Undue Process: A Story of How Political Differences Are Turned Into Crimes

Abrams, former assistant secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, provides a fast-paced, diaristic account of the accusations against him during the Iran-Contra investigation and explains his strategic decision to plead guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress. Angry, wry and appalled by the righteousness of the prosecutors, Abrams, who is bolstered by his light sentence of two-year probation, defends his view that his crimes were more technical than willful. But the depth of detail--his daily worries, his conversations with his family and lawyers, as well as verbatim transcripts of hearings and drafts of his public statements--will interest only partisans. Abrams spends little time on weightier issues. Thus, his criticism of the institution of the Independent Counsel and his defense of U.S. policy in Nicaragua (``the President's policies were too hot for the Democratic Congress to handle'') are much weaker than his self-defense. (Nov.)