INDIANAPOLIS -- President Reagan warned Wednesday 'We will not cave in' to terrorists and met with the tearful family of one of the passengers aboard the hijacked TWA airliner to reassure them he was 'very mindful of the safety of the hostages.'
At the same time, White House chief of staff Donald Regan told reporters that 'things are in motion' toward settling the six-day old hostage crisis in Beirut, Lebanon.
'Some things, but we can't talk about them. ... Things are in motion. We haven't seen the results of these things,' Regan said, adding, 'If we didn't think they were positive we wouldn't be doing them.'
'We have no reason to be more positive or more negative' than in the past, he said.
Regan also indicated the International Red Cross is not negotiating between the United States and Israel over an exchange of the American hostages for release of 700 Lebanese Shiites, a key demand of the hijackers.
He declined to reveal details of exactly what was occurring, but noted the IRC's policy of not negotiating between nations that have relations with each other.
Although the administration has asked the Red Cross to consult Israel about the status of the prisoner release -- believed to be already in motion -- national security adviser Robert McFarlane also insisted this involvement was not mediation or negotiation.
'The problem is the perception of that to terrorists of the world - of urging concessions to the terrorists,' he said in Washington.
The drama being played out in Lebanon cast a shadow over Reagan's trip as he hit the road to sell his tax reform plan before Main Street businessmen and some 5,000 members of the U.S. Jaycees in the nation's heartland.
Against a backdrop of behind-the-scenes activity to win release of the 40 Americans taken to Beirut aboard hijacked TWA flight 847, Reagan underlined his determination to wait out the crisis and not yield to the demands of the sky pirates.
His appearance at a lunch with Chamber of Commerce members at Mac's Family Restaurant in nearby Moorseville, Ind., began with a moment of silence for the hostages and ended with Reagan saying he has 'been praying ceaselessly for them and for their safety.'
Opening his tax reform sales pitch to the Jaycees, Reagan called the hostage crisis 'a concern that I know is on all our minds' and never wavered from the hard line against bargaining with the hijackers that punctuated his news conference the night before.
Reagan brought the Jaycees to their feet with chants of 'U-S-A! U-S-A!' when he declared: 'We cannot reward their grisly deeds. We will not cave in!'
'We're continuing to do everything that we can to bring all credible influence to bear to get our people freed and returned home safe and sound,' Reagan said. 'But let me say we must not yield to the terrorists' demands and invite more terrorism.'
After the speech, Reagan met backstage at the Indianapolis Convention Center with members of the family of 22-year-old Jeffrey Hoskins of Indianapolis.
Regan said the family asked to meet with the president.
'He again reassured them that he was doing everything he could and he was very mindful of the safety of the hostages, and he assured them that not only will we try but we're also praying for them,' said Regan.
Regan met with the youth's mother and father, Jim and Deanna Hoskins, for 20 minutes during the president's speech and heard 'a mother's plea' for 'the well-being of these people and seeing that nothing happens to them. They said 'Don't do anything that would give rise to a hostile act against the hostages,'' Regan said.
He described the family, which also included the hostage's sister, brother-in-law and grandfather, as 'very emotional.'
One participant in the meeting said Hoskins' mother had tears in her eyes and difficulty speaking.
Regan said he told the family members, 'Most of the things they would think about, we were already doing' to resolve the crisis.
A White House spokesman said Regan promised the administration would 'stay in touch' with the hostage families and that the president 'praised them for their courage' and 'sought to reassure them.'
Reagan also said the situation -- unlike the Iranian hostage crisis - was 'particularly difficult' because the United States was not dealing with a formal, though hostile, government, the spokesman said.
In Congress, Reagan won wide bipartisan support for his handling of the crisis so far, with the only criticism coming from Democrats who reminded him of the tough language he used against Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential campaign for his handling of the 444-day hostage ordeal in Iran.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said: Reagan 'understands that the options available to him are the same options available to Jimmy Carter and, I suspect, as much as he hates to admit it, he has to handle this pecisely the same way President Carter had to handle the (Iran) hostage situation -- no more, no less.'
A few other Democrats on the House Europe and Middle East subcommittee complained of administration inaction and suggested Shiite leader Nabhi Berri, who has claimed control over the hostages, should be penalized.
