IRAN-CONTRA: Statement - 10/13/92 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 1992 GEORGE BUSH AND ARMS-FOR-HOSTAGES: IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH (Statement of George Stephanopoulos, Communications Director) It is time for George Bush to tell the truth about Iran-Contra. For six years, George Bush denied he knew about the arms-for hostage deal with Iran. Today, he admitted he did know. For six years, George Bush has acknowledged he knew of the arms shipments to Iran, but not of the trade for hostages. He has maintained, despite an avalanche of evidence to the contrary, that he was "out of the loop" and did not learn of the arms-for-hostage deal until December 1986. In 1987, George Bush was asked if he was comfortable with the personal role in the Iran- contra affair. He replied it was proper to reach out to Iran, but "if this includes arms for hostages, that's wrong. I wish I had known something so I could have done something different on that." [NYT, 2/27/87] In January 1988, stumping for the Presidential nomination in Iowa, Bush said, "I sensed that we were sending arms. And I sensed that we were trying to get hosages out. But not arms for hostages." [news conference transcript, 1/8/88] But this morning in the White House, Today Show host Katie Couric asked, "You knew about the arms for hostages?" George Bush replied, "Yes, and I've said so all along, given speeches on it." Bush also claimed on Today that sworn answers confirm his current account. Asked whether he had knowledge of the arms-for-hostages deal, he replied, "I've testified 450 times under oath, some of them, and our staff 3,500 that yes, but nobody's accused me of not doing it." But Bush's answers under oath -- given to the Tower Commission and to the Special Prosecutor's Office -- have never been made public. Since his current story is now different from his original alibi, Bush either told the American people one thing in public and told investigators another in private -- or misled both. It's time for George Bush to make public the transcripts of his questioning by the Tower Commission and the Special Prosecutor's office. George Bush's statements just don't add up. Today, Bush yet again denied he was aware of the opposition to the deal of Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and Secretary of State George Shultz. "There were two key meetings where they almost got into a shouting match, I'm told, that I did not attend." Yet, Bush was in the room during a January 7, 1986 National Security Council meeting with President Reagan to discuss a Presidential finding that authorized the arms for hostage deal. Shultz and Weinberger were present at that meeting and expressed strong objections to the idea. --30--