Panel to Get 8 Boxes of Reagan Data : Regan Joins Meeting of President, Counsel Abshire for First Time

WASHINGTON — White House aides packed up eight boxes of presidential papers for the Senate committee investigating the Iran arms deal today as President Reagan reiterated his desire to cooperate with congressional investigators, a spokesman said.

Reagan met for 45 minutes with special counselor David M. Abshire to review congressional requests for documents that will help the House and Senate select committees named to sort out possible illegalities or foreign policy miscues in the sale of arms to Iran and the alleged diversion of profits to Nicaraguan contras.

White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk said that for the first time in the regular meetings between Reagan and Abshire, Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan--a pivotal figure in the scandal--was asked to participate.

Abshire, appointed Dec. 26 to “coordinate White House responses to congressional and other requests for information in a timely manner,” has met with Reagan several times before, but on a one-on-one basis.

Coordination Involved

Popadiuk said Abshire asked for Regan’s participation this time “because issues and things were discussed that involve coordination with the White House staff.”

He said Abshire told Reagan that he had approved the shipment of eight boxes to be sent to the Senate committee late today. A senior official said the boxes contained 3,000 documents examined by the FBI in the days immediately after the disclosure Nov. 25 of the possible diversion of funds to the contras.

The House committee has already received copies of those documents, the official said.

Reagan agreed earlier this week to turn over the handwritten notes he kept for his memoirs that are relevant to the investigation.

Discussed Upcoming Meeting

Popadiuk said Reagan and Abshire discussed next Wednesday’s meeting between the President and the three-member panel headed by former Sen. John Tower (R-Tex.) that is investigating National Security Council operations.

The Tower board has asked for Reagan’s notes, and aides said the President will turn them over.

“The President expressed his personal desire to cooperate and is looking forward to the meeting,” Popadiuk said. He said the process for determining which presidential notes can be yielded “will be a consultative one” among investigators, Reagan, Abshire and White House counsel Peter Wallison.