Tower Commission Report

THE TOWER COMMISSION Report does not criticize President Reagan or his foreign policy apparatus nearly as much as the Majority Opinion suggests. In fact, the report accurately places most of the blame on the inadequacies of Reagan's advisers.

The three members of the Tower Commission correctly realized that covert operations are not new to the this administration. Almost every modern president has initiated some secret action using an organization not responsible to Congress.

The Iran arms deal was not wrong because it secretly used the National Security Council, but because it was ill-conceived from the start. If Reagan's advisers had accurately portrayed the many risks and ramifications inherent in the plan to their boss, the initiative would never have left the drawing board. Despite Reagan's laxidasical management style, his political sixth sense would have told him the plan was bad.

The Tower Report also recognizes that every administration has made significant blunders during four or eight years of complicated decision-making. The main failing of the Reagan administration was its inability to admit the mistake, immediately jettison all parties involved and show a clean plate to the American people.

Once again, Reagan's advisers deserve the principle blame for this public relations fiasco. Those advisers not directly involved in the scandal were too spineless or misguided to recommend these drastic but necessary measures to the President. And those advisers actually involved in the arms deal used Reagan's reluctance to fire an employee to their advantage.

With the firing of Donald T. Reagan, the responsible parties are at last removed from the White House. In their place, Reagan has named politically-gifted individuals known for their integrity. It truly is time to look forward.