Revell, often George Bush's ``hit man'' against Bush's domestic opponents, partially disclosed this
shell game in a letter to Sen. David Boren (D-Ok.), explaining the FBI's contacts with North: At the time [April 1986], North was the NSC official charged by the President with the coordination
of our national counterterrorist program. He was responsible for working closely with designated
lead agencies and was responsible for participating in all interagency groups, maintaining the
national programming documents, assisting in the coordination of research and development in
relation to counterterrorism, facilitating the development of response options and overseeing theimplementation of the Vice President's Terrorism Task Force recommendations. This description of (^)
Col. North's position is set forth in the public report of the Vice President's Task Force on
Combatting Terrorism, February 1986. There is an even more detailed and comprehensive
description of Col. North's position in the classified National Security Decision Directive #207
issued by the President on January 20, 1986. @s4@s7
The Bush Terrorism Task Force, having completed its official work, had simply made itself into a
renamed, permanent, covert agency. Its new name was Operations Sub-Group (OSG). In this
transformation, CIA Contra-handler Duane Clarridge had been added to the Task Force to form the
OSG,'' which included North, Poindexter, Charles Allen, RobeMoellering andBuck'' Revell. According to the Oliver North diaries, even before this final phasert Oakley, Noel Koch, General (^)
of the Bush-North apparatus there were at least 14 meetings between North and the Bush Task
Force's senior members Holloway, Oakley and Allen, its principal consultant Terry Arnold, and its
staff men Robert Earl and Craig Coy. The North diaries from July 1985 through January 1986,
show one meeting with President Reagan, and four mtwo alone, North with Bush and Amiram Nir, or North with Bush and Donald Gregg. The Busheetings with Vice President Bush: either the
counterterrorism apparatus had its own communications channels, and a global antiterrorist
computer network called Flashboard outside of all constitutional government arrangements. Those
opposed to the arming of terrorists, including cabinet members, had no access to these
communications.@s4@s8 This apparatus had responsibility for Iraof the Contras, from contributions, theft, dope-running; the public diplomacy'' of Projectn arms sales; the private funding Democracy to back these efforts; and counterintelligence against other government agencies and against domestic opponents of the policy.@s4@s9 January 28, 1986: George Bush met with Oliver North and FDN Contra Political Director Adolfo Calero in the OldExecutive Office Building.@s5@s0 North and Calero would work together to protect George Bush (^) when the Contra supply effort blew apart in October 1986. January 31, 1986: Iranian arms dealer Cyrus Hashemi was told by a French arms agent that [a]n assistant of the vice
president's going to be in Germany ... and the indication is very clear that the transaction can goforward '' referring to George Bush's supposed approval of the private arms sale to Iran.@s5@s1
February 6, 1986:
Responding to the January 15 letter from Richard Brenneke, Bush aide Lt. Col. E. Douglas
Menarczik wrote to Brenneke: The U.S. government will not permit or participate in the provision of war materiel to Iran and will prosecute any such efforts by U.S. citizens to the fullestextent of the law. 1''@s5@s2 February 7, 1986: Samuel M. Evans, a representative of Saudi and Israeli arms dealers, told Cyrus Hashemi that [t]he green light now finally has been given [for the private sale of arms to Iran],
that Bush is in favor, Shultz against, but nevertheless they are willing to proceed. ''@s5@s3
February 25, 1986:Richard Brenneke wrote again to Bush's office, to Lt. Col. Menarczik, documenting a secret project (^)
for U.S. arms sales to Iran going on since 1984.
Brenneke later said publicly that early in 1986, he called Menarczik to warn that he had learned that
the U.S. planned to buy weapons for the Contras with money from Iran arms sales. Menarczik