No Bombing Plan, Reagan Says

President Reagan said Monday that the United States had not planned to bomb what U.S. officials identified as a Libyan poison gas plant despite his comment last month that no decision had been made on such a bombing.

“No, . . . we were not planning such an option,” Reagan said in a interview with Cable News Network.

Reagan prompted widespread speculation that the United States was considering such a bombing raid when he was asked in a television interview broadcast Dec. 22 whether there was a possibility of removing the plant by bombing.

“Well, let me say that’s a decision that has not been made yet,” Reagan replied then.

But Reagan said in the interview broadcast Monday night that bombing the Libyan chemical plant at Rabta south of the Libyan capital of Tripoli had not been an option after all.

He made the comment when asked if he had decided against “taking out” the plant because that might adversely affect President-elect Bush, who will succeed Reagan on Friday.