GATES DROPS BID FOR TOP CIA POST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290038-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 21, 2013
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: March 3, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/21 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290038-3
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ON PAGE 3 March 1987
Gates Drops Bid
for Top CIA Post
By JAMES GERSTENZANG, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON?President Reagan on Monday withdrew the nomina-
tion of Robert M. Gates to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency,
absorbing a new jolt to his effort to move his staggering Administration
beyond the troubles of the Iran-contras scandal.
Gates' withdrawal came after he
conferred with Reagan on Monday
afternoon and was announced by
new White House Chief of Staff
Howard H. Baker Jr., who spent a
hectic first day on the job meeting
with top officials to orchestrate the
next stage of the Administration's
attempts to recover from the scan-
dal.
In one development, the White
House announced that Reagan will
deliver a nationally broadcast
speech Wednesday at 6 p.m. PST,
offering his first lengthy response
to the stinging criticism of his
handling of the Iran arms sale
initiative by the commission he had
appointed to critique the White
House national security apparatus.
Possible Nominees
No new nominee to direct the
CIA was named. Gates, whose role
in the Iran affair had attracted
growing congressional opposition,
will continue as acting director
until a new director takes over, and
then will return to his job as deputy
director, the White House said.
The list of possible nominees to
succeed William J. Casey was said
to include Brent Scowcroft and
John Tower, two members of the
commission that delivered its in-
vestigative report on the Iran-con-
tras affair last week. However, a
Republican source said Tower has
declined to be considered. Sources
said other potential candidates in-
clude U.N. Ambassador Vernon A.
Walters; Bobby Ray Inman, former
deputy director of the CIA, and
William Odom, director of the
National Security Agency.
"It is an urgent item on the
President's agenda and we hope to
have a name to submit very soon,"
Baker said.
The .arrival of Baker as the new
chief staff in the wake of Donald 2'.
Regan's resignation Friday fueled
an atmosphere of hectic activity-at
the White House on Monday. As
Baker's new aides were moving
into their offices, a key Regal
assistant was moved across the
street to the Old Executive Office
,Baker took pains to portray Rea-
gan as deeply involved with his
presidency and in touch with the
challenges he faces.
One day after former Sen. Ed-
mund S. Muskie (D-Maine), the
third member of the Tower Com-
mission, said he was amazed by
Reagan's detachment from the Iran
policy's implementation and his
inability to recall important details
of the Iran-contra affair,, Baker
volunteered:
-"I have never seen Ronald Re-
gan more energetic, more fully
engaged and more in command of
difficult circumstances and ques-
;tions that we were dealing with
-throughout this day. He has never
been better."
Asked why he felt a need to
:make such a statement, Baker said
in a late-afternoon briefing for
,reporters that such matters as, "Is
this President fully in control of his
,piesidency? Is he alert? Is he fully
engaged? Is he in contact with the
problems?" are "uppermost in peo-
ple's minds."
Thinks Advice Heard
, ?Asked whether the President
had reacted to the widespread
advice that he change his "hands-
oft' management style and apolo-
gize for the Iran affair, the new
White House official replied: "I
think that the advice was heard
and understood."
1/-1 (.7:1-.4..W
He added:
do not see a hands-off Presi-
dent, or . . . an AWOL President. I
See a man who is very much in
46uch with the issues before this
.country and that confront his gov-
ernment."
? On the other hand, he said that in
,
connection with the Iran affair,
."'lliere were many, many things
:that the President did not know
that, under better circum-
stances, perhaps he should have
*flown."
Baker's news conference was
delayed several hours in the vain
hope that Reagan would have
,.found a new nominee for the CIA
.pOst and could announce the choice
himself.
, Congress Members Called
As late as 4 p.m.-33 minutes
'before Gates' withdrawal was an-
pounced?the White House was
aid to still be contacting senior
Members of Congress in its search
for a candidate.
, The Administration's difficulty
,in finding a replacement for Gates
_itymied a plan to move quickly
Over its newest obstacle, erected
:When Gates decided to withdraw
rbecause the agency would have
been damaged in a confirmation
.fight, even if he eventually won
Senate approval.
? Gates' difficulties with the Sen-
ate arose from allegations in the
Tower report that CIA intelligence
analysts under his supervision had
deliberately slanted their reports to
buttress the arguments of Admin-
istration officials who wanted to
sell weapons to Iran.
In a letter to Reagan, Gates, a
'career employee of the CIA, noted
the "strong Sentiment" in the Sen-
ate to delay acting on his nomina-
tion until a Senate select committee
has completed its investigation into
the Iran affair, and stated: "A
prolonged period of uncertainty
would be harmful to the Central
Intelligence Agency, the intelli-
_gence community and potentially
to our national security."
In a written reply, Reagan
praised Gates as "a remarkably
talented and dedicated man who
haa, served five Presidents," and
said he is "impressed with the class
he has shown under the enormous
GATESpressures of recent weeks."
Gates also sent a letter to Sen.
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continued
4
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/21 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290038-3
David L Boren (D-Okla.), the
chairman of the Senate Intelli-
gence Committee, in which he
rebutted the allegations.
"In the last six yeareithe Senate
Intelligence Committee'. has, not
brought to our attention- a single
instance of what they believed was
slanted or distorted intelligence?
and they get it ail," Gates wrote in
the letter he made public.
He also denied allegations that
he had Acquiesced in the secret
arms sales, ignored evidence that
profits from the deal were being
diverted or participated in an at-
tempt to cover up the facts once:the
affair was exposed.
He said allegations that he had
helped in an attempted covertip
are "particularly outrageous. All
available evidence substantiates
my testimony that I urged getting
all the facts before the committee:
Gates also denied that he had
encouraged a CIA plan for a joint
U.S.-Egyptian invasion of Libya In
1985. "CIA analysis prepared atniy
direction was the basis for rejection
of this policy option," he said. '
Gates Not Implicated
Boren and Sen. William S. Cohen
(R-Me.), the committee's Vice
chairman, noted that the commit-
tee had found no evidence that
Gates was involved in any wrong-
doing in connection with the Iran-
contra affair but that many sena-
tors were reluctant to approve lThn
until congressional investigators
had determined his innocence con-
clusively. And they said the CIA
could not be allowed to drift With-
out a permanent director Until
Congress completes its investiga-
tion of the matter.
Baker, who abandoned a poten-
tial presidential campaign to direct
the White House staff for the final
23 months of the Reagan presiden-
cy, arrived for work at 730 'a.m.
Monday and half an hour later was
running his first senior staff meet -
ing. _
He said he assured the staff that
"there would be no wholesale fir-
ings." Rather, he said, any changes
would be made in the next few
weeks.
However, it was announced
barely one hour later that Peter J.
Wallison, the President's counsel,
was being replaced by A. V. CuIVA-
son, who was Baker's legislative
chief when Baker, a Tennessee
Republican, was the Senate maibri-
ty leader.
Reflecting a recognition of the
complaints that his predecessor
viewed the White House staff as
his own. Baker said: "I'm keenly
aware of the fact that it is the
President's staff really, and .nOt
Howard Baker's."
On his first day, Baker took pains
to focus attention on the future,
even though one source reported
that he was appalled Friday when
he arrived at the White House to
find Regan had not been told of hit
replacement
Reaming optimism, Baker eaid
that Reagan's speech Wednesday
"will have a profound effect on the
country's perception of his role as
President and his future ability _to
govern."
Stith Together'
Echoing that forward-looking
note, top officials who attended a
Cabinet meeting with Reagan hi
mid-morning "decided to stick' tO-
gether and move ahead and avoid
contentious things, such as argunig
with the Tower board over some of
its less supportable conclusions,"
said an Administration official .fa-
miliar with the deliberations. _
Baker shrugged off comments
attributed to him in the Miami
Herald.
The newspaper's executive edi-
tor, Heath Meriwether, reported
that on a flight to Washington on
Friday to accept the White House
job, Baker had said that the "half -
life" of Reagan's memory isn't v,f4
long. And, speaking of First Lady
Nancy Reagan, Baker was quoted
as saying: 'When she gets lier
hackles up, she can be a dragon." :
On Monday, Baker said:
"In my experience as majority
leader, I found that the President
was as good as anybody in the
give-and-take discussion on se*
tive, important and complex issues,:
but that, when you approached Oro
about it two weeks or two mon*
later, you fr mid that the half- life Of
that memory was short. But ski,
mine."
As for Mrs. Reagan, who repoM
edly helped to lead the effort to
remove Regan, Baker said: "Thii
First Lady is a distinguished citizen
of this nation. She's a great lady.
And she obviously is a lady of
strong convictions.'
He said he would talk to her later
in the day.
About what?
"Whatever she wants to talk
about," he replied.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/21 : CIA-RDP99-01448R000301290038-3