Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 2, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free december 1981 7 Saga of White h by Howell Raines new York times Washington the protracted and politically sensitive investigation that has produced the most embarrassing publicity of president Rea Gans first year in office is nearing a turning within a matter of attorney general William French Smith will decide whether to appoint a special prosecutor to Deal with the Case of presidential National Security adviser Richard Van but Smiths decision will do Little to clarify the mystery As to Why the Reagan administration allowed the Allen affair to drag on for Over two months before acting the reasons for this slow response Are to be found within the highest councils of the Justice department and the White at the Allen affair was handled As a in House inquiry until officials there be came alarmed that the lulled into a false sense of Security by the Bis casual treatment of the mat was laying itself open to cover up the decision by Smith and his top aides to order the Fri to renew an investigation the Bureau regarded As completed in october added weeks to the timetable of the Allen i Hydra disagreement weeks were added at the White because of the delicate political balance among reagans triumvirate of top Edwin James Baker and Michael the latter two decided some time ago Allen ought to step but Meese was a Long time in coming to the View that Allen had committed what Early this called a rather unusually extensive the protocol among reagans top three advisers is such that since Allen reported to Baker and Deaver could not dismiss despite their titles of chief of staff and Deputy chief of Allen could be eased out of his Job As National Security adviser Only with messes that came during the weekend after a 45minute meeting with Allen asked the president to Grant him administrative even Allen might still be on the Job if not for the Force of Public opinion and journalistic these provided the Energy for both the renewed Justice department inquiry and the internal White House politicking that led to Allens stepping there is Strong evidence that both the White House and the Justice department had originally planned to keep the entire matter a that was the Case from mid septem Meese told the president he had asked the Fri to investigate the found in Allens Safe on that word of japanese newspaper marking the first Public disclosure of the reached the until that the White House has there was no plan to disclose that Allen was under under the ethics in government act of the Justice department has the right to keep the inquiry secret and permanently withhold its investigative Docu ments from the Public a review of the chronology of the Allen inquiry shows the White House had reasons other than the Lack of Public knowledge to proceed casually during this for one Dur ing september and the Fri had applied a minimum of investigative failing to interview a number of Allens subordinates who May have known about the Cash and other gifts in Allens Justice department officials also confirmed the Fri put Little Energy into examining the discrepancy Between the Allen said he received and the notation of written on the envelope and receipt found in the adding to the White houses sense of Security was the series of Telephone Calls from William the Fri on he assured Meese that the Fri had found no damaging information about a week Webster called Allen to warn him the japanese press was about to break the news of the at about this attorneys in the Public integrity division of the Justice department were preparing to Tell Smith he should not appoint a special to announce a decision not to appoint a special prosecutor would have put Smith on record As regarding the charges against Allen As being so insubstantial As to be at this Smiths top aides became Ner Vous about the Quality of the Fri information on which this recommendation was that is when the tide of Good Fortune began to turn against its turning was hastened by events within the White As for one a number of Allens Collea gues became suspicious that they were being asked to defend him publicly without being Given full inform some Reagan aides had worked in the Nixon White House and were disturbed by the echoes of water bumbling other senior White House officials recalled that former president Carter had weakened himself by keep ing Bert his budget around for too Long after questions of his integrity a final Factor weak ening Allens position internally was that he is a Man without a personal constituency within the White no aides argued passionately that Allen should stay on the team at All and in his Public state conspicuously sided with the dispassionate new Fri investigation with such attitudes in the Justice department ordered the Fri to reopen its this decision was concurrent and in part a response the blizzard of press Dis closures and White House misstate ments that followed the initial Japa Nese Story of some High Points of the series d 13 Justice department refutes White House statement that Allen has been d 14 despite an earlier admits he was the first White House Contact for the japanese journalists who gave him d 17 Reagan acknowledges he Learned about the in mid septem rather than d 19 Allens main de is identified As the Man who first asked the Fri to d 19 White House aides order Allen to disclose to them his contacts with japanese businessmen since Rea Gan took d 20 Allen acknowledges taking two wrist in addition to the in d 22 disclosure that the Fri is investigating the charge that rather than May be d 30 Allen admits his Safe was used As a depository for a series of gifts received while serving on the White House Justice department officials say that Over two weeks after Fri agents went Back into the Field on the Allen the investigation is pretty close to the offi Cial May be Able to make his recommendation on a special prosecutor by the end of this week in any within two or three but before giving Allen a clean Bill of Smith will be looking at a much broader Range of and so will White House aides in deciding if Allen gets his Job at Issue As Meese put is the pattern in the not just specific instances such As the its All going to be looked Meese i think obviously youve got to look at i think that what comes out of the Justice depart ment will be most key figures in the Richard Allen affair Are Edwin Michael and Fri director Bill whose joint performance has been Ocial democrats now set Pace by Leonard Downie Washington Post London the impressive election Victory of a former labor party Cabi net Shirley As the first elected social Democrat in the House of commons is widely interpreted by political commentators Here As a turning Point in British while this single election last week does not by itself foreshadow a historic political realignment in it continues a trend now considered a Seri Ous threat by most once sceptical conservative and labor Only nine months 12 members of parliament led by two former Cabinet members broke away from the opposition labor party to form the fledgling social democratic party in the House of hoping the group would grow into Britain first new major political party in a with Williams taking her seat yes the social democrats strength in the which has increased steadily with continuing defections from has grown to Williams fills a vacant parliamentary seat rep resenting suburban Crosby outside i which had been one of the safest constituencies in the country for prime minister Margaret thatchers governing the massive shift of both conserva Tive and labor voters in Crosby to the social backed in an elec toral Alliance by the venerable centrist Liberal closely matched the support the Alliance has attracted in two previous parliamentary Bielec dozens of elections to fill local government vacancies throughout the and National Public opinion in All of an average of 45 per cent of Britain voters have showed consistent support for the so Cial democratic Liberal put Ting it Well ahead of the conservatives and political commentators Are begin Ning to assume the new Alliance at minimum will Force its Way into a coalition government after the next National election in 1983 or both Thatcher and opposition labor party Leader Michael foot have fallen to record Low approval ratings in Opin Ion polls showing clearly that the main voter Appeal of the social democratic Liberal Alliance is As a centrist alter native to thatchers righting Leader ship of the conservatives and labors recent turn to the British governments have been the victims of Strong voter protests in midterm elections to fill vacant parliamentary seats in the but this is the first time since labor supplanted the liberals As one of Britain two major political parties during the 1920s that the protest has been against both the question remains whether this political protest will last until the next National election and solidify into a Lon term Power base for the social democratic Liberal the new social democratic party members Divide almost evenly among previous conservative and lib eral but they Are much younger and More Middle class than the British population a recent Survey a majority hold professional or managerial positions compared to just 16 per cent in the British Popula Tion because the liberals also have tended to be More Middle class than the rest of the the Alliance provides a political test of the belief of Many social scientists Here that More and More British people identify today with Middle class aspirations than with occupational or labor Union ties to traditional British class leading conservative and labor moderates Are strongly urging their parties to move Back toward the Centre to recapture Middle class voters from the social democratic lib eral Alliance before it becomes a per manent feature of the British political unless either the conservatives or labor make major changes in Many politicians and analysts forecast that they will regain enough support to win a third of the vote each in the next National this would Likely leave no party with a majority in labor could Benefit the most from this because its support tends to be concentrated in working class areas of Northern Scotland and where it is expected to be Able to Best fend off the social democrats and but the conservatives Are believed by both political analysts and Many senior conservatives in thatchers government to be much More vulnerable to inroads by a new Alliance among Middle class voters in populous Southern and suburban in an election defeat for them could Lead in this View to thatchers replacement by a More moderate Leader and a coalition with the British who have looked askance in the past at Long presidential campaigns in the United states and their destabilizing influence on the sit Ting Are themselves be coming increasingly preoccupied with a National election still at least two years h Premier Howard Pawley reportedly told friends that the 10 Days before he announced his Cabinet were the rough est in his Many will wonder whether the pre Miers agonizing paid the Small desired to provide the Premier with future manoeuvring was purchased at a High the alienation of some old and new excessive burdens on several ministers and the inappropriate combi nation of numerous it at but this is no no time for the new govern ment will be in a maelstrom i Media unprecedented difficulties from a huge vital cos sharing negotiations with major economic decisions and the Likely Onset of a nationwide recession Are not about to Hawleys problem was an unusual one for Manitoba he had a superabundance of Talent among his 34 he could not include nor was he obliged to rehire All the Schreyer some were simply not it makes Little sense to keep out Able people while loading Down As Pawley takes a calculated Manitoba new democrats historically have been a fractious lot when individuals have been slight they have packed up and often Frances Russell Joe Borowski and Jean Allard quit the Schreyer Sid Ben Hanuschak and Bud Boyce departed from the nip when it was in this things May be the Small Cabinet and incongruous combinations of tasks will a Carrot to assuage Hurt and the Fate of the five departed All Defeated stands As an object lesson to those who might consider a the 13member Cabinet has a bal Ance of nearly new and old and takes account of ethnic and geographic there Are five former Cabinet ministers the Larry Sam Len Evans and Billie there Are four individuals with previous legislative experience Pete Jay Wilson Parasiuk and Vic and there Are four newly elected Las Maureen Eugene Roland Penner and Muriel the Only real Surprise among the appointments is Adam entered the legislature at the same time As Jim in the 1971 by elections which gave Schreyer his first Adam has had an undistinguished legislative his Choice for municipal affairs and cooperative development was the fulfilment of a Campaign pledge made by Pawley when Adam was in political trouble in the redistributed Riding of it also bows to the need to have a representative from the Parkland area in the two other choices Are Controvert Muriel Smith is widely recognized As being the most prominent member of the party left her posting to economic development will be seen As a slap in the face by the business it is now Likely to revert to its traditional hostility to the nip after a refreshing initial willingness to wait and see about the new adminis Larry Desjardins return to the health portfolio will hardly be welcomed by segments of the health care particularly the Manitoba medical with whom he had several pitched Battles Over fee Sam a skins appointment As High ways and government services minis Ter was just enough to heal the wounds left by the progressive Yuskiw spoke out in sympathy with greens fears Over the dominance of organized his invitation Back to Cabinet ends the grudge and was probably smart an Able Politi Cian and could have been a powerful foe had he been his relatively Low portfolio manages to Send a message to potential dissidents at the same Parasiuk emerges As probably the most powerful minister next to the with the Energy and mines portfolio coupled with Manitoba he will be in charge of picking up the negotiations on the three conservative Meg projects and will play the key economic role in Hawleys other choices were All pre doonesbury but what is less Clear Are the disparate burdens he gave several of schroeders dual responsibilities of and labor Are incomprehensible and of a magnitude to put under even an experienced Over the next few who is seems competent but is still will be very he will be shepherding the Touchy negotiations with Ottawa Over fiscal cuts that could amount to million next trying to Deal with the stupendous million negotiating with the Manitoba government employees association and handling a lengthy strike at International Nickel in similarly hard to fathom Are the combinations Given to Evans and Kos Evans will be juggling Community services and corrections with Natu ral resources Urban cultural consumer and corporate affairs and Kostyra jobs Are somewhat relat he in be the Urban with responsibilities for rent controls and the Core but Evans disjointed tasks Are especially from a govern ment which has always Given social programming a High this is obviously an interim its Only problem is that the problems it faces cannot be they Are Here and of you have done nothing your 5quas0un6 the Wuting r Tib once Asp for Alu Wes Infa Ctm Nurto Emmay not even Onset Ion blast a Given the delicacy of this in hot deliver such a weapon on tim5anpon target what do you Hiroshima Speaks i ;