WASHINGTON -- President Reagan accepted the blame Tuesday for the security breach that allowed the bombing of the Beirut Marine barracks and said no disciplinary action will be taken against U.S. military commanders.
'If there is to be blame,' Reagan said, 'it properly rests here in this office and with this president. And I accept responsiblity for the bad as well as the good.'
Reagan spoke after reviewing a 166-page Pentagon report, prepared by a special commission headed by retired Adm. Robert Long that blamed the entire military chain of command, including the commander in chief, for the Oct. 23 suicide attack that killed 241 U.S. servicemen. Officials said the report will be made public Wednesday.
'I soberly considered the commission's word about accountability and responsibility of authorities up and down the chain of command,' Reagan told reporters at the White House before leaving for California on a six-day New Year's vacation.
Reagan noted state-supported terrorism is a new phenomenon and said, 'I do not believe, therefore, the local commanders on the ground - men who have already suffered enough -- should be punished for not fully comprehending the nature of today's terrorist threat.'
Reagan reaffirmed his intention to keep the Marines in turmoil-ridden Lebanon as part of a multinational peace-keeping force. 'While there is hope for peace, we have to remain,' he said.
He said most of the commission recommendations con:erning tighter security for the 1,200 Marines and intelligence assessment have been or will soon be implemented. Officials said these include exterior barriers, tank traps, and dispersal of personnel.
Reagan also said 'all facets' of the Marine mission in Lebanon are being reviewed, including where the servicemen are deployed. Critics have said the Marines are 'sitting ducks' at the Beirut airport for violent attacks.
Reagan also said Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson's planned trip to Syria Wednesday to seek release of the Navy airman shot down by the Syrians Dec. 4 in Lebanon, could be counterproductive.
Reagan said he is doing everything possible diplomatically to bring about the release of Lt. Mark Goodman, 'And it's possible that, sometimes, somone with the best of intentions could change the balance unfavorably.'
Reagan did not disclose any specific details of the Pentagon report, but stressed the growth and sophistication of modern day terrorism.
'The report draws a con:lusion that the United States and its military institutions are by tradition and training inadequately equipped to deal with the fundamentally new phenomenon of state-supported terorrism,' he said. 'I wholeheartedly agree.'
Later, aboard Air Force One en route to California, an official said Reagan had overruled the panel's recommendation that Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger review the findings and take appropriate disciplinary action.
'The president believes you can transfer some or all of your authority through the military chain of command but you can never transfer your responsibility,' the official said. 'His decision means that no disciplinary action will be taken against the commander, the commander in Beirut or anyone in the chain of command.'
Said White House spokesman Larry Speakes, 'The president, after reviewing the report, decided that repsonsibility rests on his shoulders and that he accepts full responsibility for the incident.'
Reagan said 'it would be a tragedy' for anyone to believe the servicemen killed in bombing died in vain and noted their mission 'is extremely difficult.'
'I think it would be tragic for the families who have lost a loved one if this comes about, because it hasn't been in vain,' he said. 'The cause was worthwhile.'
'I intend to bend every effort to ensure that those who died in this tragedy can claim as their ultimate legacy the mantle of peacemaker over this troubled and vital land,' he said.
Reagan received the report on Friday, read it over the weekend and discussed it with Weinberger and national security adviser Robert McFarlane.
The official said it makes the following observations:
-The Marines in Beirut 'were in a difficult position in an increasingly hostile environment.'
-U.S. personnel responded properly after the attack.
-Evacuation of U.S casulties to Europe rather than to closer Israeli facilities was not faulted.
-Steps taken since Oct. 23 to bolster security around the Marines 'reduced the vulnerability to further attacks of this type, but they are not totally adequate.'
