Bush Tells NAACP He’ll Have ‘Positive Civil Rights Agenda’

WASHINGTON — Vice President George Bush, distancing himself from the Reagan Administration’s controversial civil rights record, today promised the NAACP convention that he will have “a positive civil rights agenda” if elected President.

“I guarantee you I will be personally involved in protecting the civil rights of all Americans,” Bush, who has locked up the Republican presidential nomination, told the 79th annual convention of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

“This effort will be at the top of the agenda of my attorney general and he or she will be directly accountable to me for results,” Bush told the large black gathering in a politely received speech that was interrupted several times with light to moderate applause.