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1992-08-07
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$Unique_ID{bob01020}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Iran-Contra Affair: The Report
Chapter 4A Private Fundraising: Channell-Miller}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Various}
$Affiliation{}
$Subject{channell
conrad
miller
ibc
nepl
north
contras
fundraising
public
fraser}
$Date{1987}
$Log{}
Title: Iran-Contra Affair: The Report
Author: Various
Date: 1987
Chapter 4A Private Fundraising: Channell-Miller
While donations from other countries and profits from the Iran arms sales
provided most of the money for lethal assistance to the Contras after the
Boland Amendment, the network of private foundations and organizations formed
by Carl R. "Spitz" Channell and Richard R. Miller also played a role.
Channell's principal organization, the tax-exempt National Endowment for the
Preservation of Liberty (NEPL), used White House briefings and private
meetings with the President to raise more than $10 million from private
contributors, almost all for the Contra cause. Over half of this total came
from two elderly widows - Barbara Newington and Ellen Garwood - who made the
bulk of their contributions after receiving private and emotional
presentations by Lt. Col. Oliver North on the Contras' cause and military
needs. One dozen contributors accounted for 90 percent of NEPL's funds in
1985 and 1986.
Of the $10 million that was raised, only approximately $4.5 million was
funneled to, or spent on behalf of, the Contras, including more than $1
million for political advertising and lobbying. The rest was retained by
Mil]er and Channell for salaries, fees, and expenses incurred by their
organizations, including compensation to their associates, David Fischer and
Martin Artiano.
The NEPL money spent for direct and indirect assistance to the Contras
was disbursed primarily by Miller at the direction of North. Approximately
$1.7 million was "washed" by Channell through Miller's domestic and Cayman
Island entities - International Business Communications (IBC) and I.C., Inc. -
to the Enterprise, where it was commingled with funds from third-country
contributions and the Iranian arms sale. Another $1 million was passed at the
direction of North through Miller's entities to accounts controlled by Adolfo
Calero, and approximately $500,000 was distributed at North's request to other
persons and entities engaged in activities relating to the Contras.
Channell and Miller made elaborate efforts to conceal the nature of their
fundraising activities and North's role. Certain funds received by NEPL for
Contra assistance were allocated on Channell's books to a project denominated
"Toys," a euphemism for weapons. The NEPL and IBC employees were instructed
to refer to North by a code name, "Green." Funds were transferred to the
Contras, not directly - which would be traceable - but through Miller's
anonymous offshore entity, I.C., Inc. North misrepresented to several White
House officials the nature of the network's fundraising activities. For
instance, the President apparently was led to believe that the funds were
being raised for political advertising; the President's Chief of Staff, Donald
Regan, was deliberately kept in the dark by North and Admiral John Poindexter;
and North misrepresented to Congress and White House personnel the nature of
his involvement in the activities of NEPL and IBC. As a result, the network
was able to operate successfully until the latter part of 1986, when increased
Government aid to the Contras and public disclosure of both the Iranian arms
sales and the Contra resupply network made further assistance efforts
unnecessary and unwise.
By using a tax-exempt organization to funnel money to the Contras - for
arms and other purposes - Channell and Miller provided tax deductions to
donors. As a result, the U.S. Government effectively subsidized a portion of
contributions intended for lethal aid to the Contras. In the spring of 1986,
Channell and Miller pled guilty to criminal tax charges of conspiring to
defraud "the United States Treasury of revenues to which it was entitled by
subverting and corrupting the lawful purposes . . . of NEPL by using NEPL
. . . to solicit contributions to purchase military and other non-humanitarian
aid for the Contras." At his plea hearing, Channell identified Miller and
North as his co-conspirators.
The Background
Carl R. "Spitz" Channell
Channell, 42, was raised in Elkton, West Virginia. He attended American
University from 1963 to 1968 and then, for a brief period, the Union
Theological Seminary in Virginia. He left to join the Army and, after service
for 3 years, received an honorable discharge.
In 1976, Channell began to work for Terry Dolan, the founder of the
National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). His initial
responsibility was assisting in Congressional campaigns. After the 1978
elections, Dolan asked Channell to shift to fund-raising. To Channell's own
surprise, he was an instant success, and was named by Dolan as NCPAC's first
national finance chairman, In that position, Channell concentrated on NCPAC's
"high dollar donor program" and set up a number of briefings in Washington for
potentially large contributors. This fundraising method was to become the
standard operating procedure for the Channell-Miller network,
In 1982, Channell left NCPAC to form his own political consulting
organization, the Channell Corporation, to offer fundraising advice to
campaigns and candidates. By 1984, he began to establish a network of other
politically-oriented foundations. First, he founded the American Conservative
Trust (ACT) as a Political Action Committee (PAC). At approximately the same
time, he incorporated NEPL and sought Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
recognition of NEPL as a tax-exempt foundation under Section 501 (c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
In its application for tax-exempt status, NEPL asserted that it was
formed "to educate members of the general public on American political systems
and societal institutions." The application further stated that this
education was to be accomplished through the study of the development of
American political systems and the influence of such systems on societal
institutions in the United States. NEPL indicated to the IRS that it would
collect information on these topics, make that information available to the
general public, and eventually conduct seminars.
On December 12, 1984, the IRS issued a determination letter stating that,
based on the information contained in NEPL's application and assuming that its
operations would be consistent with the program outlined in the application,
NEPL qualified as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3). [Channell
formed additional entities between 1983 and 1986. The American Conservative
Trust State Election Fund (ACT-SEF) was formed as a state PAC to take
advantage of state laws allowing corporate contributions to such entities.
"Sentinel" was formed in 1983 as a lobbying organization under Section
501(c)(4) of the tax code. The "American Conservative Foundation," a
501(c)(3) corporation also established in 1983, was intended to focus on
issues that were "more worldwide in scope and interest" than NEPL. The
"Anti-Terrorism American Committee" (ATAC) was formed in 1986 as a PAC
focusing on "congressional attitudes toward terrorism and policies associated
with terrorism." "Grow Washington" and "Hill Potomac" were corporations
established to pursue specific initiatives that, according to Channell, never
materialized. Those entities have therefore remained inactive and unfunded.
In 1986, Channell assumed control of another conservative organization,
Western Goals, which had been established by the late Representative Larry
McDonald. Channell Dep., 9/1/87, at 62-66.]
According to Channell, when he formed NEPL in late 1984, most "Washington
insiders" doubted that anyone could raise money to advance foreign policy.
Channell, however, believed that he could succeed because his maj