NATION : North’s Testimony Restricted

WASHINGTON — A federal judge today placed severe restrictions on the prosecution’s use of Oliver L. North as a witness in the Iran-Contra trial of former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter.

U.S. District Judge Harold Greene said he accepts North’s assertion that he was tainted by testimony that Poindexter gave to Congress under a grant of immunity, although the judge said he is skeptical of North’s claim.

The government therefore “may only elicit evidence” from North based on statements he made before July 15, 1987, the day Poindexter began testifying before a national television audience on Capitol Hill.

That means the government is unable to use much of the testimony North gave at his own trial last April in which North frequently mentioned Poindexter.