European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the Stab and stripes tuesday february 3,1987 William Safire Illia Sapir Poindexter persists in pattern of not telling truth . No i in n if a n sins in ihkl11 lvqtwp5flimrt re =-65 \ Vij i1 1 " " T i bal Larry White House spokesman offhandedly revealed an illuminating fact in one of his Farewell interviews. He recalled thai at he Lime of the Gre Nada invasion he unwittingly misled the press when asked about the action. He had been misinformed and his credibility undermined when the deception was exposed by a National Security Council staff member named Poindexter of All i remember calling inc White House soon after the Grenada invasion was officially announced la find out who was responsible for inc decision to exclude the press from the combat operation. Throughout the nation s wars the tradition was to bring along at least a few correspondents to report the action impartially at no risk to military Security. Robert Mcfarland then National Secu Rity adviser took my Call and wondered is that really your Central concern in All ibis Hen was an example or prompt and effective use of Force to Stop communist takeover and to prevent taking of american hostages Here was an action that hawkish pundits could be expected to applaud what was this fuss about a Side Issue of Media coverage the fuss was about telling the truth to the people. The United Stales govern ment May on rare occasion fall silent for a time but it must not deliberately lie Only inc presence of reporters pledged to temporary secrecy can help justify a news blackout. By breaching that demo cratic precedent and by issuing a lie the Reagan administration engaged in self com option far More important than one Victory in the Caribbean. I think Bud Mcfarlane May realize that now. But vice adm. John Point Cal or promoted to the National Security adviser s Post after that lie probably docs not. That is because the truth for him seems a be less a moral imperative thana instrument of policy the same Man who misled Larry Spe Alces Aboul Grenada urged the presi Dent to apply disinformation to the pressure on Libya. He saw nothing wrong in destroying the reputation for truthfulness of american officials by peddling stories to the press that might make an enemy dictator nervous. When his stupid and venal memorandum was unearthed and exposed in the Jim Fain Ipie Ronald Reaux thaya Tollark i Hood. Furl. Oliver North rest National Security Law Sar. National . Bill Lark third National Security adviser. Fit Mcfarlane Uburth National . Admiral is Indelfe fifth National Security adviser. Frank carted the hostages new Peritha air cd Bat Stu Encey fee assist univ making Washington Post came be fore a group of pundits and pumped out some bom fog about having to Check his files never admitting its authorship. The truth was not something he was prepared to own up to not even the truth about a memo he wrote about lying. We know now that As he was stonewalling about disinformation this Flag officer had for months been urging the president to Trade arms for hostages in secret while saying just the opposite in Public. No wonder when called upon to do his duty and report the whole truth this Man becomes the first Admiral id Lake Refuge in the fifth amendment. We have the right to assume from his plea that his truthful testimony would tend to incriminate him perhaps to cause his criminal indictment conviction and incarceration. With Oliver North and Richard Secord Poindexter stands silent in the midst of a scandal More Akin to Teapot dome than water Gate a scandal not merely of abuse of presidential soft heart dress but one in which investigators now Tell me $40 Mil lion is unaccounted for. Not All High officials in this matter have brought shame on the . Nava Academy which graduated John poin Dexter first in his lass apparently with out inculcating in him the democratic value of truthfulness in office and a countability1 to Superior officers. Former Marine officers Mcfarlane Regan and Shultz who did not receive their higher education at Public expense have taken the oath and taken their chances by testifying. Bit Poindexter persists in hit pattern of refusing to Tell the truth. His excuses have ranged from National Secu Rity to self incrimination but his habit was established and rewarded years ago. This is not a Man to be Given immunity from prosecution. We Are owed the truth we should nol have to pay Ransom for it. If Justice requires that the poin Dix scr testimony be delayed and the Admiral chooses o hold the president hos Tage so be it if anybody in this rets convicted that person would probably have a lot to say to show contrition be fore sentencing. As for the deception crippled presi Dent the next Lime he decides to sign a Bible let him consider John 832 the shall know the truth and the truth shall make you now Yort Tif Flim Nam Serce permanent White House staff would serve Best the modern White House staffed by ambitious people who serve at the president s whim is the ultimate Bunker against reality. No one craves to be the messenger beheaded for bringing bad news. One of Lyndon Johnson s press secretaries George Reedy wrote Best about the corrupting effect of this pan Tossian cocoon and its hatching of irrational Deci Sions. Dwight Eisenhower s son John added his testimonial recently in the new York times. Even Ike was nol immune John said. His relatively Anonymous staff suffered some of the hubris that from Kennedy on made elephantiasis of the ego a while House epidemic. Reagan is More vulnerable than most to such Buffer ing from reality. He was formed in the tinsel of a Hollywood notorious for yes men and sheltered against both the depression and world War ii. His Early popular successes eng grated the hubris and gave us disastrous policies Basea on three Cardinal fantasies astronomical deficit spending would create Boom that would retire the debt. Technology could create 3 leak proof shield against any ballistic missile Threal the soviet Union can concoct. Small amounts of . Covert military assistance could overturn regimes we dislike regardless of the underlying political economic and social realities. None of these explains the fiasco thai finally burst the Reagan Bubble the weird scheme of Selling arms to Iran As Ransom for hostages yet it was the nature of the White House staff apparatus the monumental hubris there and the detached dreamer in Reagan that produced this Folly after a lifetime As Pitchman and actor Rea Gan sees Little correlation Between actions and words. He found nothing strange in vowing publicly never to Deal with terrorists while Selling arms under the table to Iran in an Effort to Ransom people whose families were publicizing their plight on to and thereby raising emotional pressure. He still does this answer is simply to deny it happened. He says and probably believes that he never did any such thing. In the perspective of history the iranian debacle will be Small Beer unless the arms we shipped tip the Iran Iraq War. Yet this was the Gaffe that showed the american people the emperor was a acct that beneath Reagan s glib likeability Lay Only dangerous incompetence. The nation will pay heavily in the economic area when the Bills come in. Star wars is costing us our first shot at realistic arms limitation. And major for eign policy problems Are festering in areas Reagan has ignored by such Odd fixations As concentrating on Nicaragua to the neglect of Mexico and Guatemala. There is no absolute defense against presidential incompetence. If we go for a con Man Day dreamer we have to pay. But it is possible to minimize mistakes by both Good and bad presidents with sound staff Structure. Because there is no permanent staffing the White House is totally without institutional memory As Stuart Biz instal chief Domestic adviser to president car Ter recently wrote. By creating a permanent secretarial to serve under appointed policy aides we could at least avoid repetition of disastrous polities As in Iran. That s an idea whose Lime is overdue. There s a wealth of impartial expertise that could be the secret service the Model. Even Reagan who came to own vowing to dismantle government did t bring his own bodyguards co Wall Sank
