Scowcroft Mideast Mission Revealed

President Bush sent his top security aide to the Middle East last week on a secret mission to discuss the situation in the Persian Gulf, officials said Saturday.

The two-day trip to the region was made by Bush’s national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft, Tuesday night to Thursday night.

But White House officials, who asked not to be identified, refused to say with whom Scowcroft met or what nations he visited.

Scowcroft, who has a history of behind-the-scenes missions for the President, was accompanied by Richard Haass, a Middle East expert on the National Security Council, the officials said.