Carter, Ford Criticize U.S. Deal With Iran

Jimmy Carter, who wrestled in the last year of his presidency with freeing American hostages in Iran, said today that the United States made “a very serious mistake” in paying what he characterized as ransom for hostages held there now.

His predecessor in the White House, Gerald R. Ford, said that he vigorously opposes sending arms to Iran and that President Reagan’s aides who initiated the deal deserve “some condemnation.”

Carter said, “We’ve paid ransom, in effect, to the kidnapers of our hostages. . . . Every terrorist in the world who reads a newspaper or listens to the radio knows that they’ve taken American hostages (and that) we’ve paid them to get the hostages back.”

‘Doubt on Credibility’

He said that as a result “there is a great doubt on the credibility of whatever is said now from the White House, and the fact that a summit was held in Reykjavik and the claim was made that there was no summit, the Daniloff exchange or swap and then the claim that there was no swap, and then the denial of paying of ransom when it was obvious that ransom was paid. These kind of things have cast doubt on the credibility of the White House.”

Neither Was Briefed

The two former Presidents were interviewed on the NBC-TV “Today” show.

At the White House, presidential spokesman Larry Speakes said neither former President had been briefed about the Iranian operation.

Speakes reiterated that the White House will make information about U.S.-Iran contacts “available in detail to the Congress, in formal briefings and in testimony this week. We’re not holding anything back.”

He said he believes, but is not sure, that the information will include details on the arms provided to Iran and the timing of the deliveries.

Ford said making contacts with certain elements in Iran was wise but he added:

“I vigorously oppose any transaction, sale, gift, what have you, in arms to Iran. Such a transaction, in my opinion, undercuts our efforts to be helpful to our Saudi friends, to our Kuwaiti friends, who are terrified of the prospect that Iran might win the war against Iraq.”

“Secondly, selling or giving, whatever you call it, of arms to Iran undercuts our efforts to work with our friends in Europe on the problems of terrorism. So on one hand I can understand what they did, on the other I vigorously oppose it,” Ford said.