Profs Say Hearings Helpful

Harvard scholars contacted said yesterday that while little Congressional action would emerge as a result of the Iran-Contra hearings, the investigation was important because it shed light on a failed foreign policy and provided the public with a necessary civics lesson.

The professors of American government and international relations said that the hearings revealed the Administration's decision-making to be flawed and would serve to warn future administrations away from conducting foreign policy in such a manner.

However, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government Samuel P. Huntington, who has blamed Congress for micro-managing American foreign policy, said only, "Thank God it's over."

The joint congressional committee was convened following revelations in November that the Administration had sold arms to Iran in an effort to free American hostages held in Lebanon. The proceeds from the arms sales had then been diverted to help the Nicaraguan resistance forces, known as the contras, at a time when Congress had banned aid.

"It is very worthwhile to air an aberration of this kind. It was cuckoo policy with even worse procedure," Littauer Professor of Public Administration Richard E. Neustadt said yesterday.

"I though the hearings did well to play up the problem of judgment and procedure, and went a long way beyond the Tower Commission," Neustadt said.

Appointed by President Reagan shortly after the Iran-Contra affair becamepublic, the Tower Commission issued a reportearlier this year criticizing the Administration'sfaulty policymaking and the President's"management style," which left him removed fromkey decisions.

"It's a messy episode, a particularly badepisode for American foreign policy," said DillonProfessor of International Relations Joseph S.Nye. "The value of hearings like this is to shedlight on things that have been badly handled."

Professors said that legislation would not beuseful in preventing future administrations fromfalling into similar traps.

"There may be some efforts to refine the lawsthat govern covert actions, and someefforts--probably misguided--to force thePresident's hand on foreign policy," AssistantProfessor of Government Mark A. Peterson said.

Neustadt agreed, saying, "There isn't any wayto pass laws to prevent this from happening.You've got to count on the prudence and good senseof people in office."

Peterson said that the effect of the hearingswould be to raise "a greater awareness among anypeople in any Administration" that conductingforeign policy without consulting Congress "is notappropriate in this system."

"It will make it harder for there to be [Lt.Col.] Oliver Norths in the future," Peterson said,referring to the National Security Council stafferwho masterminded the diversion to the contras andadmitted to lying to Congress.

Many observers have said that North stole theshow from the Committee during his testimony byeloquently defending his actions and arguing thatCongress had no right to interfere foreign policy.

Peterson said, however, that while North waspopular with the public on a personal level, histestimony would not increase the chances forcontra aid on Capitol Hill.

Neustadt said that while the hearings havebacked President Reagan's claim of ignorance aboutthe diversion, his approval rating will neverrecover, because the hearings showed him to havebeen active in the decision to sell arms to Iran.

"Sending arms to the Ayatollah is sort of afantasyland of his own creation, and he seems tohave hung on to that longer than anyone else,"Neustadt said