Reagan Trips Over Names, Numbers in News Session

WASHINGTON —  President Reagan tripped over his tongue four times and got his facts wrong twice during his 35-minute news conference Tuesday night at which he announced new sanctions on Libya.

The 74-year-old President had a shaky start to his first full-scale meeting with the media in almost four months.

Reading a prepared statement outlining U.S. retaliation for alleged Libyan involvement in terrorism, he stumbled in the second line, referring to a guerrilla attack on Vietnam international airport instead of Vienna.

He slipped again a few seconds later when he recalled the victims of the Rome airport shooting, saying among them were five Americans, including 11-year-old “Marsha, er, Natasha Simpson.”

He quickly recovered and everything went smoothly until about a third of the way through when he said the Palestinian Liberation Organization refused to accept key U.N. resolutions 442 and 238. He should have said 242 and 338.

He also erred when he said “we’re getting the same percentage of Gross National Product in tax revenues” under his lower tax rates than the government had collected before 1981.

Federal tax revenues totaled 20.8% of GNP when Reagan took office and the White House estimates this year the share will be 19.2%.

Finally, as he approached the finish, Reagan referred to Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, whom he met in Geneva two months ago, as Secretary General instead of General Secretary.