Charges Against the President and Administration Officials by Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. Statement by the White House Press Secretary.

Admiral Zumwalt yesterday made serious charges against the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs, David Aaron. Those charges are false in their entirety.

To make such charges without offering one shred of proof is both outrageous and irresponsible. The Admiral's partisan zeal on behalf of Governor Reagan can be no excuse for such rash action.

Mr. Zumwalt yesterday claimed to have impeccable sources for his accusations. The peacability of his sources has now been exposed by this morning's Washington Post, in which George Wilson states that the Admiral's charge that David Aaron leaked the Stealth story to him is false.

The President and Secretary Brown categorically deny that they ordered such a leak by anyone to anyone.

If Mr. Zumwalt has one witness or one iota of evidence to support his charges, he has a duty to come forward. If he fails to do so, he owes an apology to the President and the other administration officials he has maligned.

We would also hope that Governor Reagan would take the first opportunity to disassociate himself and his campaign from the false statements made by one of his most well-known national security advisers.