Poviiy/4 cvv THE WASHIN '86 -Iran Initiative by Bush Alleged

From News Services and Staff Reports each to urge Saddam to start bomb- some ways with what is known ing deep in Iranian territory in a about the complex arms-for-hostage New allegations put President sharp escalation of the Iran-Iraq dealings at that time. Iran already Bush at the center of a bizarre for- War, raging since 1980. had sought and was promised air eign policy initiative linking the Iran Within 48 hours, Iraq's previous- defense spare parts from the Unit- arms and Iraq scandals, according ly cautious air force had changed its ed States. Delivery had been de- to an article to appear in The New bombing patterns and carried out layed because the Yorker magazine Monday. 359 bombing runs deep inside Iran, was demanding that Iran arrange The article describes a visit by and the more aggressive pattern for release of all American hostages then-Vice President Bush to the before any more military equipment Middle East in July and August continued for the next several weeks, the authors state. would be shipped. 1986 allegedly aimed at urging When an additional hostage—the Iraqi President to But the mission failed to secure the hostages' release, and the au- Rev. Lawrence Jenco—was re- step up his air attacks on Iran. leased at the time the article says The authors, Murray Waas and thors blame that failure on the sei- zure of additional U.S. hostages in Bush went to the Mideast, Iran al- Craig Unger, assert that then-CIA ready had prepared a list of new Director William J. Casey initiated Lebanon, escalation of the Iran-Iraq arms that included air defense as the mission as a means of getting War and an increased tilt toward Iraq well as antitank weapons. Eventu- Iran to buy more air defense weap- by the United States, which arranged ally, the United States provided ons. The authors write that Casey billions of dollars in loan guarantees only the antitank weapons. told Reagan administration col- for Saddam's government. leagues he hoped the initiative would Yesterday, spokes- The authors say Casey "may have woman Laura Melillo said, "This is been particularly concerned about lure Iran back to the bargaining table in in stalled talks aimed at trading U.S. nothing new. It doesn't change a the plight of one of the hostages arms for the release of Americans thing. Everything in this article has Lebanon, CIA station chief William held hostage in the Middle East. been thoroughly investigated by the A. Buckley." But Buckley's death at The article says Bush met with appropriate bodies." the hands of his captors had been Jordan's King Hussein and Egyptian The article's thesis about the al- confirmed by the agency five President Hosni Mubarak and asked leged Bush mission conflicts in months earlier.