⚔️ Military & Politics — Beirut Lebanon, Press Conference Dec 14 Part 1 — Ronald Reagan 1983 * PITD

⚔️ Military & Politics — Beirut Lebanon, Press Conference Dec 14 Part 1 — #RonaldReagan 1983 * #PITD
Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters on Domestic and Foreign Policy Issues
December 14, 1983 Excerpt
The President. No. We have taken a position -- and it is our policy that if this continues -- we're not there to shoot first or to enter into combat. But I'm never going to send our men anyplace where they wouldn't be allowed to defend themselves. And it's been our policy that if they are attacked, they will defend.
Now, we've seen these instances of being attacked. And we have retaliated as nearly as we can against those who have actually done the attacking. And we want no conflict with Syria. Certainly, we're not there to enter into a war. And we continue to try and communicate and negotiate with them to let them know that, if they'll stop shooting at us there won't be any problems between us.

The President. No. The best evidence that we have -- you couldn't go into court and say that Khomeini ordered this -- but what we do know is that a group that has been taking credit for these attacks and has claimed that they're responsible for many of them is a group that seems to be of some size, that is definitely with an Iranian connection. Now, whether that's with the government or that they just are Iranians, and they seem to be -- well, they voice things that would indicate that they're interested in a kind of a holy war. They are a sect in the Islamic world.

The President. No, I think we're making more progress than appears on the surface. And the original goal was the withdrawal of the foreign forces and then the reinstitution of the Government of Lebanon and helping them, as we have, to train and raise a force in which they can assume control over their own territory. The multinational force, they felt, was absolutely necessary. And they still feel that way, to be able to do some maintaining of order as they would then have to move out toward their borders once the foreign forces have gone. Now, this is still the goal, still the thing that we're trying to do.
In Geneva there was progress made where even those who are opposing each other within the country, the opposing factions, recognized the Gemayel government and agreed upon that government. Now, the thing of the multinational force, what I'm trying to say is, there are two ways in which they could be withdrawn. One of them would be if we achieve our goal. The second would, of course, would be if there was such a collapse of order that it was absolutely certain that there was no solution to the problem. There would be no reason for them to stay there.

The President. Well, we're getting into hypotheticals now of what the situation -- I'm simply saying that if there was a complete collapse and there was no possibility of restoring order, there would be no purpose in the multinational force.
But let me call to your attention that it's not just us, that all of the nations of the multinational force, within a matter of days recently, have reaffirmed their determination that the mission is sound and that we're all going to stay there.

The President. I've seen those reports quoting unnamed sources again. Well, here's a named source, and I will tell you now, no decision that I'm going to make on anything of this kind is related to the election or the conventions or anything political. As a matter of fact, on all major issues I have reiterated more than once to our Cabinet that I don't want to hear the political ramifications of any major issue.
And on this one, there is no harder job or part of this job -- --
than putting our forces -- let me say -- someplace where these young men and women could be endangered. And, certainly, what we do in that regard is not based on any political consideration.

Helen, no, there's just no way that political -- the politics could be considered in an issue of this kind where the lives of our young people in uniform are involved.

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