Reagan, Bush Show Generosity, Swap Credit for Drug Task Force

Call it conduct unbefitting a politician. President Reagan and the man he hopes will succeed him, Vice President George Bush, on Wednesday showed a downright reluctance to take credit for a political success.

The issue was the agreement reached at the Toronto economic summit that an international task force to fight drugs be formed by the Western nations.

Reagan gave the credit to Bush, in a Washington speech on the summit.

Cites ‘Bush Initiative’

“Finally, we talked about . . . something I know every American family will cheer, the Bush initiative to stop drug-money laundering,” Reagan said. “Thanks to Vice President Bush, the major industrial democracies have committed themselves to hanging up ‘gone out of business’ signs in drug money laundries all over the world.”

But Bush gave the credit to Reagan, in a Louisville speech to the National Sheriffs’ Assn.

“I’m pleased to report that at the economic summit in Toronto that just ended, the President led the effort to form an international task force on drugs with the leaders of the industrial democracies, an international task force on drugs with a special emphasis on finding ways to halt the laundering of drug profits abroad,” the vice president said.

Bush did allow that he raised the subject several months ago with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, when Mulroney visited Washington.