NATION : North Never Asked Directly for Money, Texas Heiress Testifies

WASHINGTON — Fired White House aide Oliver L. North’s Iran-Contra defense began today with testimony from a Texas heiress who said he never asked her to give money to the Nicaraguan rebels.

Ellen St. John Garwood, who gave millions to the Contras during the time Congress had banned such aid, testified that while North told her of their desperate needs, he never actually asked her for money and never was in the room when she wrote checks.

“He (North) said, ‘This is a desperate situation for the freedom fighters (former President Ronald Reagan’s term for the Contras) . . . but as a member of the National Security Council, I cannot ask for money,’ ” Garwood testified.

Garwood said that fund-raiser Carl (Spitz) Channel gave her a list of needs for the rebels, including grenades, guns, cartridge belts and other materiel, totaling over $1.5 million. She said she eventually gave $2 million for items on the list.