Agent Says McFarlane Will Keep Feb. 21 Speaking Date

Doctors and lawyers for Robert C. McFarlane remained silent Thursday about the pace of his recovery from a drug overdose, but McFarlane’s agent said that the former national security adviser plans to fulfill a speaking engagement late next week.

The booking agent, Don Walker of New York’s Harry Walker Agency, said that McFarlane--hospitalized early Monday after what police termed a suicide attempt--was receiving good wishes and strong support from groups around the country that had scheduled him as a speaker.

“People just understand, and they still want to hear him,” Walker said.

Panel Discussion

According to Walker, McFarlane--a key figure in the Administration’s arms sales to Iran before and after his departure from the White House--will participate as scheduled in a panel discussion in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 21. The topic of the event, sponsored by the Richmond Forum, is “Iran: Yesterday and Today.” Former State Department spokesman Hodding Carter III and journalist Paul Duke also are scheduled to speak.

However, McFarlane’s attorney, Leonard Garment, expressed surprise at Walker’s assertion and said he doubts that McFarlane will make the appearance.

“I don’t think that’s correct,” Garment said. “I don’t know why (Walker) would be saying that.” McFarlane canceled a scheduled appearance Thursday night in Milwaukee.

Garment said McFarlane was “doing all right” when he visited him Wednesday at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, where the former presidential aide was admitted Monday after taking 25 to 30 tablets of Valium and falling into a semiconscious state.

He confirmed that McFarlane expressed his intention to continue cooperating with congressional and presidential panels investigating the arms scandal.

Making Phone Calls

Associates of McFarlane said Thursday that he had begun making phone calls to friends from the hospital. He continued to be listed in “good” condition, but hospital officials had no indication when McFarlane might be released.

Ralph Krueger, president of the Richmond Forum, said that up to 3,000 people are expected to attend the panel discussion next week. Karna Small, a former aide to McFarlane at the National Security Council, said he is likely to get an enthusiastic response wherever he makes his first public appearance.

“The next time that man walks into an auditorium to give a speech, he will be given a standing ovation,” Small said. “People who know him well will be leading the charge.”