Casey Conscious, Hospital Reports

WASHINGTON — Georgetown University Hospital officials on Friday issued their most optimistic report yet on the condition of CIA Director William J. Casey, describing him as conscious and able to sit up as he recovers from surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor.

Hospital spokeswoman Robin Payes said Casey “remains in stable condition . . . as he continues to recover from surgery. He is fully conscious and able to sit up in a bedside chair.”

However, a source in the intelligence community, who asked not to be identified, said Friday that Casey remains “in very bad shape and is recovering very slowly . . . . It appears that he is regaining only a few motor functions.”

Previously, the hospital had said only that Casey, 73, was in stable condition, and officials had refused to provide details amid previous reports that Casey’s recovery from the Dec. 18 operation has been slower than expected.

President Reagan has not commented publicly on Casey’s condition, and White House officials have said no search is under way for his replacement.

Any replacement for Casey would have to undergo confirmation by the Senate, a process that could be lengthy and during which questions could be raised about the spy agency’s involvement in the controversy over the diversion of Iranian arms sales profits to Nicaraguan rebels.