The first half of the book recounts Mr. Secord's life before the Iran-contra controversy.

The Republican gathering came at a time when Mr. Bush's standing in Iowa, a key early caucus state, appeared to have improved markedly after a sharp decline in his support following the Iran-contra controversy.

Although the Redskin quarterback controversy created almost as many headlines in Washington as the Iran-contra controversy, it hasn't appeared to divide the Redskin locker room.

The True Believer All during the Iran-contra controversy, and on other issues like October's stock market plunge, Mr. Dole maintained a careful distance from President Reagan.

The strategy was also intended to wash away the lame-duck aura surrounding Reagan as the Iran-contra controversy intensified.

In four days before the Congressional committees investigating the Iran-contra controversy in which he played so central a role, the 43-year-old marine officer put on a bravura performance rooted in the American tradition.

Last week, the Vice President retreated from a previous openness to questions on the Iran-contra controversy, and began complaining that the press was more interested in the subject than the voters were.

Like them, those who spoke today had harsh words for President Reagan and the former officials in his Administration who have been testifying on Capitol Hill about the Iran-contra controversy.

Even among the 52 percent who said he was lying about the Iran-contra controversy, about a third still called him more honest than most public figures.

Mr. Garment is now the attorney for one of the key figures in the Iran-contra controversy, Robert C. McFarlane, the former national security adviser.