Bush Tricked, Took a Call From Man Claiming to Be Iran’s Leader

President Bush was tricked earlier this year into taking a telephone call from a man who pretended to be Iran’s President Hashemi Rafsanjani and who said he wanted to speak about U.S. hostages in Lebanon, the White House said Thursday.

White House officials provided few details of the call but confirmed the incident after it was first reported Thursday evening on CBS News.

Although the call turned out to be a fake, the fact that Bush agreed to take it is the clearest indication to date of his willingness to become personally involved in discussions over the fate of the hostages.

“About one month ago, a phone call was received by the staff of the National Security Council from someone claiming to be an Iranian official,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Steven Hart said in response to a question about the incident. “This caller said President Rafsanjani wished to speak to President Bush.”

Bush, Hart noted, agreed to take the call after “various methods were used” to try to determine if the caller was genuine. Ultimately, however, “it was determined to be a hoax.”

Hart would not say how long the call lasted or whether the hoax was discovered while Bush was still speaking to the faker. CBS reported that the call lasted at least long enough for Bush to repeat U.S. policy “that good will will beget good will, but there could be no quid pro quo for U.S. hostages.” Hart, however, said he could not confirm that report. “I don’t have any other details,” he said.