New Man in a Bigger Post

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Allen gets ousted; Clark gets his job and more authority too

"Dick, I just want you to know how delighted I am that both the Justice Department and my own counsel have cleared you of any wrongdoing in this silly fuss about wristwatches and a misplaced $1,000. It was all so unfair to you. In fact, Dick, your service to the nation has been exemplary. Now, I must ask you to turn in your resignation."

Those, of course, were not the exact words used by Ronald Reagan as he dismissed Richard Allen as his National Security Adviser during a 25-min. meeting in the Oval Office last week. Still the President's basic message may have sounded very much that way to an embittered Allen, as the man at the top confirmed what some of his aides had been deliberately leaking to reporters for weeks: Allen was out, in the most important personnel change of the Administration's first year.

Although the timing inevitably linked his departure with the miniscandal, there were other reasons why Allen got the gate. He neither liked nor got along with Secretary of State Alexander Haig, and rarely hesitated to reveal that in public. He had not been effectively performing even his limited duties as a low-profile coordinator of foreign policy advice. He had been saddled with an impossible task, serving as a presidential adviser with no real clout and limited access to Reagan. With the job about to be redefined and strengthened, he simply did not have the personality or stature to handle it.

Allen was not widely liked at the White House, but some presidential aides felt that the Administration had treated him unfairly. Said one adviser, who had urged that Allen be removed from his post: "Dick had a damn tough job and I felt sorry for him. He had responsibility without authority." Although Allen showed his bitterness, calling his ouster an act of "political sabotage," he gamely refrained from any name-calling. He agreed to serve temporarily as a part-time consultant (at $190 per day) to help organize the newly created Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which will use experts outside of Government to evaluate the performance of intelligence agencies for the President.

Allen's letter of resignation praised Reagan's "historic presidency" and declared: "Your trust and confidence are a source of deep pride and satisfaction." In a "Dear Dick" answer, Reagan said that Allen had "served our nation with great distinction" and expressed "admiration for your personal integrity."

In their final meeting Allen had asked Reagan to let him stay on the job. Even if the post were given heavier responsibilities, he was confident he could handle them. As gently as he could, the President demurred. If Allen were to stay in office, Reagan said, he would be the object of continuing press criticism, and perhaps even a congressional investigation led by Democrats on Capitol Hill. Reagan had expressed to aides his annoyance at the heavy press attention given to Allen's negotiations with Japanese magazine writers who had interviewed the First Lady last January.