Reagan out to plug more leaks

The Reagan administration is trying to plug more leaks.

Administration sources said that National Security Adviser William Clark will issue a directive this week to intensify a governmentwide crackdown on leaks to the news media.

Mr. Clark has been seeking advice from the intelligence community and other government agencies on how to apply the strict new rules for nailing anyone who leaks national security information.

The sources said the new order is intended to ''rattle the cages of the bureaucrats'' who might be inclined to divulge information to reporters.

Several press associations, including the State Department Correspondents' Association and the White House Correspondents' Association, have protested administration moves they contend will close off legitimate channels of government information.

The administration has already cracked down on leaks. But the new directive will take a further step - toward what one administration source said is a belief that criminal violations have occurred in some leaks of national security information.