Regan May Be Losing Support of GOP Leaders

Donald T. Regan, the embattled White House chief of staff, appeared Wednesday to be losing support among senior congressional Republicans--a possible indication that he will be unable to hold on to his job.

However, the White House gave no indication that Regan, President Reagan’s most senior aide, was about to step down. Presidential spokesman Larry Speakes said that Regan has shown no intention of resigning and that “the President has not asked him to leave.”

Rebel Aid an Issue

Regan’s position has appeared precarious since it was disclosed last week that money paid by Iran for American weapons was funneled into a Swiss bank account used to aid rebels fighting to overthrow the Marxist government of Nicaragua. Although Regan has denied knowing about the Iran-Nicaragua link, critics charge that, as the official responsible for day-to-day White House operations, he should have.

As the controversy generated by the disclosure of the arms shipments to Iran and the diversion of some of the profits to the Nicaraguan contras continued to swirl about the Administration, Reagan met for the second consecutive day with Republican congressional leaders and again publicly promised steps to resolve the growing questions.

In addressing an audience of women entrepreneurs at the White House, the President urged that the problems he is facing not be allowed to interfere with his agenda for his last two years in office. “We cannot let recent events distract us from the cause of these brave fighters for freedom around the world,” he said.

Cooperation Cited

“Much in this case is hard to understand, and all Americans are entitled to have their questions answered,” he said. He pledged, as he has in the past, to “get to the bottom of this matter” and said that his Administration’s cooperation with Congress has been “unprecedented.”

The Administration announced Tuesday that it would seek an independent counsel to investigate the controversy, and Reagan has appointed a three-member commission to study the operation of the White House National Security Council, which directed the arms shipments and diversion of funds to the contras.

“The machinery is in place to seek answers to the questions that are being asked, to fix what needs fixing and to restore complete confidence in the conduct of our foreign policy,” Reagan said. “All of this we intend to do, and that’s what I pledge to you and to the American people.”

Problems Won’t Vanish

But Reagan’s Republican allies in Congress, emerging from their second meeting with the President in two days, warned that his problems will not soon disappear, especially if his present White House staff remains intact.

House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.), usually strong in his praise of Regan, said that, if he were the chief of staff, he would step down.

But he added: “Let’s face it. If, for example, today Regan were to go . . . that doesn’t end the problem. It doesn’t kill the issue by firing this person or that person.”

Michel made his comments one day after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) said: “It seems to me the entire staff ought to be under review.”

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), who attended the White House meeting with Michel, refrained from calling for Regan’s departure. He said the two congressional leaders warned the President that “there are going to be more and more stories every day. There’ll be something new, some other player will be involved, somebody the President never even heard of, so we want to make certain we understand that there is still a lot to come out, probably.”

Two Aides Gone

So far, two Reagan aides have left the White House staff as a result of the Iran-contra project: Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter resigned on Nov. 25 as the President’s assistant for national security affairs; and Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, a Poindexter aide on the National Security Council staff, was relieved of his duties that day after it was discovered that he had drawn up the money transfer plan.

As chief of staff, Regan attended the daily briefings that Poindexter delivered to the President on national security developments, Speakes said.

But, he said: “I don’t know that Ollie North ever briefed the President in private, one-on-one. There are very few times that Ollie North was in the Oval Office, even with a group.”