Reagan Denies First Lady Helped Force Regan’s Exit : Denounces ‘Despicable Fiction’

President Reagan blew up today and denounced as a “despicable fiction” reports that his wife Nancy helped force White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan from office and otherwise plays a role in governmental decisions or “is a kind of dragon lady.”

The President said the First Lady is upset about such stories, and “a lot of people ought to be ashamed of themselves” for writing them.

Recent accounts have depicted Mrs. Reagan as power-hungry, likened her to a dragon and suggested that she overstepped her bounds by pushing Regan from his job.

‘Made to Appear Wimpish’

Columnist William Safire, generally considered a conservative, wrote, “President Reagan is being weakened and made to appear wimpish and helpless by the political interference of his wife.”

But Reagan, commenting on the couple’s 35th wedding anniversary, strongly disputed all such characterizations.

Reporters brought the subject up as the President posed for pictures with FBI Director William H. Webster, Reagan’s nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

Asked what the First Lady’s role was, Reagan replied: “Not what has been bandied about in the press. That is fiction, and I think it is despicable fiction.”

‘You’ve Touched a Nerve’

A reporter asked what parts of the reports he objected to most.

The President, who generally says that he will not answer questions at such photo sessions but often answers them anyway, replied: “You realize I’m breaking my rule here. You’ve touched a nerve here with that.”

He went on to take issue with “the idea that she is involved in government decisions and so forth, and all of this and is a kind of a dragon lady. There is nothing to that and no one who knows her well would ever believe it.”

Baker Denies Remark

When a reporter said that it was the President’s new chief of staff, Howard H. Baker Jr., who called Mrs. Reagan a dragon lady, Baker, who was seated nearby, said, “No, no.” Reagan also said, “No, he didn’t.”

Baker was quoted over the weekend as saying of Mrs. Reagan that “when she gets her hackles up, she can be a dragon.”

Asked about this statement on Monday, Baker praised Mrs. Reagan as “a distinguished citizen” and a “great lady” and added: “She obviously is a lady of strong convictions. That’s what I meant.”

In denying reports that Mrs. Reagan played a role in the firing of Regan, the President said Regan told him “months before about his desire to leave . . . and when all of this came up, he decided he would see it out and wait until the Tower Commission’s report” was made public. He said Regan’s letter of resignation had an original date of last October.

Mrs. Reagan Upset

As to whether Mrs. Reagan was upset about the various reports, the President said, “Well, obviously, she is. Yes, of course.”

“What do you think could be done about it?” a reporter asked.

“Well, maybe I just said a few things here that will make some of you think twice before you repeat those things that have been said,” the President replied.

A reporter, referring to reports that Regan hung up on Mrs. Reagan or that she hung up on him during telephone discussions, asked, “No phone hang-ups?”

“No more comments,” the President said.

Backlash feared from First Lady’s role, Page 14.