Advice From an Old Hand

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Fire two or three more people involved, and then change the subject. That, in effect, is what Richard Nixon has been telling Ronald Reagan about Iranscam, according to a White House source. The advice from one old hand to another was proffered in a series of telephone calls, at least two of which, on Nov. 21 and 29, were initiated by Reagan. The best way to limit the damage, Nixon counseled the President, is to make a new, strong push for a Soviet-American summit and arms treaty in 1987. Nixon reportedly believes that Reagan needs a big foreign policy win to counteract recent setbacks, and arms control offers the most obvious opportunity.

Nixon elaborated on his views about the Iran-contra affair in public last week, during a speech to Republican Governors gathered in Parsippany, N.J. He chided those sniping at the President, declaring, "His critics should get off his back so that the President does not lose two precious years in his quest for peace. Don't, don't weaken the man."

How does Watergate compare with the current White House scandal? "Watergate was handled abysmally," Nixon said. "This is being handled expeditiously." In Nixon's view, it is easy to see how the Iran affair evolved. Reagan, he said, is a "big-picture man" whose underlings attempted to achieve his goals through wrongheaded means. Added Nixon: "It became an arms-for-hostages deal, and that was wrong." The diversion of funds to the contras was "illegal, apparently," Nixon said. "But President Reagan didn't know about that. He has told me so. I believe him."

Nixon also had advice for the President in one of his other areas of expertise. Two Saturdays ago, he phoned Reagan, urging him to root for the New York Giants against the Washington Redskins. But Nixon, no longer a fan of things Washingtonian, was unable to shake Reagan's loyalty to the home team, which got clobbered by the Giants.