Oliver North's decision to testify in his trial also means he must turn over his notebooks, which prosecutors may use to prove North shredded documents during the Iran-Contra affair.
"We are prepared to produce" the notebooks, North attorney Barry Simon said toward the close of Thursday's court session. The notebooks cover the period from October 1984 to Nov. 25, 1986, the day North was fired from the National Security Council.North's decision to take the stand takes away any privilege he may have to refuse to produce documents in his possession.
North made daily entries in the spiral-bound notebooks while he worked at the National Security Council. The office of independent counsel Lawrence Walsh obtained a subpoena for them March 3 and now wants that subpoena enforced.
Portions of the notebooks that were turned over earlier to Congress and have been made public contain a wealth of information.