Agnew Speech Writer Joins Reagan’s Staff

The Nixon era speech writer who wrote Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s blistering attacks on the press will move into the Reagan White House as director of communications, it was announced today.

Patrick J. Buchanan, now a television commentator and newspaper columnist, will be in overall control of White House communications, including press relations and speech writing, new White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan said.

In addition, Regan said President Reagan had tapped two veterans of his first Administration to perform similar jobs during the second term: Edward J. Rollins as head of an office dealing with politics and intergovernmental relations between Washington and state and local governments, and Max L. Friedersdorf as chief strategist for congressional lobbying.

Brady Retains Title

Regan said James S. Brady, who has not worked full time since he was wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt against the President, will retain the title of press secretary, and Larry Speakes will continue in his role as presidential spokesman.

John A. Svahn will remain as director of the Office of Policy Development, Regan added.

Asked why he had picked the sometimes combative Buchanan, 46, for the communications job, Regan said he was “first of all a good communicator. You’ve got to admit, at least you understand what he’s saying. You may not like what he says but you understand what he’s saying.”

“His philosophy in many ways parallels that of President Reagan,” Regan added. “I was looking for a good communicator and he fitted that bill.”

Joined Nixon in ’66

Buchanan quit a job as a newspaper editorial writer in 1966 to join Richard M. Nixon’s staff and remained loyally at the President’s side until Nixon resigned in disgrace eight years later.

H. R. Haldeman, a chief of staff for Nixon, once wrote that “the concept of Agnew’s inflammatory speeches against the Eastern ‘elite’ center in New York and Washington . . . came right from the Oval Office. The speeches were written mostly by Patrick Buchanan, Nixon’s most hard-line speech writer.”