[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[May 3, 1991]
[Page 462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Exchange With Reporters on Reports of a 1980 Hostage Agreement
May 3, 1991

    Q. Mr. President, would you object to an investigation of the 
October supplies----
    The President. I don't take any questions.
    Q. Were you ever in Paris in 1980, sir?
    The President. Was I ever in Paris in 1980? Definitively, definitely 
no!
    Q. Did you ever meet with any Iranians?
    The President. That's all I'm going to tell you. That's all. Please 
print it. And let's try to stop this rumor-mongering that's going on. 
Stop repeating rumors over and over again.
    Q. How about Casey and everybody else?
    Q. Nothing to it, then, sir, eh?
    Q. You mean that nobody in the Reagan campaign went to Paris to meet 
any Iranian official?

                    Note: The exchange began at 9:48 a.m. in the Oval 
                        Office at the White House, prior to President 
                        Bush's meeting with President Carlos Andres 
                        Perez of Venezuela. Questions referred to 
                        reports of an effort by the Reagan-Bush campaign 
                        to keep Iran from freeing 52 American hostages 
                        just before the 1980 election. William J. Casey 
                        was President Reagan's campaign chairman. A tape 
                        was not available for verification of the 
                        content of this exchange.