American Notes STATE DEPARTMENT

He has proved to be a huge embarrassment. Amid a blizzard of rumors and allegations of spying for the KGB and kinky sex with a Viennese prostitute known only as "Tina," U.S. diplomat Felix Bloch has survived the obsessive scrutiny of both the press and the FBI without blowing his cool. None of the accusations have stuck, however, and though he has been on administrative leave since June, Bloch continues to draw his $80,000 salary. While still convinced there is substance to the charges, the FBI reluctantly scaled back its investigation in December.

How to get rid of the dour diplomat without triggering a potentially compromising countersuit? Last week a frustrated State Department, invoking a little-known statute, prepared to fire Bloch "in the interest of national security." Precisely what national-security "interest" was not disclosed. After so many months of stonewalling, how far will Bloch go to defend himself? Prosecutors are concerned that the State Department's action could jeopardize an already shaky criminal case.