Talk of Pardoning North Premature, Fitzwater Says

President Reagan believes it is not appropriate to discuss the possibility of a pardon for Rear Adm. John Poindexter or Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, mainly because they have not been charged with any crime, the White House said today.

Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, asked whether he was leaving the door open for a possible pardon later, grinned and said: “I am not touching that door. I wouldn’t get within 40 yards of that door.”

Fitzwater also said he was not commenting one way or another on the possibility of a pardon being granted prospectively in order to prevent any prosecution of the two, as suggested by former White House Communications Director Patrick J. Buchanan.

“I have made . . . known in various forums here that people on the outside are raising the question of pardons, and have been advised by all the appropriate people that that is not an appropriate issue for discussion and we are not discussing it,” Fitzwater said.

When asked whether these people included Reagan, the spokesman said twice that it did, but later amended this, saying, “I have not talked to the President about it.” Fitzwater added, however, that he was speaking for the President nevertheless.

When asked why it was not appropriate for discussion, he said, “There are any number of reasons . . . the main one is there have been no indictments.”

When asked whether this meant there would not in any event be a prospective pardon, Fitzwater replied: “No. It just means we are not going to talk about it in any way. We are not discussing it, and that’s it.”