2
Charges against Reagan need
A
.s a sixth-grader, I well
remember the mock presidential
election we had in our history class. I
led an ill-fated John Anderson
campaign. At any rate, the Reagan
supporters rallied behind Jimmy
Carter's supposed ineptitude regarding
the Iranian hostage crisis.
At the time, the state of 52
Americans in a foreign country seemed
like a rather insignificant matter on
which to base the choice of a president.
But most of my classmates were
reflecting the views of their parents. To
the voters, the hostage situation was
quite significant.
Since Reagan's inauguration,
unsubstanhated cries of how his
campaign arranged a deal with the
Iranians to hold the hostages until after
the election have frequently been
heard. After all, it seemed quite odd
that the Americans were released
minutes after Reagan was sworn in.
Last week, some startling new
evidence on this matter was revealed.
The New York Times broke the story in
an op-ed piece by Gary Sick. PBS then
Matt McBumett
Columnist
detailed it well in a "Frontline"
documentary.
Gary Sick was Jimmy Carter's Iran
expert on the National Security Council
and, for years, has doubted any
underhanded dealings by the Reagan
campaign. He has now done an about
face. He told Newsweek that the
evidence is "a consistent pattern of
activity, with stories from a lot of
people (and) a political logic. ... When I
look at the whole lot of it, I cannot
conclude that nothing happened."
If the information on which Sick
speaks holds true, these dealings
would quite possibly constitute the
most insidious behavior in the history
of the U.S. presidency. Watergate
would look as harmless as a taffy-pull
in comparison.
The information is quite convincing.
The basic story is that Reagan, upon
election, traded favors with Iran if they
promised not to release the hostages
until after the election. His campaign
officials knew, and admitted in 1980,
that a release before the election would
greatly enhance Carter's place in the
polls, so the Reagan camp leaked word
of an "October surprise." Carter's
promising negotiations with Iran took
an abrupt downturn after September.
The hostages were freed in January,
and shortly thereafter, tons of military
equipment were headed toward Iran
via Israel to aid Iran in its conflict with
Iraq. Both Sick's story and the
television documentary cite numerous
sources. Reagan's foreign-policy
adviser for the campaign, Richard
Allen, has said that he met with an
arms dealer who offered "to deliver the
hostages to the Reagan forces." He
refused. On "Frontline" the arms
dealer who claims he offered the deal
to Allen said that Allen's cohort
Laurence Silberman told him, "We had
our own contacts."
Wednesday, April 24,199
to he investigated
Former CIA director Bill Casey's
name also has been thrown around. I
do not believe that this is simply
another case of blaming the dead guy.
The new reports claim that Casey, then
Reagan's campaign director, began
negotiating a deal with an Iranian cleric
in meetings in Madrid in July and
August of 1980.
The reports also quote brothers
Cyrus and Jamshid Hashemi who claim
to have set up the meetings in Madrid
between Casey and a Khomeni
representative. Former Iranian
president A.B. Sadr said in a recent
book that he knew of the deal.
Other sources said the deal was
finalized at two meetings in October
1980 in Paris and that Casey was there.
George Bush was even rumored to
have been on the scene, though the
White House denies that claim.
Sick claims that there are more than
15 people scattered around the globe
who tell stories that vary in detail but
do not conflict. "I can't prove every
step of the way. My point is, isn't there
a question here that deserves to be
examined?"
The most recent Newsweek contains
an excellent story on this subject from
which I extracted much of my
information. Sick is undoubtedly
correct in his statement that there is
definitely something here, and it needs
to be examined. For Reagan's sake, this
material had better not be factual. His
image almost has been tarnished
beyond repair by the Iran-Contra
dealings.
The saddest part of the story is thatil
actually is believable. I would not
doubt its authenticity for a second.
Maybe Reagan's image is tarnished in
my eyes already. A full-fledged
investigation is certainly warranted !
the Reagan camp actually plotted to
win the election at the expense of
American citizens, it is difficult for me
to think of just punishment for these
despicable dealings.
Matt McBumett is a senior electrical
engineering major.
Mail Call
The Battalion is interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all letters to the editor.
Please include name, classification, address and phone number on all letters. The editor reserves
the right to edit letters for style and length. Because of limited space, shorter letters have a better
chance of appearing. There is, however, no guarantee letters will appear. Letters may be brought
to 216 Reed McDonald or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111.
Thanks to student leaders
EDITOR:
April brings many changes in almost every single stu
dent association on our campus. New people with fresh
ideas and energy become officers and another chapter is
closed, leaving behind us a year full of work, new experi
ences, happy and sad moments; but most of all, a year
dedicated to the service of our fellow Aggies and the
Bryan-College Station community.
I would like to thank all of the following student leaders
for their time, dedication and friendship, but especially for
the love to our University and traditions that they have
shown throughout the time they served as officers of their
associations:
Ty Clevenger, Student Government president
Jonathan Whittles, Corps commander
Kyle Jacobson, RHA president
Matthew Wood, MSC president
Dan Vrudny, Graduate Student Council president
tueanor Manson, Senior class president
Brant Ince, Head yell leader
Sandra Burke, Married Student Apartment Council
president
Keith Powell, Off-Campus Aggies president
Cindy McMillian and Lisa Robertson, fall and spring
Battalion editors
Carl Carrey, Black Awareness Committee chairman
Kim Bennett, Pan-Hellenic Council president,
Donella Schmid t, Panhellenic Council president
Darren Smith, Interfraternity Council
Georgete Lopez-Aguado, CAMAC president
There are some other names coming to my mind, espe
cially those persons who always help behind the scenes
with little or no recognition. You all have done an incredi
ble job this year. On behalf of the international students at
Texas A&M and myself, thank you.
Juan Ignacio Com jo
ISA President
University suffers from
hidden social problems
have been told on many occasions
that the Texas A&M University System
Board of Regents embraced academics
only because they had to, to keep A&M
from going under and that their only real
concern was with the Corps of Cadets;
but seldom has it been demonstrated so
clearly as in the events of the last two
weeks surrounding especially the recruit
ment of Gen. Schwarzkopf.
I( Not only did they fail to consult the
A&M Faculty Senate prior to making
their decision and apparently fail to tell
the general this, but they brushed aside
their own stated criteria deemed appro
priate for a chancellor: "A command of
respect in the national arena of acedemics
and distinguished intellectual stature."
Larry A. Hembree
Reader’s Opinion
The Schwartzkopf controversy ranksai
probably A&M's worst public-relation!
scandal to date, because not only did i
expose the tunnel vision of the adm»
tration and what with the denials andof
fice absenteeism, the fact that their word
could not be trusted for all the world ti
see, it undoubtedly is an embairassms
to the good general .himself.
A charismatic, effective leader, anal
administrator for business, possibly evit
a candidate for high political office heii;
but he is no more a distinguished scholai
than the professors here are able gens
als.
It's obvious also why the Faculty Sen
ate originally was shut out of the deci
sion-making process, considering a letter
they endorsed earlier to the regents call
ing for "a distinguished record of teach
ing and scholarship commensurate with
a tenured professor, experienced in uni
versity planning, an earned doctoral de
gree and the abilities to articulate a clear
and progressive vision for the entire sys
tem as well as its diverse components" as
necessary attributes in a chancellor.
Are not the regents exhibiting the same
too-limited perspective of administrative
responsibility that put A&M on academic
probation not too long ago? Is this not the
same mentality that Stanford found so re
pulsive as to vote us out of the PAC10?
The future of A&M is on far more
shaky ground than its recent prosperity
would seem to indicate. Local business
men still are reluctant to invest in student
housing on the scale which is normal for
other universities.
And need we wonder any more' why
sports announcers cast A&M in such a
bad light? It's not just recruiting scandals
— they know, even if we don't, that
these are just symptomatic of broader,
underlying social problems, that some
thing very ugly is out of control here at
A&M — something that arrogantly does
exactly what it wants and doesn't care
what academic or humanitarian interests
it offends.
The life of the mind isn't dead yet al
Texas A&M; recent actions by the Facult)
Senate on the issue of sexual orientation
and chancellor selections prove that -
something the Board of Regents oti
viously had not anticipated. Should fe
status quo side of A&M succeed in inti®
idating these interests, however, I do
predict the onset of a tremendous mod
problem as students, athletes, facult
and members of the University choosH 1
distance themselves from this institution
and the reputation it has established fe
itself.
It would simply be too easy coni
ering the military climate of opinion he#
to be persuaded into a no-nonsense f
proach before long that would have ft
eryone marching along in step — distt
trous mindset for an institution of higd
learning. It was, in fact, precisely
type of thinking that precipitated these
lies of protests during Gen. Rudder's#*
ignation.
Should the students follow the fads
suite and the Board of Regents take tkc
input seriously, A&M might still cor;
out smelling like a rose.
There are 40,000 students at this 11#
versity, and 38,000 are not in the Corps#
Cadets.
Larry A. Hembree graduated from 1$
A&M in 1969.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor —845-2647
Kathy Cox,
Managing Editor— 845-2647
J ennifer J effus,
Opinion Page Editor — 845-3314
Chris Vaughn,
City Editor — 845-3316
Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors — 845-2665
Alan Lehmann,
Sports Editor — 845-2688
Fredrick D. Joe,
Art Director — 845-3312
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor — 845-3313
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup
porting newspaper operated as a community
service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College
Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editorial board or the author,
and do not necessarily represent the opin
ions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty
or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion is published daily, except
Saturday, Sunday, holidays, exam periods,
and when school is not in session during fall
and spring semesters; publication is Tuesday
through Friday during the summer session.
Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester,
$40 per school year and $50 per full year:
845-2611. Advertising rates furnished on re
quest: 845-2696.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed Mc
Donald, Texas A&M University, College Sta
tion, TX 77843-1 111.
Second class postage paid at College Sta
tion, TX 77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas
A&M University, College Station TX 77843-
4111.
s<
bi
Pro]
life i
AUSTl
on the i
row inm.
Tuesday
ing life ii
and the
criminal
have vot
was dela
Sen. 1
said th<
"basicall;
rendous
seen evi<
being rel
Since
row inm
from pri
makers.
Those
their dea
to life in
severe s<
reversals
ties.
Under
convictec
be sentei
prison. E
tion agaii
fenders
terms.
"This \
we have
Sen. Carl
the bill's
Criminal
the meas
a 6-0 vote
Lawmc
provision
allow no
if that pi
was comi
capital m