Laxalt Sent by Reagan to Talk With Marcos
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WASHINGTON — President Reagan has sent Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.) to Manila to speak with Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the White House said today, after reports of a worsening security situation in the Asian country.
The White House declined to give the purpose of the Laxalt mission, but the Washington Times said it is to voice concern over the deteriorating situation and threats to U.S. interests there.
Michael Guest, an assistant in the White House press office, said Laxalt left Saturday and is undertaking a trip to the Philippines “at the personal request of the President.”
Political, Military Threats
The Philippine government is facing one of its most serious political and military threats since the end of World War II, and the potential for its decline and overthrow is causing the Administration concern.
Marcos’ military forces are daily confronted by growing numbers of insurgents in the communist New People’s Army, which has increased to 12,000 men in the last few years and boasts it will swell to 60,000 in two more years.
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