Haig’s Tracks on U.S. Policy

Roger Morris’ assault on former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. (Editorial Pages, Jan. 19), “Haig Leaves His Dirty Tracks All Over American Policy,” amply illustrates Winston Churchill’s observation that where there is free speech, there is also a certain amount of foolish speech.

While innocent Americans thought they were electing Presidents, while those Presidents thought they were deciding foreign policy, while the White House, Capitol Hill, the State Department, the CIA and the Defense Department fussed over the national security, the truly significant power over the last 15 years, according to Morris, was wielded by only one man--Alexander Haig.

For Morris, evil spirit knows no bounds. Simply to know him transfers an official into a puppet. Like some latter-day Dracula, Haig’s bite--in this case his back bite--of the Reagan National Security Council--proves fatal. One is at a loss to explain why so sinister a force resigned, just because he disagreed with the policy of the “distracted” Reagan.

After beggaring the imagination, Morris murders the truth. From this cornucopia of error and misstatement, a few egregious examples stand out. Morris should have checked his allegations about Haig’s “green light” for the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He would have fund that the author of it, Israeli journalist Zeev Schiff, withdrew the charge in his book, aptly entitled “Israel’s Lebanon War.”

Having served as a special assistant to Haig at the State Department, I can testify to the falsehood of both this green light and the other green light suggested by Morris. Haig never approved or encouraged Israeli sales of arms to Iran. Attributing to the former secretary responsibility for U.S. or Israeli blunders on Lebanon, or for that matter the attacks of Lebanese, Syrian and Iranian terrorists against our embassy and Marines, converts Morris’ diseased imagination into a dastardly lie.

I must admit, however, that Morris does prove one thing. America is fortunate indeed to be without his services, at the National Security Council or elsewhere.

HARVEY SICHERMAN

Silver Spring, Md.