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U.S. NEWS Saturday 14 May 2022
Former national security adviser Robert McFarlane dies at 84

By BEN FOX carrying a CIA-arranged
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- shipment of arms was shot
mer White House national down in October 1986 by
security adviser Robert C. the Sandinistas in Nicara-
McFarlane, a top aide to gua, setting off what even-
President Ronald Reagan tually became one of the
who pleaded guilty to biggest modern political
charges for his role in an ille- scandals.
gal arms-for-hostages deal McFarlane was rushed to
known as the Iran-Contra a Washington-area hospi-
affair, has died. He was tal in February 1987 after
84.McFarlane, who lived in taking an overdose of Va-
Washington, died Thursday lium the day before he was
from complications of a scheduled to testify before
previous illness at a hospital a presidential commission
in Michigan, where he was investigating the affair.
visiting family, according to He pleaded guilty in March
a family statement. 1988 to four misdemeanor
"As his family we wish to counts of withholding in-
share our deep sadness at formation from Congress.
the loss of our beloved hus- His lawyer said he was be-
band, father and grandfa- ing unfairly singled out be-
ther, and note his profound cause he, unlike other key
impact on our lives," the Former national security adviser Robert C. McFarlane gestures while testifying before the House- figures in the affair, testified
family said in the state- Senate panel investigating the Iran-Contra affair on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 13, 1987. willingly before investiga-
ment. "Though recognized Associated Press tive panels. He also admit-
as a strategic political ted his role.
thinker, we remember him post in December 1985. He ceeds to the contra rebels so-called moderate Irani- "I did indeed withhold in-
for his warmth, his wisdom, was later pressed into ser- in Nicaragua for their fight ans who were thought to formation from the Con-
his deep belief in God, and vice by the administration against the Marxist Sandini- hold influence with kidnap- gress," he told reporters at
his commitment to serving as part of secret — and il- sta government. pers of American hostages. the time. "I believe strongly
others." legal — plan to sell arms He played a major role in He brought with him a cake that, throughout, my ac-
McFarlane, a former Ma- to Iran in exchange for the the affair, leading the se- and a Bible signed by Rea- tions were motivated by
rine lieutenant colonel and freedom of Western hos- cret delegation to Tehran, gan. what I believed to be in the
Vietnam combat veteran, tages in the Middle East then as now a U.S. adver- The scheme began to un- foreign policy interest of
resigned his White House and pass along the pro- sary, to open contact with fold a after a cargo plane the United States."q

U.S., Russian defense chiefs speak for 1st time since invasion

By LOLITA C. BALDOR have repeatedly said that future conversation and
Associated Press Russian leaders declined that it appeared that Aus-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rus- to take calls from Austin tin's request for future com-
sian Minister of Defense and Army Gen. Mark Mil- munication was received.
Sergey Shoygu spoke with ley, chairman of the Joint The official characterized
U.S. Defense Secretary Chiefs of Staff. the tenor of the call as "pro-
Lloyd Austin on Friday after This is the first conversa- fessional" but provided no
months of refusing direct tion between Austin and other details on its content.
contact with his American Shoygu since Feb. 18, a Direct communications be-
counterpart. But officials week before the war start- tween the U.S. and Russian
said the call didn't appear ed. Another senior official defense and military lead-
to signal any change in said Friday that Milley is ex- ers is considered crucial in
Moscow's war in Ukraine. pected to also reach out order to avoid any misun-
A senior Defense Depart- to his counterpart, Gen. derstandings or unwarrant-
ment official said Friday Valery Gerasimov, Russian ed escalation in hostilities. Associated Press
that while Austin believes chief of the general staff. The U.S. and Russia have
the hour-long conversa- In a statement, the Penta- also set up a so-called de- eastern Donbas region as mand released photos and
tion was important in the gon said that Austin "urged confliction line that can be more than two weeks be- video of what it said was a
effort to keep lines of com- an immediate ceasefire in used by the militaries in the hind schedule, and failing damaged Russian pontoon
munication open, it didn't Ukraine and emphasized event of any emergency or to make consistent prog- bridge over the Siversky
resolve any "acute issues" the importance of main- perceived threat to NATO ress. Donets River and several
or lead to any change in taining lines of communi- allies around Ukraine. It has On Friday, Russian forces destroyed or damaged
what the Russian are doing cation." not been used, but U.S. of- suffered heavy losses in a Russian military vehicles
or saying as the war enters Several officials described ficials say that the Russians Ukrainian attack that de- nearby. The command said
week 12. the call as a positive step, have answered the phone stroyed a pontoon bridge its troops "drowned the Rus-
The call — initiated by Aus- but said there was no clear during tests to ensure it they were using to try to sian occupiers."
tin —- marked the highest reason why the Russians works. cross a river in the east, in The battle for the Donbas,
level American contact decided to go ahead with U.S. and other Western of- what Ukrainian, British and which has heated up since
with a Russian official since the conversation on Friday. ficials have described Rus- U.S. officials said is another Russia's bid to take Kyiv
the war began in late Feb- The defense official said sia's fight in Ukraine, par- sign of Moscow's struggle to failed, has become a daily
ruary. Over the past several that the U.S. hopes it will ticularly the effort to wrest salvage a war gone awry. grind, as towns and villages
months, Pentagon officials serve as a springboard for greater control over the Ukraine's airborne com- change hands.q