Letter from Washington

When the President said, on August 12, “Get me Begin on the phone,” an aide reminded him that it would take an hour to secure the line. “Use any line,” Mr. Reagan replied, “I don’t care who hears this.” The President’s patience had finally snapped: the closer that Philip Habib drew to a final agreement, the harder the Israelis pounded Beirut, it seemed. As it happened, an hour did elapse, the secure line was gotten, and the President then read out the Prime Minister: “I want it stopped, and I want it stopped now.” Twenty minutes later the message came back that the ceasefire was in place.

Did Mr. Reagan’s phone call do the trick? The fact of the matter seems to be that the Israeli Cabinet had decided on the ceasefire prior to the Reagan call. The question is important because it goes to the heart of the Arab contention that the United States has been piping the tune in Lebanon.

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When the President said, on August 12, “Get me Begin on the phone,” an aide reminded him that it would take an hour to secure the line. “Use any line,” Mr. Reagan replied, “I don’t care who hears this.” The President’s patience had finally snapped: the closer that Philip Habib drew to a final agreement, the harder the Israelis pounded Beirut, it seemed. As it happened, an hour did elapse, the secure line was gotten, and the President then read out the Prime Minister: “I want it stopped, and I want it stopped now.” Twenty minutes later the message came back that the ceasefire was in place.

Did Mr. Reagan’s phone call do the trick? The fact of the matter seems to be that the Israeli Cabinet had decided on the ceasefire prior to the Reagan call. The question is important because it goes to the heart of the Arab contention that the United States has been piping the tune in Lebanon.