Topic A

One thing that should be clear four years after PAULA JONES filed her case against President Clinton is when the incident allegedly happened. But JAMES RETTER, in his new book Anatomy of a Scandal, has reconstructed the events of May 8, 1991, and writes that contrary to what Jones has said in sworn statements, it's extremely unlikely that she met CLINTON around 2:30 p.m., after he gave a speech. Retter interviewed hotel personnel, conference organizers and others and found that Clinton gave his speech at 8 a.m., was gone from the hotel by 9:30 a.m. and apparently did not return. The schedule of the conference and Clinton's own schedule--including a luncheon at the Governor's mansion for European industrialists--support this timetable. But if Retter's right, why didn't Clinton bring this up? A source says the decision was made to save the bombshell for trial. Lawyers for Jones, who is hoping the dismissal of her case will be reversed by a federal appellate court, could not be reached for comment.

--By Viveca Novak/Washington