Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-Up

Iran-contra independent counsel Walsh chronicles here his efforts to call to account senior Reagan administration officials for their deceptions and the arms-for-hostages fiasco, alleging that ""no one... told the full truth."" Having failed to put anyone in prison, he marshals considerable evidence of malfeasance to convict Oliver North, John Poindexter and Caspar Weinberger. Neither Beltway insiders nor the public at large, however, are likely to read this work for its insights into Iran-contra or the political culture of the Reagan era. Instead, Walsh's book will probably be cited in a growing debate about whether the expenditure of millions on independent investigations has made our government more honest. Foes of the independent counsel system will find a lot of material here with which to buttress their arguments. Despite years of effort from some of the most astute prosecutors in the country, the only high-level official left with a criminal record from Walsh's investigation was national security adviser Robert McFarlane--a reluctant participant in the Iran-contra cover-up who pleaded guilty to deceiving Congress. Walsh attributes his meager results to systematic efforts by two administrations to frustrate his efforts and an executive bureaucracy mired in a culture of concealment. Photos. (July)