Iranian affair

Press, 18 December 1986, Page 16

Iranian affair

Sir,—Apart from the very last sentence of the feature, “Lassoed by his own long rope” and the appendant cartoon, "The Economist” article does a fine job of steering the whitewash brigade away from the fact that Mr Reagan himself initially claimed full responsibility for the Iranian affair. The confusing complex of names, including Reagan and Regan, together with Israel’s now admitted participation after two official denials to the contrary, illustrates that whatever is said by the American President or his aides requires the now standard interpretation that such statements be read to mean precisely the opposite to what is actually uttered. These supposed champions of truth and valiant protectors of the West are each guilty of premeditated duplicity the like of which would be difficult to equal in recorded history and I feel that President Reagan is therefore condemned as unfit to lead his own nation let alone the whole Western world. — Yours, etc.,

ARTHUR MAY. December 6, 1986.