Regan Says He Won’t Be a ‘Yes Man’ for Reagan

Treasury Secretary Donald T. Regan said today that he will not be a “yes man” to President Reagan as chief of staff and that nobody at the White House will be fired but “there will be personnel changes”--possibly including a new job for departing U.N. Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick.

“I’m not trying to grab power,” Regan said in an interview with reporters. “I’m trying to fill a void” at the top level of the White House.

Regan and White House Chief of Staff James A. Baker III made a surprise swap of jobs earlier this week.

Regan, the Administration’s chief economic spokesman, also said he thinks the economy “will do well in 1985 with a 4% growth rate.” He declared that the “budget deficit is the No. 1 problem facing the nation” but said he agrees with Reagan that Social Security cost-of-living benefits should not be “tampered with” unless there is an overwhelming mandate from Congress.

Regan said he is informally gathering information on White House functions, from the “nitty gritty” to policy, and indicated that he expects to shake up the staff--eventually tailoring it to his style of operation and bringing in his own team.

“I’m not going to fire anyone,” he said, “but there will be changes in personnel.”

He indicated that he might make room for Kirkpatrick, who is leaving the U.N. post and is a favorite candidate of conservatives to succeed Edwin Meese III as White House counselor.

Asked about suggestions that Kirkpatrick would be brought into the White House, Regan said, “Possibly.”

The former chairman of Merrill Lynch & Co., expressed irritation at reports that he is a “cheerleader” who tells Reagan what the President wants to hear.

“I’ve had to tell the President many times” bad news about the economy, he said.

“Sure, I have a buoyant personality,” said Regan, who has been quick to show flashes of anger and impatience. “But I’m also a realist. You can’t come from Wall Street without realizing the downturns as well as the upturns.”

Regan said: “The President of the United States and I have a very good relationship. He doesn’t want ‘yes men.’ He wants the facts.”

Regan noted that he will take over all the functions of the White House “big three” who served as Reagan’s principal advisers during his first term: Baker, deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver, who is returning to private business, and Meese, whose has been nominated as attorney general.

“I’ll be doing the whole thing now,” Regan said.

“I came here to serve the President, to carry out his wishes,” Regan said. “That may sound like a Boy Scout’s oath. Baker had told me time and time again he was tired out. He had that burned-out feeling. He wanted a change. What better way than to swap?”