Extraordinary Stories

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE PUBLICATION OF A cache of secret documents to kick up controversy. And the furor was substantial indeed when a court in London released memos and letters indicating that government officials were long aware that British companies were violating an embargo against shipping military equipment to Saddam Hussein's armies before the Gulf War. The documents were released when charges were dropped against three British businessmen accused of falsifying export papers for machine tools that could be used in the manufacture of artillery shells and fuses. The prosecution's case crumbled because Alan Clark, former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, testified that he coached companies on how to get around the embargo.

British Prime Minister John Major scrambled to minimize damage to his government, which in recent weeks has suffered from a series of political embarrassments. Major appointed Justice Richard Scott to head an immediate inquiry into the affair. With considerable understatement, Major said, "There have been some extraordinary stories about this matter."