Heralded Perry accepts defense secretary position
NATIONAL
WASH IN (.TON
{AF) — Filling an
embarrassing gap in
his national security
team, (’resident Clin
ton promoted the
Pentagon * No. I man to defense vM.reinrv
Monday He called William J Perry "a
real pro," a man "you cjin depend on "
The quick reaction from Congress was
enthusiastic, with predictions Perry
would win easy confirmation Though he
is little known to the general public, sen
ators dealing with military issues are
familiar with him from frequent testimo
ny at hearings
Seemingly a reluctant warrior. Perry
said he told the White House Saturday he
could not say yes at that point because I
did not want to drive my family into a
decision — mv decision — without their
support."
After a talk with Vice President Al Gore
and then a meeting with family members,
he telephoned the White House on Sun
day to say he would accept an offer if one
were forthcoming
"I did not have to be persuaded to take
this job," Perry said.
Perry, 66, is to replace outgoing Secre
tary l-os Aspin, who announced his resig
nation under pressure from the White
House lost month Clinton's first < hoice
to taka Aspin's place, Bobby Inman, with
drew last week in a news conference
filled with complaints about attacks from
columnists and lawmakers
Despite Inman's shot ker — and ( om
meets from n handful of other job
prospects that they were not interested —
Clinton said hiring a new Pentagon chief
was easy
"It wasn't hard to fill." Clinton said "I
asked Secretary Perry and he said, 'Yes.'"
Perry, who also served in President
C-artor's Pentagon, is a former engineering
professor and mathematician, a key ear
ly supporter of stealth technology who
was later proven right Unlike Clinton, he
is also an Army veteran, perhaps posi
tioned to help his commander-in-chief
improve relations with military leaders
and wrestle with a shrinking Pentagon
budget.
Republican as well as Democratic, sen
ators were quick to praise the nominee.
"A great choice a real professional
with depth of experienc e," said Sen.
losuph l.iebermori. D-Conn , a member of
the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"I have worked well with Dr Perry in
the past, and he has done a good |ob."
said S«n. Strom Thurmond of South Car
olina, the ranking Republican on the
committee.
Clinton said he made the choice "based
on his lifetime of accomplishments and
his solid leadership at the Pentagon "
"He has the right skills and manage
ment experienc e for the job He has the
right vision for the |ob." said Clinton,
who credited Perry with being on the
"cutting edge of defense issues "
Clinton predicted Perry would reform
Pentagon spending pro< edures. keep a
tight reign on the shrinking defense bud
get and maintain the nation's strong mil
lion force.
He said many people have told him.
' Bill Perry is real pro — you ran depend
on him.”
In c ontrast to Inman who said he need
ed to reach a "comfort level” with Clin
ton. Perry quickly endorsed his comman
der-in-chief "I have a urea! respec t for
the way you have been guiding national
security." he told the president
Perry said the end of the Cold War
offers "a window of opportunity" to
reform the way the Pentagon spends its
money, espec ially the rules under which
it purchases goods
"This is a time of great change, groat
challenge and great opportunity." Perry
said.
The soldier, scholar and entrepreneur
is described as an unassuming gentleman
who quietly rose to the top of the Penta
gon hierarchy
Aides had said the president was seek
ing a "star" os his new Pentagon c.hief. a
political c elebrity But pressure grew to
make the choice quickly after the specta
cle of Inman's withdrawal and announce
ments that several prospec ts, including
Sen Sam Nunn. D-Ga . said they didn't
want the job.
Aspm. who was eased out by Clinton,
has agreed to remain aboard until his suc
cessor is confirmed. He was present for
the announc ement.
Besides Perry's concern about his fam
ily. he also said over the weekend that he
wanted to make sure he* would have ade
quate access to the president, said an
administration official, speaking on con
dition of anonymity. A poor line of com
munication with the Oval Office hurt
Aspin.
Perry is highly regarded in the military,
with a reputation for managing unwieldy
bureaucracies He is credited with push
ing the successful stealth aviation tech
nology on Air Force offic ials who resist
ed it in the 1970s.
As deputy defense secretary. Perry has
overseen the daily husiness of the Penta
gon and traveled to Russia to promote the
conversion of Russian weapons factories
to non-military production.
He managed to retain the respect of the
military establishment while overhauling
the way the Pentagon spends money on
acquisition and research.
Clinton, angered in the past by leaks
involving personnel decisions, snapped
at reporters who suggested Monday that
candidates had turned him down.
"The job was absolutely not offered to
anyone else. Absolutely, categorically not
offered to anyone else," Clinton said.
Perry w'as easily confirmed last Febru
ary as deputy secretary, with the only
problem being a report that he participat
ed in Pentagon budget discussions while
still on the boards of defense companies.
He denied the claim.
Perry served in Carter's Defense
Department, responsible for the purchase
of weapons and all research and develop
ment. Before his return to government
early last year, he worked for a San Fran
cisco investment hanking firm; a Menlo
Park, Calif., consulting firm and ns a pro
fessor of engineering at Stanford Univer
sity.
USFSA waits for facts on Harding
PORTLAND. Ore (AP) — The
U S Figure Skating Asso* iation
wants some hard facts about
l onyn Hording and the attack on
her rival. Nam \ Kerrigan, Indore
deciding whether she i ompetes
in the Winter Olympics
‘We're waiting for law
enforcement officials to get the
correct information." U.S fig
ure Skating Association spokes
woman Kristin Malta said Sun
day,
And the U.S. Olympic Com
mittee is waiting for trie figure
skating association to act. "It's
in their hock yard." spokesman
Mike Moran said.
A grand jury investigation
resumed today.
Four people have been
charged with conspiring to club
Kerrigan on the knee Jan. B in
Detroit: Harding's ex-husband.
Jeff Gillooly; her one-time body
guard. Shawn Eckardt; the
alleged hit man. Shane Stunt,
and the alleged driver of the get
away car. Derrick Smith
The attack kept Kerrigan out
of the national figure skating
championships, which Harding
went on to win. Both skaters
were given spots on the
Olympic team
Harding hasn't been charged
and denies any involvement
Eckardt has accused her of help
ing plan and cover up the attack.
Harding today again pro
claimed her innocence in a
statement: “I deny all allegations
that I was involved in nnv way
m the Nam y Kerrigan assault."
Thr Oregonian, citing uniden
tified sources, reported today
that authorities think they have
enough evidence to arrest Hard
ing. but don't want to charge her
until they're sure they've got u
watertight case
According to the newspaper,
much of the case against Hard
ing is based on statements from
three of the four men charged
FBI spokesman Bart Gori and
Norm Frink, deputy Multnomah
County district attorney,
declined comment today on the
newspapers' report. Frink said
the grand jury would take no
further testimony today, and
declined to say when new wit
nesses would appear
The grand jury has until Feb.
3 to issue its report — three days
after the USFSA must name its
figure skating team and nine
days before the Olympics Ixtgin
in I.illehammer. Norway
While the skating associa
tion's code of ethics allows it to
remove someone for "acts, state
ments or conduct ... considered
detrimental to the welfare of fig
ure skating.” its 4r> members are
waiting for concrete informa
tion. like the grund jury report,
before acting. Matta said.
Sunday, The Oregonian
reported that Harding ap
proached two men about
"bumping off' her husband last
summer because she suspected
him of stealing her trunk
Neither man is quoted direct -
Iv, no police report is cited, and
there is no independent evi
dence supporting the allega
tions There is no spei ific refer
ence to an attempt to kill
Cillooly, and it is not clear if
Harding was serious or exactly
what she wonted the men to do.
"She told two men that she
wanted Gillooly taken care of
They weren't sure what she
meant." the newspaper said in a
report based on information
from one of the men, who
declined to be identified.
“She had approached one of
them before afloat being a body
guard to protect her from her
husband, but now she wanted
them to knock Gillooly out of
the picture altogether," the
paper said.
"They laughed it off, but they
hod no doubt she was serious."
Harding and Gillloly separat
ed last spring, and they were
divorced in August They recon
ciled in September, referring to
themselves as husband and wife
and sharing a house until Tues
day. when Harding said she was
separating from Gillooly to con
centrate on the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the Tonya Hard
ing Kan Club has began gather
ing signatures on petitions urg
ing the USKSA, the USOC and
the International Olympic Com
mittee to keep her on the
Olympic team
Source says Jackson
will pay big settlement
SANTA MONICA. Calif
(AP) — Michael Jackson will
pay al least $H) million to set
tle a teen-age boy's sexual
molestation lawsuit, a source
said Monday.
The settlement, expected to
lx; announced Tuesday during
a hearing before Superior
Court Judge David Rothman,
includes a eight-figure settle
ment. the source told The
Associated Press.
An exact amount wasn't dis
closed. Recent media reports
have put the amount between
$5 million and $50 million.
Jackson's attorney Howard
Weitzman wouldn't discuss
the case. The boy's lawyer.
Larry Feldman, also declined
comment.
The lawsuit claims that
beginning last February Jack
son supplier! the boy. then 13.
with lavish gifts and vaca
tions. then seduced him.
Jackson, 35. has denied the
allegations. His lawyers say
they were the result of a failed
$20 million extortion attempt
by the Ixiy's father and lawyer
The Los Angeles County
District Attorney announced
Monday that an investigation
into the extortion claim was
complete and no charges
would be filed against boy's
father or his lawyer.
There are two ongoing crim
inal investigations into the
hov's allegations. Jackson
hasn’t been charged. Prosecu
tors refused to comment Mon
day on the investigation.
An out-of-court settlement
would severely damage any
criminal case because under
state law, a sexual abuse vic
tim can’t be forced to testify.
The civil molestation trial
was scheduled to begin March
21. and Jackson faced mount
ing pressure to answer ques
tions during pre-trial deposi
tions.
Jackson abandoned his
"Dangerous" world concert
tour in November, saying he
was addicted to prescription
painkillers that he started tak
ing after scalp surgery to repair
damage caused when his hair
caught on fire while filming a
Pepsi commercial. He sought
treatment in Europe before
returning to the United States
in December.
Feldman's office filed court
documents Monday which
said the teen-uger's divorced
parents resigned as guardians
over the boy's affairs Retired
appellate court Justice Jack
Uoertzen was designated to
serve as the boy's guardian,
the document said.
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