Escort Service for the Gulf

The questions would not go away. But every time a Reagan Administration official tried to clarify the U.S.'s role in the Persian Gulf last week, the issue only grew muddier. Finally Ronald Reagan appeared in the White House briefing room Friday afternoon to justify his policy in the wake of Iraq's accidental assault on the U.S.S. Stark. "Mark this point well," he said. "The use of the vital sea-lanes of the Persian Gulf will not be dictated by the Iranians. These lanes will not be allowed to come under the control of the Soviet Union. The Persian Gulf will remain open...