Kissinger’s crisis role slated

Press, 29 November 1979, Page 8

Kissinger’s crisis role slated

NZPA Washington The role of the former Secretary of State. Henry Kissinger, in the Iran crisis is provoking increasingly

sharp criticism in the United States. The Boston “Globe”' carried an article on Satur-; day quoting a senior Presi-i dential aide as calling Dr I Kissinger, “a devious and' dishonourable man.” On. Sunday, an Iran expert,; George Ball, an Under-Secre-tary of State under Presi-! dents Kennedy and Johnson,; declared on television the) ailing former Shah of Iran' might have been refused; entry to the United States last month had it not been; for Kissinger’s “enormously' obnoxious” pressure. A columnist, Anthony! Lewis, wrote in the “New; York Times” this week that!

Dr Kissinger’s behaviour ini the Iran crisis “has produced) more revulsion in official! Washington than anything to date.”

The heading on a editorial criti'al of Dr Kissinger in yesterday’s “Christian Science Monitor” uses the word “mischief.” According to a report in tl e “Washington Post” the ; Secretary of State (Mr (Cyrus Vance) sought to smooth Dr Kissinger’s ruffled feathers in a 75-minute (meeting on Tuesday. ; S; Ifically, Mr Vance at'temntc.i to calm Dr Kissinger over a sentence in the “Globe” story quoting a (“high State Department offiicial” as saying Dr Kissinger I had threatened to hold the (Carter Administration (accountable for the death of i the former Shah if the ex-

liled Iranian ruler was not (permitted to enter the ’United States for cancer (treatment. That was denied public y

and privately, by Dr Kissinger and senior Administration officials. At the same time, how-

ever, there were no Administration denials of the “Globe’s” “devious and dishonourable” quote.

That section of the story said Dr Kissinger publiciy attacks the President -on Iran, then calls the President’s friends privately to say he supports Mr Carter’s handling of the crisis. It is no secret the Administration dislikes Dr Kissinger’s role in the affair and his criticism of current foreign policy. But officials have been muted in their public com-

ments because Dr Kissinger’s support for the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty is seen as critical for success of the treaty in the Senate. According to one newspaper last week Dr Kissinger had threatened to withhold final support for S.A.I .T. 11 until the White House allowed the former Shah into the United States. That has been denied by the White House. The “Times” .* c’okimnist, Anthony Lewis, says Dr Kissinger has urged the former Shah not to leave the United States unless and until the Carter Administration direct” ly asks him to. This advice, the “Monitor” comments “appears to be a recipe for creating an awk ward situation for Mr Carter.”