REAGAN IRAN SPEECH SAID TO ADMIT NEED FOR CHANGE
President Reagan, fighting to recover
politically from the Iran-contra scandal, plans to acknowledge
in a critical speech to the nation tonight he needs to change
his ways, administration officials said.
    "It will be a forward-looking speech in which he will say he
accepts the need for change," said an official who asked not to
be identified. "I think the president wants to give his side of
the story."
    The official said Reagan would tell the public what he is
doing to set things right in the wake of last week's scorching
Tower commission report on the origins of the scandal.
    It is not clear whether Reagan will heed the advice of many
of his political allies and acknowledge that his Iran policy
was wrong and he personally made some mistakes.
    Asked at his daily news briefing if the president would say
he erred, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater told
reporters, "His views are intensely personal and I won't give
you any advance on what he intends to say in that area."
    He said the speech would be 12 or 13 minutes in length and
that Reagan would "look beyond the horizon to a revitalized
White House that will pursue an active foreign policy."
    "The president will discuss the Tower board report and its
recommendations. He'll focus on changes he's making in the
structure of the NSC (National Security Council) and his goals
for the next two years," the spokesman said.
    To date, Reagan has defended his decision to sell arms to
Iran and conceded only there were errors in implementation.
    Senate Republican leader Robert Dole said tonight's speech
might be Reagan's last chance to repair his presidency.
    "It's about the ninth inning ... he has to try and set us on
another course. It's hard to do that, he probably won't be able
to do it," Dole told reporters.
 Reuter
