3 Longtime Reagan Aides Asked to Leave Library Board : Simi Valley: A spokesman says the former First Lady did not ‘purge’ Edwin Meese III, William P. Clark and Martin Anderson.

Three longtime associates of former President Ronald Reagan are being bounced from the board that is raising money for Reagan’s presidential library near Simi Valley.

The Washington Post is calling the ouster a “purge” orchestrated by Nancy Reagan.

But Lodwrick M. Cook, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, denied through a spokesman Thursday that Nancy Reagan engineered the departure of the three men--Edwin Meese III, William P. Clark and Martin Anderson.

Ronald Reagan decided that board members should only serve one six-year term and that the terms of these board members expired at the same time, according to a Cook spokesman and other board members.

The Post, however, quoted an unnamed source saying that Ronald Reagan never knew that Meese, Clark and Anderson were told to step down until after it occurred at the foundation’s April 4 board meeting. The Post’s source said it “reinforced the view that Nancy’s in charge and that Reagan doesn’t really know what’s going on.”

Cook, chief executive officer and chairman of Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO) became the foundation’s chairman in November. He said through his spokesman that he wanted to avoid commenting on any personality conflicts.

The spokesman, Albert Greenstein, said Cook relayed Ronald Reagan’s decision on the one-term limit to those board members with terms about to expire. The list also included former energy secretary John S. Herrington, who was asked to remain on the board an extra 2 1/2 years to complete his role as foundation treasurer, handling finances of the library.

“Ed Meese suggested that perhaps they could stay on the board through the library opening,” Greenstein said. “Cook went back to the Reagans and they said it was fine and Nancy readily agreed to that suggestion.”

The Post article was written by Lou Cannon, who has authored three books about Reagan including the recent “President Reagan: Role of a Lifetime.” Cannon also said in the article that Meese was devastated by his forced departure as trustee.

“That’s baloney,” said Meese, former U.S. attorney general, in an interview Thursday. “Anybody who knows me, knows that’s not true.”

Meese said the decision to limit terms was perfectly understandable and he was pleased to have been a foundation trustee and continue his 25-year association with Reagan. “We were the only remaining original trustees. It was a matter of our terms were over.”

Neither Clark, who had served as Reagan’s national security adviser, nor Anderson, formerly Reagan’s domestic policy adviser, could be reached for comment Thursday.

The planned departure of the three longtime Reagan aides coincides with the return of Michael Deaver, who has been hired to help coordinate the gala events surrounding the opening of the library on Nov. 4.

Deaver, a confidant of Nancy Reagan when he was a top White House aide, has returned to the fold after mending a breach that occurred when he angered Nancy Reagan with a book that he wrote after leaving the White House.

Deaver was convicted of perjury following an investigation into his lobbying activities after he departed the Reagan Administration in 1985. He was placed on probation in 1988 and has been a consultant in Washington for the past two years.

Cook sought out Deaver to organize the library’s opening, which will include the historic meeting of President Bush and four former Presidents, Greenstein said. Cook put Deaver on the ARCO payroll at somewhere “in the ballpark” of $15,000 a month for six months, Greenstein said.

“He (Deaver) has good contacts and terrific organizational skills and he has had lots of experience organizing major events,” Greenstein quoted Cook as saying. Deaver was in charge of Reagan’s inauguration in 1985 after he was elected to a second term as President.

Reagan spokeswoman Catherine A. Goldberg said the former President’s chief of staff, Frederick Ryan, was the best person to respond to allegations of a purge made in the Post article. Ryan, who is also a foundation board member, referred all questions to Cook.

Greenstein said the foundation is within $10 million of raising the total $60 million needed for the massive library complex that will feature a museum highlighting aspects of Reagan’s presidency and hold the estimated 55 million pages of documents generated during his years in the White House.