Reagan signs order to put lid on secrets

President Reagan signed an ''Executive Order on National Security Information ,'' giving government officials more power to withhold secret information. The order rolls back some Carter administration policies, such as the requirement that the public's ''right to know'' should be considered before labeling information ''secret'' or ''confidential,'' and makes more difficult attempts to obtain information under the Freedom of Information Act. The President said the changes would balance the interests of the public and of national security. Critics, mostly Democrats, warned of ''excessive secrecy'' in the government.