My Brother Billy

More First Family problems

"Billy is my brother. He is seriously ill at this point. I love him." With these emotional words, Jimmy Carter tried last week at his press conference to put an end to the ugly rumble of resentment over the increasingly reckless be havior of his younger brother Billy.

That behavior included two crude comments about Jews. When Aide Rob ert Strauss warned Carter that silence on these slurs was arousing widespread criticism, Carter authorized him to telephone the Washington Post and quote him as saying "You know, Bob, I just totally disassociate myself from his comments." That was still not enough. Asked at his news conference whether he would "deplore or condemn" Billy's statements, Carter insisted that his brother was not anti-Semitic and that he would not "allege to him any condemnation."

Carter and his aides apparently feel that Billy has been under so much emo tional pressure lately that any fraternal rebuke might provoke even worse outbursts. Said one aide: "The President has been terribly upset about the whole thing, about his brother going to pot . . ." There were indeed reports last week that Billy was brooding, jittery and deeply despondent in the hospital in Americus, Ga., where he is confined for bronchitis. But his physician, Dr. Paul Broun, insisted that Billy was not "seriously ill." Said he: "Seriously ill means it could lead to his demise.

That's not true with Billy." What was true was the revelation that the FBI is investigating possible irregularities in the handling by the National Bank of Georgia of a $6.5 million credit line extended to the Carter peanut business in 1975. Billy was head of the business at the time, and the president of the NBG was Bert Lance, Jimmy Carter's first director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Another sour note in the Carter family week came when Gloria Carter Spann kept playing her harmonica in an Americus restaurant. Other customers complained. Police were called, vainly ordered the First Sister to stop, and finally arrested her for disorderly conduct. sb

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