PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Newly released FBI documents provide details about the mid-1980s scandal involving Greek arms dealer Basil Tsakos and then-Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon.
The documents obtained by The Oregonian newspaper (http://is.gd/Eae1S7 ) under the Freedom of Information Act show the government secretly indicted Tsakos in 1985, and the arms dealer was ready to plead guilty and admit giving Hatfield’s wife $55,000 to gain the senator’s support for a trans-African oil pipeline.
The Hatfields donated the $55,000 to charity in 1984 after syndicated columnist Jack Anderson broke news of the payments. Hatfield was re-elected that year.
Though the plea would have come with the assurance of no jail time, Tsakos remained overseas and never appeared in court.
