Reagan on Hostages

Ronald Reagan’s attempt at diffusing the October Surprise allegations (Part A, June 16) resulted in his stepping into a cowpie the size of Texas. When asked about his staff’s involvement, he said, “I can’t go into details. Some of these things are still classified.”

Reagan’s remarks indicate that indeed there was contact by his campaign people with the Iranians. Since when does a campaign for a presidential candidate have the right to meddle in international affairs? And since when are those activities “classified”? If I got my civics classes right, the possibility that the Reagan-Bush campaign even spoke to the Iranians in 1980 is tantamount to treason. If, in fact, they colluded with the Iranians to keep the hostages until after the 1980 election, they also involved themselves in kidnaping.

Now that Reagan does not have someone feeding him his lines, he has succeeded in making an admission of guilt out of a denial. So much for the Teflon President--the Teflon seems to be breaking off in giant chunks.

JOANNE C. MURRAY, Santa Barbara