Marcos Says U.S. Aided Rebels in Final Hours

Former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos says the United States aided rebel military forces against him in the final hours of his regime, with Americans refueling and rearming helicopters that attacked his presidential palace.

In an interview on Friday night’s broadcast of ABC’s “Nightline,” Marcos also denied stealing or misappropriating money from his country, said he still considers himself president of the Philippines, and defended his wife’s collection of 3,000 pairs of shoes.

Marcos’ 20-year rule ended Feb. 25 when he fled the country after a popular uprising in which hundreds of thousands of Filipinos surrounded rebel military bases in support of Corazon Aquino, who had been defeated by Marcos in an election marked by massive fraud.

In the “Nightline” interview, Marcos said Philippine air force planes supposed to be used in the defense of his government were grounded at Clark Air Base, and that Americans were refueling rebel aircraft there.

‘Rearmed . . . at Clark’

“I learned that the helicopters that attacked Malacanang (Palace)--well, I might just as well come out with it--those helicopters were gassed and rearmed at Clark Air Force Base,” Marcos said.

” . . . By Americans then?” asked “Nightline” host Ted Koppel, who conducted the interview in Hawaii, where Marcos is living in exile.

“Yes,” Marcos replied.

He added that when he arrived at the U.S. base, “I saw planes, our planes that were supposed to be used in defense of our own installations, grounded in Clark’s Air Force Base, and so also did I see some of the F-5s based in Basa Airfield grounded in Clark’s Air Force Base.”

State Department spokesman Joe Reap said the department would have no immediate comment on the Marcos interview.

Called ‘Absurd’ by U.S.

Marcos repeated an allegation that the United States threatened to send in Marines if he escalated attacks on the rebel forces. Last week, in a taped message to the Filipino people, he made a similar assertion, which was called “absurd” by the State Department.

The former president, who has been seeking to leave Hawaii and has been refused asylum by several countries, said he is taking “in stride” the fact that “I’m treated like a pariah.”

“There is nowhere else to go,” he said. “I either stay here or go back home, and take my life into my own hands and tell everybody, ‘If you want to kill me, here I am. But you will start a civil war.’ ”

Marcos said his family’s private gatherings that were shown on videotapes released by the government of Corazon Aquino were “simple parties and they made them to look like orgies.”

Reports ‘All Lies’

He described as “all lies” the reports that his wife, Imelda, went on extravagant shopping trips.

“The shopping trips are fabricated . . . saying that she went to Japan and bought a half million dollars’ worth of pearls--completely false. A lie,” he said.

Koppel also asked Marcos about Imelda Marcos’ collection of thousands of shoes.

“You know what people are mostly interested in? Your wife’s 3,000 pairs of shoes,” Koppel said.

“How many shoes?” Marcos said.

“That’s right. How many shoes?” he asked.

“Well,” Marcos replied, “she gets all kinds of shoes--buys all kinds. She has probably to change shoes twice a day, and then after a while because she . . . probably feels more comfortable, and there’s a party where she can wear high heels and parties for low heels.”

“But Mr. President, 3,000 pairs of shoes--hundreds and hundreds,” Koppel said.

“Twenty years! That is our collection for 20 years!” Marcos answered.