A Thousand Thanks

The cash was intended for Nancy Reagan. She had consented to be interviewed by a Japanese monthly on the day after she moved into the White House; according to a spokeswoman for the magazine quoted in weekend press reports, an unnamed intermediary had asked for a token of "gratitude." The editors gave a $1,000 honorarium to National Security Adviser Richard Allen. Allen, who passed along the request for the interview but denies that he "arranged" it, says he thought that refusing the cash could cause offense. So he accepted it on Mrs. Reagan's behalf and put it in his office safe. "The intention, of course, was always to notify authorities," he says.

Unfortunately, Allen says, he forgot all about the money. In September the safe was cleaned out, and someone told the FBI of the cash. The Justice Department is investigating the matter; because Allen is a high federal official, the Attorney General may have to appoint a special prosecutor if doubts about his conduct persist. Allen stepped down from Reagan's staff for a week last fall amid reports that he had misused his connections in the Nixon White House. Will the President stick by him this time? "I can't comment on that while it is under review," Reagan said Saturday.

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