The FBI released documents Monday indicating that owner of the New York Yankees George Steinbrenner assisted the Agency in two surveys - one of them apparently a probe terrorism - in the years preceding his pardon by President Ronald Reagan on a conviction of campaign contributions.
The Associated Press and other news organizations requested the file of the FBI under the freedom of Information Act after the death of Steinbrenner in July. The first version was made last December. The two combined versions totalled approximately 800 pages.
In a recently released FBI memo in 1988, the FBI said that it "supports the contention that George Steinbrenner has provided the FBI with the valuable help".
Seven months later, Reagan pardoned Steinbrenner for his beliefs in a case involving donations from the campaign for President Richard Nixon and other politicians.
The documents included in the second version of the file of the FBI Steinbrenner, also show that he has charged his illegal corporate campaign contributions to Nixon bad legal advice.
Note communicated that Monday described a probe in which Steinbrenner attended as "secret operation" that led finally to arrest, prosecution and conviction. The FBI has described the other investigation merely as "a sensitive security issue." The FBI has removed all the details on probes before the release of file of the bureau on Steinbrenner, who died last year.
A separate document of the FBI identifies the case as "two questions of national security" and said Steinbrenner assisted by the Office from 1978 to 1983.
"A letter from 1987 by lawyers on its assistance to the FBI said that Yankees owner Steinbrenner" knows that it endangered the lives of his family and himself thanks to be involved in a terrorist case. ?
Separately, the memo from the FBI 1988 says that Steinbrenner has decided to use Yankee Stadium for the staging of more than 500 game of raids against a major Union organized crime in the city of New York. A different site was finally selected.
Steinbrenner pleaded guilty in 1974 to a conspiracy to politicians corporate campaign contributions and channel to make a "false and misleading" explanation of a donation of $25,000 to the Nixon Campaign and to try to influence and intimidate employees of his shipbuilding company to give false information to a grand jury.
Five years after his conviction, Steinbrenner sought forgiveness.
"Informed plaintiff that this corporate contribution was made after having received legal advice of the corporate counsel, inside and outside American Shipbuilding Company (Steinbrenner), that this corporate contribution was legal," said a memo from the FBI 1979following an interview with Office with Steinbrenner. Note also cites Steinbrenner said he would have made the contribution if he had known, it was illegal, and that his lawyers should be more thorough in their legal research.
Steinbrenner also stated that he never said to any employee of lying about the campaign corporate gift, or suggest that they should resume its version of the facts.
"Applicant stated his past condemnation has been and continues to be a source of embarrassment for him", said the memo.
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