Mr. BOREN: You testified that during the day on November 21
when you were working on altering the documents and later when
you were shredding some of the documents or assisting Colonel
North in doing so, that you became increasingly uneasy during this
period of time.
Ms. HALL: I don't know that I became increasingly uneasy, sir. I
think I testified that I was uneasy when Colonel North asked me to
alter the documents and I think you could say that I became increasingly busy.
Mr. BOREN: Yes. That was clear. Why were you uneasy?
Ms. HALL: I was initially—I initially had a moment of uneasiness
when he asked me to alter the documents because in fact they
were completed actions that had gone to a person and had an
action taken and to change the content of a memorandum that had
already been approved was something I was uneasy with.
But again, I had that moment of uneasiness, it passed because, as
I said before, I believed strongly in Colonel North, I believe him to
be an honest, fair and good person with good motives.
Mr. BOREN: You felt he simply wouldn't have asked you to have
done anything if it had been improper?
Ms. HALL: Correct.
Mr. BOREN: Now, on the day of Tuesday, the day of the press conference, you indicated that Colonel North came back to the office
and he indicated to you that he had been fired by the President?
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir.
Mr. BOREN: And then you watched the press conference together
Was there anyone else there besides the two of you watching the
press conference?
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir. A friend of Colonel North's and ours had
been in the building, and I assume to visit someone else, and he,
probably unknowing what was going to happen also, just happened
to tap on the door and came in and his name is Bill Kernan.
He works for Rossman and he was a friend and wanted to shake
his hand and say hello and, in fact, the press conference started.
He joined us in the office and I believe Colonel Earl and possibly
Craig Coy were in the office, also.
Mr. BOREN: How did the group and how did Colonel North react
to the press conference as you were watching it?
Ms. HALL: We all watched it. I, frankly, was stunned. Colonel
North didn't really show any emotion. I mean, he—I believe he was
probably from my knowing him disappointed, but also, I believe, 1
don't know if it has come out, but Colonel North, I have come to
know, he had offered his resignation, also. I think he probably was
disappointed in the fact that he was fired rather than his resignation being accepted. But he didn't get angry, he didn't bang the
table, didn't get upset, didn't say bad words, he just took it.
Mr. BOREN: Did Colonel North indicate to you that he had offered his resignation?
Ms. HALL: I can't remember if he had or not. I think it might
have come out that morning that he had. I think it probably came
out when he mentioned the President fired him. But as I said
before, he never showed any anger toward the President or—I
think my only knowing him, I'm sure he must have been disappointed.
Mr. BOREN: Did he leave before you left—you said you went to
lunch with a friend that day in the White House mess.
Ms. HALL: It was a special occasion. I had invited a good friend of
mine for lunch. It was unusual, in fact, I never hardly went to
lunch, but this was a special occasion and I hadn't expected that
event to occur that day. And Colonel North—I was very upset and
I said I was going to cancel lunch, I couldn't think straight, and he
said no, don't let this get you, this is a special day, you should go.
He insisted that I go and I did so. I believe that he was gone when
I returned.
Mr. BOREN: Then what time did the representatives of the security staff come to, in essence, seal the office?
Ms. HALL: My recollection, it was in the late afternoon. I could
be wrong. I think it was around possibly 4:00.
Mr. BOREN: So they had been there a while when you reached
Colonel North on the telephone?
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir.
Mr. BOREN: And then it took a while for him to come on over,
they were there sealing the office and
Ms. HALL: I don't think he planned to return to the office. As I
said before, I placed the call when I realized that Brenda Reger
and the others were going to, in fact, close up for the evening and I
had discovered the altered documents and the others that I have
mentioned, and I needed to talk to him. I needed to know, you
know, for him to come back.
Mr. BOREN: Were you at all concerned—you mentioned then getting the documents once he got there and the three of you—Colonel
North and Mr. Green, yourself—leaving the building.
Were you at all concerned at that point, since at that point in
time you knew the President had dismissed Colonel North, you
knew they were attempting to seal the office, obviously to secure
the documents—were you at all concerned yourself about placing
yourself in any jeopardy to be taking the documents out at that
point?
Ms. HALL: Sir, I was emotionally distraught at the time. I was
with a positive mind, as I said before, talking about what to do and
also to protect what we were doing in the office, and I believed in
the Iran initiative and the Contra initiative and I thought that exposure of it would have bad ramifications.
And, again, I was emotional and I don't think I realized at the
time the ramifications or the seriousness of my actions.
Mr. BOREN: That is understandable. As you were leaving the building, you first made a gesture or
some sign out in the corridor that you wanted to give the documents back to Colonel North, he said not yet, as I recall.
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir.
Mr. BOREN: Then you got outside and I believe you were walking
along outside the building, at which point in time you again attempted to give the documents back, and I believe it was Mr.
Green at that point, was it, who said wait until we get in the car?
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir. I probably—believe those two statements
were made as if I had brought them out in the middle of the hallway perhaps someone could walk by, or if I brought them out in
the middle of the street someone could have observed it, and it was
a way to get in the car so no one could observe what I was doing.
Mr. BOREN: So Colonel North and Mr. Green were both anxious
that you not take them out in front of other people that you wait
until
Ms. HALL: I didn't know if the word is anxious; they were not
frantic. They said wait until we get inside the car.
Mr. BOREN: When you got into the car, you handed the documents over to Colonel North?
Ms. HALL: Correct.
Mr. BOREN: And during this time did Mr. Green indicate to you
that you should not be taking these documents out?
Ms. HALL: No, sir. Mr. Green didn't comment on any of what was
going on except, as I said, later about the shredding.
Mr. BOREN: And he also said wait until we get in the car? That
was his only other comment?
Ms. HALL: Yes, sir.
Mr. BOREN: So he didn't in any case indicate to you, he didn't say
anything to you like "Ms. Hall, as a lawyer, I should tell you that
you might be in some jeopardy for taking these documents out” or
“You should take them back and turn them back over to the security director."
Did he give you any kind of advice at all about taking the document back?
Ms. HALL: No, sir.
Mr. BOREN: Now, he also discussed with you, I believe at I
same time, in the car at the same time, after you were giving the
document to Colonel North, he did discuss the shredding with you,
didn't he—that is, Mr. Green?
Ms. HALL: Yes sir.
Mr. BOREN: And he asked you what you were going to say if you
were asked about them, is that correct?
Ms. HALL Yes.
Mr. BOREN: And you said just that "we always shred documents.”
Ms. HALL: Yes.
Mr. BOREN: Which you knew in essence was not quite an accurate reflection because you had never really wholesale shredded
documents, taking whole files out and shredding them? Before, you
just shred things in the normal course of business?
Ms. HALL: We never shredded to the volume we had that day, no.