Judge Bars Press From Hearing Reagan Testify : Iran-Contra: But edited tapes of the testimony will be made public. Meanwhile, President Bush also wants to keep Reagan diaries secret.

A federal judge today refused to allow reporters to attend Ronald Reagan’s videotaped Iran-Contra deposition in Los Angeles Friday, but allowed media access to the videotape as soon as it is edited.

U.S. District Judge Harold Greene, in a 13-page decision, rejected a lawsuit by 12 news organizations seeking an order allowing press and public attendance when Reagan undergoes questioning in a California federal courtroom.

Greene refused to open the deposition to the press and public, saying the likelihood of disclosure of sensitive national security information is too high.

But, in a partial compromise, Greene said the edited videotape would be made public before its use at the trial of Reagan’s former national security adviser, John M. Poindexter, now scheduled for March 5 in Washington.

In a footnote to his opinion, Greene said the videotape should be edited in “two or three working days” barring any “extraordinary disputes” over classified material.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration invoked executive privilege today--joining a move Reagan made earlier--in an attempt to keep secret excerpts from Reagan’s personal diaries. Although Reagan agreed to testify on videotape, he still is fighting to keep the diaries secret.

The Justice Department said it was claiming executive privilege on the diary excerpts on behalf of Bush and maintained that Poindexter has not shown a sufficient need for the personal notes to overcome the importance of enabling “Presidents to consult with their advisers effectively.”

Greene said he will resolve the diary issue after he hears Reagan’s testimony. The judge will decide which portions of Reagan’s testimony will be edited out of the videotape.

The Los Angeles Times and other news organizations had fought for access under the First Amendment--freedom of the press. Greene ruled that the First Amendment had to be considered in conjunction with “respect for the constitutional prerogatives of the chief executive.”

Poindexter, Reagan’s former national security adviser, is accused of five criminal charges.