European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes William Safire saturday september 24, 1977 Lam negate cronies cover ups corruption 1st him who is without 6im� cast1h6 first Stone in announcing Bert Lance s Resig nation. President Carter did not give an Inch i Don t think any mistake was  colleague Russell Baker has called the Lance affair a crisis without a  Here is the theme the abuse of governmental Power after the election of 1976 by the president elect and a clique of cronies who May Well have conspired trend cease and desist order to Stop a Crimi Nal investigation and to deceive the Senate in other words to obstruct jus  the corrupt interregnum three cover ups took place.1. The comptroller cover up. On nov. 22, there is reason to believe Bert Lance asked Donald Tarleton the official responsible for supervising his Bank to lift the agree ment on Calhoun and thereby save him from embarrassing disclosures. Although Lance and the official swear to the contrary the attorney who has just reported this adds that he was told that in return Lance offered Tarleton a Back Channel right to the top of government. A Quick Check at the Justice department tends to substantiate the charge. On Jan. 31, 1977, Tarleton wrote to Lance at Thomb asking for help in speeding up Justice on opening a grand jury inquiry into banker. The associate attorney general Michael Egan an Atlanta Friend of Lance Sand a co director and stockholder with him of modern fibres co. Admits receiving Bacall about that time from Lance or one of his Atlanta assistants paving the Way for that message from Tarleton. Egan follow ing Lance s unconscionable intercession assured Tarleton on feb. 16 by letter that a grand jury would soon be empanelled. The cover up of the cease and desist agreement was effective Tarleton Cut it off within hours of Lance leaving his office on nov. 22, 1976. The then acting comptroller Job hungry Robert Bloom swears that Lance preferred that the enforcement agreement not be disclosed to the Fri. And it was not. 2. The criminal investigation cover up. Less than a month after the election and one Day before the announcement of Lance s appointment the u. S. Attorney in Atlanta desperate for a Job in the new administration so he could get his pension grabbed the criminal investigation into Lance and Over Strong objections from aides closed it  curious decision did not go unnoticed at Ford s Justice department. I am informed that criminal division chief Rich Ard Thornburgh notified Deputy atty. Gen. Harold Tyler of the politically sensitive decision so he would t be  at High Levels it was reviewed and approved quite wrongly As it turned out and that is now the subject of another investigation. Thornburgh evidently wanted the Job As head of the Fri after being interviewed by the Shapiro committee screening applicants he inquired of his Friend Peter Flah erty whom he had introduced to Mike Egan and who wound up As Deputy attorney general if he was in the final five but Thornburgh was not. 3. The House of cards cover up. At year end the Banks were closing in on Lance seeking unpaid Back interest and the split Stock collateral. He turned to his Law firm top members of the Carter Circle Philip Alston and John Moore. The Bank that Alston dominates Citi Zens and Southern loaned a Lance Campaign committee $140,000, which was used to pay off personal Loans of Lance s wife. An intermediary was found to buy some of Lance s Stock and was loaned $180000,which was paid to Lance. Lance was then taken off the Hook temporarily by a Joan from Robert Abboud s first Chicago Bank the sweetheart Joan declared substandard by the comptroller. John Moore who served two masters As Lance s lawyer and Carter s ethics chief was Abboud s Harvard col lege Roommate. Moore was rewarded by Carter with the Plum of president of the Export import Bank. Alston was rewarded with the embassy to Australia. At the Justice department which is sup posed to be investigating these three cover ups atty. Gen. Bell has properly disqualified himself associate atty. Gen. Egan sees no impropriety in taking instructions on grand jury matters from his former partner at bomb criminal division chief Ben Civiletti will not step aside Al though he owes his Job to his correspondent lawyer Lance Carter crony Charles Kirbo and the Job is being handled by Deputy atty. Gen. Peter Flaherty who owes his introduction to Egan and later judge Bell to the Man whose review of the criminal investigation quashing he is sup posed to be investigating  a special prosecutor can look at the abuse of Power As Lance Gate enters its More serious phase. The stonewalling president says Lance exonerated himself  we Lalsee. New York times John p. Roche looting Sanctimony uncalled for once every five years i have to relearn the lesson that irony can get you into More trouble than manslaughter. Don t get me wrong i have no intention or capability of changing the habits of a life time. Nor do i apologize to those poor retarded souls who seem incapable of appreciating what the Irish at least consider the most Subtle Brand of humor. It s just that even i was surprised at the influx of sanctimonious letters accusing me of condoning looting in my column describing a world War ii exercise in liberating army air Force property. Indeed i can t recall such a flurry since1967 when As special consultant to presi Dent Johnson i went on Bill Buckley s firing  knowing i was a Resolute opponent of Legal action against nonviolent anti Vietnam dissent Buckley set out to paint me in a Corner. In essence he asked what i would do about Noam Chomsky who was calling on All Good people to rally behind progressive North Vietnam. As bureaucratic hearts Sank All Over Washington i suggested that the . Linguist form a Chomsky brigade to Goto North Vietnam and fight in the anti imperialist  the More i Savoured this inspiration the better i liked it so i offered to help raise Money for their passage to Hanoi and intervene with the state department to obtain visas. When Chomsky could be fighting in the Jungle Why should he be arbitrarily restricted to writing let ters to the new York times i liked it Bill who also has an ironic addiction enjoyed it but when the pro Gram appeared the roof went up. Yahoo congressmen accused me of giving Aid and Comfort to the enemy the state depart ment had Kittens and professional patriots sent angry wires to the president asking How he could tolerate this Viper in the National bosom. Fortunately the men who counted had senses of humor the president roared and suggested several people who might been courage to enlist Dean Rusk chuckled then gently chastised me for almost giving Frances Knight of the passport Bureau stroke. Since then there has been sporadic Trou ble with a wide Range of characters whose pious pronouncements i gently criticized. There Are reasons to suspect that former Secretary of state Henry Kissinger did not appreciate being called our greatest statesman since Martin Van Buren. All hands were offended when i labelled the 1972 presidential election a Choice be the w9a of tween thieves and  Carter allegedly dropped me from his Short list of candidates for director of intelligence when i suggested his ethnic purity remark did not indicate racism but a Gen eral prejudice against the poor of whatever race color or Creed. Win a few lose afew. Yet memory indicates that last month was a critical real High Point from All Over the country i be been getting the blast As soft on  for the Benefit of those who tuned in late or who were initially slow on the draw the Point about my liberated flight jacket was not to justify looting. It was to remind members of my generation who scream about Law and order and generally conduct themselves As Candi dates for beatification that i was there when they were 2q. Moreover though i plan no spoon River anthology i remember plenty. In the same Way that i never throughout the phony Blooming of the counter culture took any moralistic nonsense from Heyoung told them if they emerged no worse than my generation they would be doing Well i am revolted by the retroactive purification rites of their elders. When i hear unctuous bleeps about the immorality of the Young from a Middle aged Prophet who at 20 probably chased skirts on clotheslines i get a bit Savage. In Short to Point out that looting was not invented by Young Urban minorities is not to justify it but to remind the jury of Christ and the woman found in adultery to say let he who is without sin cast the first Stone is not to absolve the  it is a Call for compassion and some critical introspection in assessing punishment. Despite existential reactions that the looters were animals they Are and must be treated As human beings. Except for True saints we can All Murmer there but for the Grace of god go  King features the opinion expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way ? 1 " pro Santing the views of the Sta Sand stripes or the United states government