THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 11, 1994 TAG: 9410110008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
Your paper repeatedly makes a critical omission regarding Oliver North's exoneration on appeal (of his alleged Iran-Contra illegalities).
You repeatedly state his three convictions but give half-truths when you explain why they were overturned on appeal. You neglect to mention that Appellate Judge Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals said he opposed the North convictions because, ``We don't countenance political trials in this country.'' In other words, Lt. Col. Oliver North was the victim of a political lynch mob.
Whether your omission is intentional, or the result of shoddy research, I don't know. Ollie North may have deceived his political opponents in Congress (off the record, and that's not a crime). And for that you say he is a liar. By that standard, it is also a lie for your paper to mislead the public with half-truths about Oliver North. It's also hypocritical.
KEVIN P. CARGILL
Chesapeake, Oct. 6, 1994 by CNB