REAGAN ADMITS IRAN ARMS OPERATION A MISTAKE
President Reagan, fighting to regain
public confidence in the wake of the Iran arms scandal,
admitted tonight that the clandestine operation wound up as an
arms-for-hostages deal and, "It was a mistake."
    "When it came to managing the NSC (National Security
Council) staff, let's face it, my style didn't match its
previous track record," Reagan said in a television address to
the American people.
    "I have already begun correcting this," he added in his
prepared remarks.
    Reagan's speech, widely regarded as critical to his hopes
of repairing his presidency, was his first detailed response to
last week's scorching Tower commission report on the secret
sale of arms to Iran and diversion of profits to U.S.-backed
contra rebels in Nicaragua.
    Reagan said he had been silent on the scandal while he
waited for the truth to come out and admitted, "I've paid a
price for my silence in terms of your trust and confidence."
    He said that a few months ago, he told the American people
he did not trade arms for hostages in the 18-month covert
operation.
    "My heart and my best intentions still tell me that is true,
but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not," Reagan said.
    "There are reasons why it happened, but no excuses. It was a
mistake," he said.
    Reagan again said that the original Iran initiative was to
develop relations with those who might assume leadership in a
post-Khomeini government.
    "It's clear from the Board's report however that I let my
personal concern for the hostages spill over into the
geo-political strategy of reaching out to Iran.
    "I asked so many questions about the hostages' welfare that
I didn't ask enough about the specifics of the total Iran plan,"
he said.
    The commission, headed by former Republican Sen. John
Tower, said Reagan's "intense compassion" for Americans being
held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon had resulted in an
unprofessional and unsatisfactory policy.
    It portrayed 76-year old Reagan as a man who did not know
or care much about the wide-ranging, probably illegal
activities of his National Security Council (NSC) staff, which
hatched the operation.
    Reagan said he endorsed all of the Tower commission's
recommendations about the running of the NSC, adding, "In fact,
I'm going beyond its recommendations, so as to put the house in
even better order."
    He noted that he had appointed former Senate Republican
leader Howard Baker as his new chief of staff and said he hoped
Baker would help him forge a new partnership with Congress,
"especially on foreign and national security policies."
    He said his new national security adviser, Frank Carlucci,
was rebuilding the national security staff "with proper
management discipline."
    Reagan said that almost half the NSC professional staff now
consisted of new people.
    He said that FBI Director William Webster, his new nominee
to head the CIA, "understands the meaning of 'rule of law'".
    Reagan also announced that Tower had agreed to serve as a
member of his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which acts
as a watchdog on the nation's covert activities.
    But he said that he had issued a directive barring the NSC
staff itself from undertaking covert operations -- "No ifs,
ands, or buts."
    Tonight's speech was a far cry from Reagan's initial strong
defense of his Iran policy.
    In a televised speech last November 13, Reagan called
charges that he ransomed hostages and undercut the U.S. war on
terrorism "utterly false."
    As recently as two months ago in his State of the Union
speech, Reagan said that "serious mistakes were made" but
defended the basic policy as one that had worthy goals.
    By contrast, tonight's speech had an apologetic tone that
was a marked departure from Reagan's usual upbeat, confident
demeanor.
    He said he took full responsibility for his own actions "and
for those of my administration."
    "As angry as I may be about activities undertaken without my
knowledge, I am still accountable for those activities. As
disappointed as I may be in some who served me, I am still the
one who must answer to the American people for this behavior,"
Reagan said.
    Reagan said the message that the nation should move on had
come from Republicans and Democrats in Congress, from allies
around the world -- "and if we're reading the signals right,
even from the Soviets."
    His remark seemed to be a reference to a new Soviet
willingness to reach an agreement on eliminating medium-range
nuclear missiles in Europe.
 Reuter
