The material was requested by Charles Ruff, the new White House counsel, for a briefing of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In a February letter to Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, Ruff reportedly posed questions as to what federal investigators knew or suspected about the involvement of Chinese officials and citizens in a purported plan to make illegal contributions to U.S. political campaigns.
Ruff said he was seeking the information on behalf of the National Security Council. The request was made in connection with preparations for a trip to China by Albright. It sought information concerning only Chinese officials and citizens, not American citizens.
A reply was prepared, but Freeh intervened and ordered the document withheld, according to federal law enforcement officials. President Clinton was reportedly furious with Freeh, as well he might be. To all appearances, the request was entirely appropriate.
This was information that could have been useful to the conduct of foreign policy. Freeh apparently intervened to block the release because he was afraid to appear to be cooperating with the White House in the campaign funds scandal. In addition, he might have suspected that someone on the president's staff had broken the law and could misuse the information.
The material involved reportedly consisted of electronic intercepts of conversations among Chinese that was fragmentary and far from conclusive. If the intercepts had uncovered solid evidence of a plan by the Chinese government to influence the U.S. elections, sources said it could not conceivably have been kept from the White House. Freeh's decision apparently did no real damage to U.S. interests, but it could have.
The FBI chief is being accused of playing scandal politics, thinking more of saving his own skin than meeting his responsibilities. That may be too harsh a judgment, but it's a matter of concern when the National Security Council is denied information needed to brief the secretary of state. The campaign-funding affair, serious though it is, can't be allowed to interfere with the vital operations of government.
Now comes the ludicrous decision by the House Finance Committee to lower the general excise tax on hostess bars from 4 to 3.5 percent, an idea originally proferred in jest by House Speaker Joe Souki. Earth to Legislature: The ideas aren't constitutional nor are they funny.
The Japanese have traditionally been considered a highly homogeneous society, but that is changing under the impact of the growing foreign presence. The Ainu, who have always been there, provide another element of diversity that is valuable and should be treated as such.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor