Help! Please help me refute the Oliver North Al Gore Bin Laden email

[Mr_Scarecrow]

OK, you're probably all aware of the hoax email sent out that says that during the Iran-Contra hearings, Oliver North was ridiculed by Al Gore for mentioning Osama Bin Laden as the terrorist he was most afraid of, and he had purchased a home security system because of it, etc. etc.

I got this email (again) last week from a friend who sent it on to her email list.

Being a good truth seeker, I went to Oliver North's website (www.northamerican.com), and sent to the list the link to the letter North wrote as a rebuttal. Then someone on her list responded to me with this(!):

My second cousin was at that hearing and has a great transcript of the hearing itself as well as the clearance to rerun and watch that hearing---he himself said that Oliver North did indeed talk about Osama bin Laden. And one of the Senators questioning him was Al Gore. AOL has informed me that snopes is a sight by other people who may not necessarily look up the info either. They rely on other search engines to get the job done. I also know several people who have spoken to Oliver North ( he now gives speeches on tour for a living). He openly admits to knowing about the terrorist Osama and did feel threatened enough to add a state of the art security system. The american people were too immersed in other things to pay attention. He did take the fall for the Iran Contra affair. It has been said that Osama bin Laden was actively involved in almost everything that had to do with terrorist strikes during the 80's and 90's.
I openly resent people who use the internet to further another website into giving more misleading information. There are millions of official looking sites that are in all actuality Fake. Next time you see Oliver North in town, I suggest you go to his talk and ask him what he said that day. I THINK YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED!! He will even tell you how the entire group of Senators laughed at how Osama's name was written and pronounced.
Believe what you want but official transcripts don't lie and neither to films.

PS that is not Oliver North's official website you have sited. And Oliver North gives his website at his speeches and I have it because I heard him speak and that is not it!!

Does anyone have an official transcript of the hearings, or more info that would help refute this? Is it possible that that is not North's website? Is it possible that this person is correct? Am I going mad? Please help. Thanks.

[kimchi]

1. No help here, sorry.

Second cousin? Tell them they'll have to come up with better documentation than that.

[ET Awful]

2. The burden is on them to provide the proof.

If they have a transcript, tell them to present it. You also can't re-run and watch a transcript, a transcript is a written document, not a video.

Has clearance my ass. It's a public record is it not? That means EVERYONE has clearance.

[TX-RAT]

3. Osama"s name wasn't mentioned.

It was Abu Nidal.
hope i spelled it right.

[Paragon]

4. Snopes

Always Snopes. Bookmark it.

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm

...One of the versions in circulation concludes "The senator disagreed with this approach and that was all that was shown of the clip. If anyone is interested, the Senator turned out to be none other than . . . Al Gore." (Senator Al Gore of Tennessee was not a member of the United States Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition and therefore did not take part in the questioning of any witnesses before the Committee.)...

[meegbear]

5. Try here ...

http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/northosama.html

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm

[ET Awful]

6. Of course, if it IS true, that would beg the question. . .

why didn't Reagan and Poppy go after bin Laden?

[zbdent]

7. Get your freeptard friend to find out when Ollie is on another call-in

show and have her ask him himself.

He is getting pretty tired of denouncing this hoax, and it is some other terrorist who has been lost to the ages.

[Mr_Scarecrow]

15. The funny thing is

It was debunked even by the Freepers!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/570041/posts
That's why I thought the response especially strange.

[Jim__]

8. I don't have any documentation (found some) - but, my recollections is ...

... that the terrorist Oliver North cited at his hearing was Abu Nidal - the big name terrorist of that day. I doubt any senators laughed at him for saying that - North was getting good press; and everyone knew that Middle Eastern terrorists were a deadly threat.

I'll try to find some doc on this.

on edit - some doc - I can't vouch for the source: here

[Ducks In A Row]

9. Who care - Bush is the one who hasn't found bin Laden..

who let 9/11 happen, who ran and hide on 9/11, who can't be bothered to even say bin Laden name.

Remember, Bush is a coward and a liar, and has killed our soliders for nothing.

[zbird]

10. Would they believe the Senate's website?

The facts: Oliver North testified about a home security system during a July 7, 1987 joint Senate-House hearing on the Iran-Contra investigation. The questioner was not a senator, but committee counsel John Nields. Col. North testified the security system was installed because threats were made on his life by terrorist Abu Nidal.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/Oliver_North.shtml

Agree with the other posters who tell the "second cousin of a friend of an acquaintance of the guy who lives down the street next door to the post office" to prove it.

Besides, in 1987, bin Laden was our "friend" fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan. At that time he was a "freedom fighter", not a "terrorist".

[MrBenchley]

11. Remember, that's the same Oliver North

who put the Sultan of Brunei's Iran/Contra millions in the WRONG Swiss bank account....

http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/iran_contra/

Frankly, North never said any such thing...the e-mail's an internet hoax.

[Worst Username Ever]

12. North's Response:

FROM THE DESK OF LTCOL OLIVER L. NORTH (USMC) RET.
NOVEMBER 28, 2001
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL THOUSAND E-MAILS FROM EVERY STATE IN THE U.S. AND 13 FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE ORIGINATOR PURPORTS TO HAVE RECENTLY VIEWED A VIDEOTAPE OF MY SWORN TESTIMONY BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE IN 1987.

A COPY OF ONE OF THOSE E-MAILS IS ATTACHED BELOW. AS YOU WILL NOTE, THE ORIGINATOR ATTRIBUTES TO ME CERTAIN STATEMENTS REGARDING USAMA BIN LADEN AND OTHER MATTERS THAT ARE SIMPLY INACCURATE. THOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO CLAIM THE GIFT OF PROPHESY, I DON'T HAVE IT.

I DON'T KNOW WHO SAW WHAT VIDEO "AT UNC." (OR ANYWHERE ELSE) BUT, FOR THE RECORD, HERE'S WHAT I DO KNOW:

1. IT WAS THE COMMITTEE COUNSEL, JOHN NIELDS, NOT A SENATOR WHO WAS DOING THE QUESTIONING.

2. THE SECURITY SYSTEM, INSTALLED AT MY HOME, JUST BEFORE I MADE A VERY SECRET TRIP TO TEHRAN, COST, ACCORDING TO THE COMMITTEE, $16K, NOT $60K.

3. THE TERRORIST WHO THREATENED TO KILL ME IN 1986, JUST BEFORE THAT SECRET TRIP TO TEHRAN, WAS NOT USAMA BIN LADEN, IT WAS ABU NIDAL (WHO WORKS FOR THE LIBYANS — NOT THE TALIBAN AND NOT IN AFGHANISTAN).

4. I NEVER SAID I WAS AFRAID OF ANYBODY. I DID SAY THAT I WOULD BE GLAD TO MEET ABU NIDAL ON EQUAL TERMS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD BUT THAT I WAS UNWILLING TO HAVE HIM OR HIS OPERATIVES MEET MY WIFE AND CHILDREN ON HIS TERMS.

5. I DID SAY THAT THE TERRORISTS INTERCEPTED BY THE FBI ON THE WAY TO MY HOUSE IN FEB. 87 TO KILL MY WIFE, CHILDREN AND ME WERE LIBYANS, DISPATCHED FROM THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE FOR LIBYAN STUDENTS IN MCLEAN, VIRGINIA.

6. AND I DID SAY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD MOVED MY FAMILY OUT OF OUR HOME TO A MILITARY BASE (CAMP LEJEUNE, NC) UNTIL THEY COULD DISPATCH MORE THAN 30 AGENTS TO PROTECT MY FAMILY FROM THOSE TERRORISTS (BECAUSE A LIBERAL FEDERAL JUDGE HAD ALLOWED THE LYBIAN ASSASSINS TO POST BOND AND THEY FLED).

7. AND, FYI: THOSE FEDERAL AGENTS REMAINED AT OUR HOME UNTIL I RETIRED FROM THE MARINES AND WAS NO LONGER A "GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL." BY THEN, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAD SPENT MORE THAN $2M PROTECTING THE NORTH FAMILY. THE TERRORISTS SENT TO KILL US WERE NEVER RE-APPREHENDED.

SEMPER FIDELIS,
OLIVER L. NORTH

[merh]

13. Tell them to send you the transcript -- I have it does not suffice

That is not the only site that debunks it either:

http://hoaxinfo.com/oliver.htm

Tell the dweeb that sent you the nasty response to provide you with the correct site for Olie and the transcript!

Then send the email to Olie to respond to!

That is Olie's site, go back to the fox website and it brings you back to olie's site!

On edit: It appears that your 2nd cousin can't tell the truth!
They are WRONG and better accept that very simple fact!

Here is an article about reality they may appreciate (or not)
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/090404.html

[Mr_Scarecrow]

14. Thanks to all of you

Very helpful. I knew this couldn't be true but wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. DU rules again!

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. Here's an answer..............

Is it true that . . . Oliver North said during the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings that Osama bin Laden had threatened his life?


ANSWER

This Internet hoax says that under questioning from an unidentified senator, Col. Oliver North said he had a home security system installed because a terrorist had threatened him and his family. When asked who this terrorist was, Col. North said it was Osama bin Laden.

The facts: Oliver North testified about a home security system during a July 7, 1987 joint Senate-House hearing on the Iran-Contra investigation. The questioner was not a senator, but committee counsel John Nields. Col. North testified the security system was installed because threats were made on his life by terrorist Abu Nidal.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/Oliver_North.shtml