Shultz Rebukes Envoy, Returns Him to Lebanon

Secretary of State George P. Shultz sent John H. Kelly back to his post as ambassador to Lebanon on Wednesday after rebuking him for his “back-channel” dealings with the White House over U.S. hostages in Beirut.

In a stiffly worded statement, Shultz said President Reagan concurred in the decision to reprimand Kelly but retained “full confidence” in him for the ambassadorial assignment in war-ravaged Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Charles Redman said Kelly violated standing orders to all ambassadors to keep the department and the secretary of state fully informed of their activities.

Helped Free Hostage

According to Shultz’s statement, which was read by Redman, the secretary of state concluded that the breach of discipline was serious, even though Kelly apparently was not involved in the controversial White House sales of arms to Iran as an inducement for it to help free U.S. hostages held in Lebanon. Instead, he apparently helped in making arrangements for the release of hostage David P. Jacobsen, who was freed in November.

“The secretary advised Ambassador Kelly that he (Shultz) had discussed his situation with the President and that they had concluded that the ambassador should be admonished and instructed to return to post to continue to serve as American ambassador in Lebanon,” Redman said.

Shultz, saying he was “shocked, to put it mildly,” told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Dec. 8 that he had ordered Kelly home after the envoy reported “back channel” communications with the White House. The communications involved secret meetings with fired National Security Council staff member Oliver L. North and international arms merchant Richard V. Secord.

Met With McFarlane

Shultz said Kelly had also disclosed that he had met in Washington with former National Security Adviser Robert C. McFarlane last summer to discuss “hostage negotiations involving arms to Iran as an inducement.”

According to Redman, Shultz discussed the situation with Kelly in meetings Saturday and Tuesday. The Tuesday session had not been announced previously.

“The secretary conveyed his disappointment over the ambassador’s failure to inform the Department of State concerning the full extent of his knowledge and activities, but also expressed his admiration for Ambassador Kelly’s outstanding professional record,” Redman said.

Kelly, 47, a bachelor, volunteered for the hazardous Beirut post last August. He is a 21-year veteran of the Foreign Service.

Some of Kelly’s friends in the professional Foreign Service had said privately that they were angry at Shultz for condemning the ambassador in public without waiting to hear his side of the story.

Two Private Meetings

After two private meetings with Kelly, Shultz concluded that Kelly was not involved in any way in the arms sales and tempered his criticism. “The full details were available only after Ambassador Kelly had been interviewed here in Washington,” Redman said.

Nevertheless, Redman made it clear that Shultz remained angry that Kelly had not kept him informed. He said, “The secretary reviewed ambassadorial responsibilities and the chain of command with the ambassador.”

The “back-channel” communications system, which bypasses normal State Department procedures, originated almost 20 years ago. It was used extensively by Henry A. Kissinger when he was national security adviser to President Richard M. Nixon.

Secret Instruction

On Wednesday, Redman made public a previously secret instruction that Reagan had sent to all diplomatic missions on Sept. 23, 1981--before Shultz replaced Alexander M. Haig Jr. as secretary of state--directing envoys to take instructions only from the President personally or the secretary of state. The message authorized the use of back-channel communications only if approved by the President or the secretary.

In a clarification issued Wednesday, Shultz said that, if ambassadors are directed by the President or his national security adviser to use back channels, they must immediately inform the secretary of state.