Police in Cape Town urged the
public to stay out of the city center
today and Friday “because people
are bound to get hurt when action is
taken to stop planned protest marches
to police headquarters and Parlia
ment.”
The march organizers refuse to
seek official permission, and police
Capt. Gys Boonzaaier said, ‘‘The
police are obliged to act if the gather
ing is illegal. We are going to take
action and disperse them. . . . We
would like to urge the public to stay
away ... as people are bound to get
hurt.”
Since de Klerk became president,
the government has allowed several
massive marches to take place with
aut the organizers seeking permis
sion. De Klerk was quoted as telling
police commanders two weeks ago
that they are no longer ‘‘required to
prevent people from gathering to gain
support for their views.”
But police officials say as long as
there are regulations against “illegal
gatherings^ — those without magis
terial permission — police must act to
stop mem.
The stage is set for a major con
frontation Friday, when black activ
ists hope to have 10,000 people march
ing toward Parliament as de Klerk
makes his speech outlining his plans
for reforms leading to negotiations
with the black majority on a new
constitution.
“There are firm indications that..
. dc Klerk will announce some easing
of the state of emergency in his open
ing address to Parliamcnton Friday,”
said The Citizen, which has good
government sources. “The first of the
emergency regulations expected to
be lifted arc those which were im
posed on the media.”
The paper said Mandela’s release
is not expected until mid-February at
the earliest. Reporters earlier in the
week said Mandela m ight not be freed
until March.
The emergency restrictions pro
hibit'journalists from being at the
scene of political unrest, and from
reporting anything about it, or de
scribing any police activity without
permission. Journalists arc also banned
from reporting a wide range of state
ments that the government considers
subversive, including calls for boy
cotts, economic sanctions, and criti
cisms of the military.
Also Tuesday, the Johannesburg
city council declared the city’s busi
ness districts open to tradesmen of all
races but expressed regret it could not
do the same for residential areas.
“We arc moving toward a dis
crimination-free city,’’ said Marietta
Marx, a Johannesburg council mem
ber from the National Party, which
controls the national government and
established the policy of apartheid.
“But we still have the contorted
logic, which is a black can work
anywhere but not live there,’ ’ said Ian
Davidson, a council member of the
anti-apartheid Democratic Party.
City councils have no power to
desegregate residential areas, schools
or hospitals, which are controlled by
the national government.
Uranium operation to begin mining
after correcting state law violations
OMAHA- A company developing
Nebraska’s first commercial uranium
mine has corrected violations of state
law and can resume business in the
state, Deputy State Attorney General
Eugene Crump said.
FcrTct Exploration of Nebraska was
ordered to stop operating in the state
last September because foreigners
owned a majority of Ferret’s capital
s»ock and formed a majority on the
board of directors.
Ferret has submitted information
showing it complies with Nebraska
law requiring a majority of the stock
be owned by U.S. citizens and that
they form a majority on the board,
Crump said Monday.
Ferret Vice Prcsidail Steve Codings
said the decision by the Attorney
General’s Office means Ferret can
begin mining uranium commercially
near Crawford as soon as it receives a
permit from the Nebraska Depart
ment of Environmental Control.
A ____ • -
uvpoiuiivm apu^dlliail .VIIII d
decision on issuing a permit would be
made within 45 days.
The decision was criticized by Jeff
Tracy, a spokesman for the Western
Nebraska Resources Council. The
council last year provided the infor
mation that led the Attorney Gen
eral’s Office to order Ferret to stop
operating.
Tracy said the Attorney General’s
Office gave Ferret special treatment
by meeting several times with Ferret
officials over four months and allow
ing them to revise plans to come into
compliance without paying any fine.
Tracy said the Attorney General’s
Office last year told the council to
investigate ownership and file a
complaint. The council did, and the
Attorney General’s Office agreed with
its findings “but did absolutely noth
ing about it,” he said.
Then, Tracy said, the Attorney
General’s Office denied the Resources
Council access to the information it
used to rule Ferret was owned by U.S.
citizens.
“It iscomplctcly demoralizing for
citizens to participate in the govern
ment process, to do exactly what they
were to do and then be treated this
way,’’ Tracy said.
“I hold Gene Crump and (Attor
ney General) Bob Spire responsible
in this instance for not treating a citi
zens’ organization in the same frame
work as they treat a large corpora
tion,” Tracy said.
Crump said Tracy’s accusations
arc not true.
“We don’t have the ability to fine
them,” Crump said.
He said Ferret had the choice of
dissolving or complying and chose to
comply. He said he understands Fer
ret expanded its board of directors to
include more U.S. citizens and redis
tributed stock so Americans hold a
majority.
Crump said he will provide the
council whatever information he can.
When Ferret proposed the mine
several years ago, the stale allowed
the Denver-based company to oper
ate a pilot mining operation southeast
of Crawford without investigating
Ferret’s ownership.
Last year, the Resources Council
said its research showed a majorit) ot
Ferret was owned by West German.
Canadian and Korean interests, fer
ret denied the charges.
In September, the Attorney Gen
eral’s Office said Ferret was foreign
control led and ordered it to stop oper
ating and forfeit leases on 210.0(K>
acres in several western Nebraska
counties. Ferret officials said they
would fight the ruling.
Monday, Collings said from Den
ver that Ferret still maintains it com
plied with state law originally, but
changing the board and stock makeup
was easier * 3 do than trying to prove
its case.
Collings said construction of the
commercial mine would begin as mkmi
as the Department of Environmental
Control grants a permit.
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