Remarks and a
Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters
INF
Treaty and the Trade Bill
The President. I have a statement
here, a brief statement. First, I am pleased that Senate Majority Leader Bob
Byrd and Republican Leader Bob Dole have agreed to take up consideration of the
treaty to eliminate an entire class of
Second,
the March trade figures were good news -- the best news on this front since
March of 1985. With the trade deficit dropping $4.1 billion and with exports up
$5.4 billion, this is clear evidence that the trade balance is improving as our
economy continues to grow. Now, several days ago I received a trade bill from
Congress, and my message to Congress on this matter is currently under review,
and I expect to issue it within a couple of days. But today's news emphasizes
what we've been saying all along: that this is not the time to be imposing
restrictions on trade or reducing incentives for free, open markets or closing
job opportunities. We want more jobs, not less, and we want a job market open
to all working men and women in this country. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves
and go to work with the Congress once again in crafting a trade bill that will
continue this trend of more job creation and greater economic growth.
General
Noriega of
Q.
Mr. President, why have you authorized the dropping of the drug indictment
against General Noriega, and doesn't that give the Democrats ammunition for the
Presidential campaign?
The President. Not if they'll wait
until there's something to be announced. We're negotiating right now, and
therefore I can't comment on negotiations that are underway. It would be
foolish to do so. Some things you have to keep to yourself when you're arguing
with someone else. But we're not -- as I say, negotiations are underway. There
has been no decision made on some of the things that are being discussed, and I
have to say that I think that much of what many of you've been dealing with as
a story is based on some kind of leaks or misinformation because there are no
facts to sustain it.
Q.
If I could clear up that one point, though, sir, haven't you authorized the
dropping of the indictment in return for something on Mr. Noriega's
part?
The President. As I have to say, when
you're negotiating -- and I did that for 25 years as a union officer in
labor-management relations -- you don't go out and talk about what you're
negotiating.
Attorney
General Edwin Meese III
Q.
Mr. President, now that the conservatives, personified by the Washington Times,
have jumped ship on Attorney General Edwin Meese. And
the loss of morale in the Department and loss of respect for the Justice
Department in the country and its integrity -- are you
still backing Meese and have total confidence in him,
or are you going to ease him out?
The President. No, I have complete
confidence in him, and I know -- --
Q.
Why?
The President. Because there have been
a great many allegations made, but nothing has been proven. And I've seen no
evidence of any wrongdoing on his part of the kind that is inferred in the
allegations that they kicked around. And right now, on this particular thing, I
think you'd have to talk to him about that. I think there's more than meets the
eye with regard to this latest departure.
Q.
What do you mean?
The President. What?
Q.
What are you referring to? Do you mean that Eastland [former Director of the
Office of Public Affairs at the Justice Department] did something to undermine
the Attorney General?
The President. No, he made a statement
himself that there was no animus of anything that had happened. But I think
that you should talk to the Attorney General about that and what happened.
Q.
Well, is that the role of the press officer -- to be a defense attorney?
The President. Well, once again,
somebody speculated that that's what was the reason there.
And I think that you should talk to the Attorney General.
Democracy
in
Q.
Mr. President, if you can't discuss the negotiations with Noriega, I'd like to
ask you, however, about your policy goal. You have said in the past the goal
was to see that Noriega step down from power. And at various times you've
talked about leaving the country and various times you haven't. Is your goal to
see that not only Noriega leaves power but that none of his cronies continue to
exercise power in his name?
The President. I've said I wouldn't
comment, but I'll make one comment on that. What we're interested in seeing is
a restoration of democracy in
Q.
Well, sir, if someone controls the Government -- if Noriega pulls strings
behind the scenes, is that acceptable to you?
The President. Not if we have
reinstituted democracy there in
Q.
But sir, the fear is that you're selling out. The fear is that you are going to
agree to a deal which has a fig leaf of some restoration of democracy but, in
fact, leaves Noriega in power.
The President. Oh, I know. I've been
reading that and hearing it in the newscasts -- --
Q.
Well, when you won't comment, sir -- --
The President. -- -- and no, I'm not going to back away
from what we're trying to do.
Q.
Well, sir -- --
Drug
Trafficking and Aid to the Contras
Q.
Mr. President, there have been charges also that this government was aware of
drug running involved with the possibly illegal contra supply operation. Can
you tell us and the congressional committees that have been investigating that
there was no involvement by this government, the CIA, or any other agencies of
this government in running drugs on the same airplanes that were bringing
weapons to the contras? And are you investigating, if you didn't know about it,
to see whether there is any truth -- --
The President. All that I knew about
any of this, until the indictment came down with evidently evidence enough to get
to an indictment -- that previously there had been some rumors he was providing
information on -- situation in Central America, I think, to our intelligence
people at the CIA. Some rumors came up about possible drug and -- but no one
ever received or could get any evidence to substantiate those rumors. And then
this latest thing happened, and I don't know whether he just had started or
whether there was anything really going on.
Q.
But, sir, there are other charges that there was other involvement by this
government in drugs on the same airplanes that were delivering weapons to the
contras beyond Noriega. Did you know anything about that? Is there any truth to
that?
The President. No. No, the only thing
I knew was when we operated a sting operation and found that the Sandinistas
were shipping out drugs.
Q.
Well -- --
The President. And unfortunately, the
pilot of that plane in that particular sting operation was shot down in the
streets of an American city shortly after the -- --
Q.
But are you checking into these latest allegations?
The President. Yes, we are.
Q.
Mr. President, how can you, given the hard line that you took at the very
beginning in the situation in Panama -- saying that Noriega had to leave the
country, saying once that the Dominican Republic wasn't far enough -- and our
recognition of Mr. Delvalle as the President, how can
you do anything in the way of a compromise without appearing to back down from
your original policy goals?
The President. Again, you're asking me
-- that would lead into what's being talked about, and I can only tell you that
we're not going to just whitewash anyone.
Q.
Mr. President -- --
The President. I suggested two more.
So, three, and then --
--
Astrology
Q.
Mr. President, you have repeatedly denied that astrology played any role in the
setting of policy, but you have ducked the question as to whether or not it
played a role in the setting of schedule. A number of aides, besides Mr. Regan,
have indicated that astrology did play a role in the setting of schedule,
including the timing of the signing of the INF treaty. Why did you allow that
to go on, sir?
The President. It didn't go on. And
this whole thing is built around an incident in which it was printed that this
had to do with the scheduling of one of my operations. Well, it didn't happen
that way at all. And you know something else: It didn't have anything to do
with me being sworn in as Governor, taking the oath of office at
Q.
You're talking about a couple of specific incidents. Are you denying that
either you or Mrs. Reagan, though, used astrology on any occasion during your
time here at the White House to help set the schedule for trips or the signing
of the INF treaty? I must say this goes against what a lot of aides are telling
us, sir.
The President. Well, no, I'm only
going to tell you that one thing, and that is that after I'd been shot, which
was quite a traumatic experience for my wife --
--
Q.
And you?
The President. -- -- and it was not a -- no, I was
confident I was going to be all right. [Laughter] Other people can't know that.
But she was getting a great many calls from friends, and a friend called and
said that -- or wished that he'd known what I was going to do that day and so
forth because of -- he mentioned someone, that all the signs were bad and
everything else. And
Q.
But why something like the signing of an INF treaty,
sir?
The President. What?
Q.
Why something like the signing -- --
The President. No, it wasn't. Nothing
of that kind was going on. This was all, once again, smoke and mirrors, and we
made no decisions on it, and we're not binding our lives to this. And I don't
mean to offend anyone who does believe in it or who engages in it seriously -- --
Q.
Do you believe in it?
The President. What?
Q.
Do you believe in it?
The President. I don't guide my life
by it, but I won't answer the question the other way because I don't know
enough about it to say is there something to it or not.
Q.
Do you think the attempt on your life could have been prevented?
The President. No, this friend thought
that had I been told that that was supposed to be a horrendous time for me,
that I might have done something -- well, we didn't.
Attorney
General Edwin Meese III
Q.
Mr. President, you have often spoke of your belief in
the integrity and honesty of your Attorney General. I'd like to ask you another
question, which is: Don't you think that all of these resignations and the
difficulty of filling the job and the attacks from so many directions are --
even if he is a man of integrity and ability -- don't you think this is getting
in the way of the Justice Department doing its job? And isn't that a reason for
him to step aside on those grounds?
The President. No, because I think
that there's been a wave -- and for quite a long time, and not just with him,
but with others -- in which accusation or allegation is taken to mean
conviction. And there's been too much of that. In this land of ours, you are
innocent until you are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. And nothing has
been proven. These allegations continue to be made. This has been true of
others. This was true of Ray Donovan [former Secretary of Labor]. And his
poignant line, I think, fit the situation. When he was declared totally
innocent of any wrongdoing at all, he said, ``Where do I go to get back my
reputation?'' This also applies to Beggs, who finally
stood up and resigned from NASA because of things he was supposed to have done
before he came into government and was found innocent of every -- there wasn't
an iota of any kind of support for any of the accusations.
Q.
Are you saying then, sir, that unless Mr. Meese would
be indicted that he should remain in office? Or can there be lesser allegations
that don't require an indictment that would be grounds for him stepping aside?
The President. I think that for him to
step aside would be what he himself once said: that he would then live for the
rest of his life under this cloud, with nothing that had ever been proven.
Q.
Sir, what about the --
--
The President. But you had recognized
her all right. So, you're the last one.
General
Noriega of
Q.
Thank you, sir. One more about Noriega. The combination of sanctions and negotiations have been going on
for an awfully long time, and it seems as if the
The President. Well, we had hoped that
we could maybe make it possible for the people of Panama themselves to exert
some pressure and do something, and I guess having run into their own armed
troops willing to shoot, and shooting, kind of cooled that down. So, we're
continuing to negotiate. And our goal remains the same.
Q.
But, sir, are you not angry about the fact that the
The President. Whether I'm angry or
not doesn't count. On the situation in
Q.
Will that be soon?
The President. I wish I knew.
Q.
Mr. President, how badly have you been hurt by -- --
Q.
Do you have a message for Don Regan [former Chief of Staff to the President]?
Free
and Fair Trade
Q.
Some people are saying, Mr. President, that if the trade bill were to be
overridden by Congress the effect of the trade bill would be similar to
Smoot-Hawley. Why is it that the administration now is basically saying that
it's only the plant closings provision that's wrong with this trade bill, that
otherwise you would support it?
The President. Well, that is the main
thing. There are other things in there that I don't think are helpful or belong
there. There's been a habit of adding pork items to almost everything that's up
on the Hill, and that's true there. But this is the main one.
And
when all of my colleagues at the economic summit from the other countries, the
heads of state of the countries with which we trade -- when they call what we
have seen here in the last 5\1/2\ years -- called the American miracle -- and
when I have talked to them, they've asked me for questions about what are some
of the things that we had done. I found out in answering their questions that
they themselves deplore the fact that in their countries the rules and
regulations imposed on government -- including things like this and rules about
hiring and firing -- are part of what they say is holding them back and keeping
them from having the kind of economic recovery we have.
Q.
Ready for Gorbachev?
Q.
Has Regan hurt your reputation? Has Regan hurt your reputation? Has Regan
damaged your reputation, Mr. President?
The President. Well, I was worried
about his.
Note: The exchange began
at