Allison Nomination in Doubt

The nomination of a former dean of the Kennedy School of Government to a post in the Clinton administration may be in jeopardy following an investigation revealing that he violated Defense Department regulations on more than one occasion, one of which directly involved Harvard.

Dillon Professor of Government Graham T. Allison '62, who was dean of the Kennedy School from 1977 through 1988, was nominated by President Clinton in March to post of assistant defense secretary for plans and policy.

Pentagon spokesperson Susan P. Hansen said yesterday that she supported statements made by Defense Secretary Les Aspin's spokesperson Vernon A. Guidry that the secretary continues to support Allison for the job.

An internal investigation conducted by the Inspector General, as shown in a report released yesterday by the Pentagon, showed that Allison went against departmental regulations in two instances: once dealing with the hiring of Kennedy School colleague Robert D. Blackwill, a lecturer in public policy, as a Department of Defense consultant, and once dealing with a request made to visiting Russian officials to support a Kennedy School-sponsored program.

The report cleared Allison of allegations that he asked Russian officials to press for U.S. Department of Defense funding for a Kennedy School program. The report also points out that one of the regulations that Allison violated was new.

The report, sent to Aspin on June 22, was in response to a series of questions raised by the principal director of Russian, Eurasian and East European affairs at the Defense Department. The inspector general's report described a few instances in which both Allison and Blackwill seemed to either misinterpret regulations or refer to conversations that others did not remember.

For example, one of the main matters discussed in the report is related to funding for a Kennedy School seminar to be conducted by Blackwill for students at the Russian General Staff Academy, for which Blackwill was seeking private funding. The report said Allison mentioned the program to the Russian Defense Attache during a meeting in April and indicated that Aspin supported the program. Allison said at the time that Blackwill would be in Russia shortly to discuss the proposal with the General Staff Academy head.

Allison did not mention this conversation in a subsequent report to Aspin, the investigative report said. He later told investigators that Aspin had expressed eagerness to fund the project. Aspin said he "did not recall discussing whether Dr. Allison should convey to the Russian officials [his] support for the seminar...however, [he] indicated that if Dr. Allison had sought [his] approval, [Aspin] probably would have granted it," the report said.

The program was to be funded privately, not by the Department of Defense. But the investigators concluded in the report that Allison did not follow departmental regulations that forbid Defense employees from participating in matters directly affecting the financial interest of parties with whom they have a "covered relationship," which for Allison would include Harvard. The report said that Allison did not have a grant of authority explicit enough to over-ride the restrictions.

The report said in another section that Blackwill apparently attempted to meet with the Deputy Secretary of Defense regarding another seminar program that he wanted the Department of Defense to fund--on a day where Blackwill would also be performing consulting duties for the Pentagon. Blackwill later canceled the meeting when the impropriety was brought to his attention, the report said.

The report cleared Blackwill of vague allegations that he used his post to gain inside information that would help him gain Defense Department funding for a Kennedy School seminar. Also, as a consultant Allison is permitted only to advise on departmental hiring. But the report states that Allison apparently contacted the RAND Corporation, a federally funded research and development center with which the Department of Defense has a contract for services, and asked that the contract be used to provide the services of Blackwill, an independent contractor with RAND, as his advisor at the Vancouver summit with Clinton and Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

The contract administrators apparently discussed the best way to obtain Blackwill's consultation. Reluctant to cite Allison's office as a sponsor because of his consultant status, the report said the two decided to instead cite the Russian, Eurasian and East European Affairs Office as the sponsor. When the assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for that department received a copy, he objected the use of his office's name. The report concluded with regard to Allison's influence on the hiring of Blackwill that "it appears...that his actions were directive rather than advisory in nature and, therefore, exceeded the limitations on his authority as a consultant."

Allison has refused to peak directly to the press since his nomination. Steve Singer, spokesperson for the Kennedy School, said this week that Allison had not informed the school of any problems with his nomination. "What he does in Washington is separate from what he does here," singer said. Blackwill could not be reached for comment this week

The report, sent to Aspin on June 22, was in response to a series of questions raised by the principal director of Russian, Eurasian and East European affairs at the Defense Department. The inspector general's report described a few instances in which both Allison and Blackwill seemed to either misinterpret regulations or refer to conversations that others did not remember.

For example, one of the main matters discussed in the report is related to funding for a Kennedy School seminar to be conducted by Blackwill for students at the Russian General Staff Academy, for which Blackwill was seeking private funding. The report said Allison mentioned the program to the Russian Defense Attache during a meeting in April and indicated that Aspin supported the program. Allison said at the time that Blackwill would be in Russia shortly to discuss the proposal with the General Staff Academy head.

Allison did not mention this conversation in a subsequent report to Aspin, the investigative report said. He later told investigators that Aspin had expressed eagerness to fund the project. Aspin said he "did not recall discussing whether Dr. Allison should convey to the Russian officials [his] support for the seminar...however, [he] indicated that if Dr. Allison had sought [his] approval, [Aspin] probably would have granted it," the report said.

The program was to be funded privately, not by the Department of Defense. But the investigators concluded in the report that Allison did not follow departmental regulations that forbid Defense employees from participating in matters directly affecting the financial interest of parties with whom they have a "covered relationship," which for Allison would include Harvard. The report said that Allison did not have a grant of authority explicit enough to over-ride the restrictions.

The report said in another section that Blackwill apparently attempted to meet with the Deputy Secretary of Defense regarding another seminar program that he wanted the Department of Defense to fund--on a day where Blackwill would also be performing consulting duties for the Pentagon. Blackwill later canceled the meeting when the impropriety was brought to his attention, the report said.

The report cleared Blackwill of vague allegations that he used his post to gain inside information that would help him gain Defense Department funding for a Kennedy School seminar. Also, as a consultant Allison is permitted only to advise on departmental hiring. But the report states that Allison apparently contacted the RAND Corporation, a federally funded research and development center with which the Department of Defense has a contract for services, and asked that the contract be used to provide the services of Blackwill, an independent contractor with RAND, as his advisor at the Vancouver summit with Clinton and Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

The contract administrators apparently discussed the best way to obtain Blackwill's consultation. Reluctant to cite Allison's office as a sponsor because of his consultant status, the report said the two decided to instead cite the Russian, Eurasian and East European Affairs Office as the sponsor. When the assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for that department received a copy, he objected the use of his office's name. The report concluded with regard to Allison's influence on the hiring of Blackwill that "it appears...that his actions were directive rather than advisory in nature and, therefore, exceeded the limitations on his authority as a consultant."

Allison has refused to peak directly to the press since his nomination. Steve Singer, spokesperson for the Kennedy School, said this week that Allison had not informed the school of any problems with his nomination. "What he does in Washington is separate from what he does here," singer said. Blackwill could not be reached for comment this week