December 17, 1992

More Good Economic Data Both industrial production and the construction of new homes increased in November, as the nation's economy continued a slow but steady expansion. Page D1. A New Chief for H.U.D. Clinton aides say former Mayor Henry G. Cisneros of San Antonio will be named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Page B20. Bound for Moscow Having already toured China a month before their jobs end, several Bush appointees plan to visit Russia at Government expense. Page A21. Settlement in Sex Case A former Harvard psychiatrist accused of seducing a patient and driving him to commit suicide will pay his family $1 million. Page A24.

The United States named President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia and other Serbian and Croatian political and military figures today as possible war criminals who should be tried someday by a "second Nuremberg" tribunal. "We know that crimes against humanity have occurred, and we know when and where they occurred," Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger told delegates at a conference on the fighting in the Balkans. "We know, moreover, which forces committed those crimes, and under whose command they operated. And we know, finally, who the political leaders are and to whom those military commanders were -- and still are -- responsible."

Testimony today from the mildly retarded young woman at the heart of the Glen Ridge sex assault trial made it clear that she was confused about her allegiances in the case. She testified that she had lied on Tuesday when she said she voluntarily performed fellatio on one of the defendants. But she was reluctant to say more.

Amid the hours of presentations at the economic conference in Little Rock, Ark., Monday and Tuesday and among the various programs offered for rejuvenating the economy, one of the ideas that seemed to whet President-elect Bill Clinton's appetite was bank deregulation. This involved the notion that banks could be expected to unleash an outpouring of new capital into the economy if the Government simply relaxed regulations on lending -- an $86 billion free lunch, so to speak. "You heard the $86 billion figure; I've just been sitting here all day thinking about this," Mr. Clinton said, noting that such an amount dwarfs the $30 billion economic stimulus package that had been under discussion by many other speakers at the conference. Many Doubts Many bankers, of course, are delighted that Mr. Clinton -- a Democrat, no less -- is interested in deregulation. But to many, the idea that it can replace Government spending is unrealistic. Most say they are trying as hard as they can to make new loans, and that however welcome the relief, it will not spur much new lending right away.

After a nine-month inquiry, the Justice Department special counsel investigating the House bank concluded today that some lawmakers had probably committed crimes at the sloppily run financial institution that became a politically potent symbol of Congressional excess. Without identifying any former or current lawmakers suspected of wrongdoing, Malcolm R. Wilkey, a retired Federal appeals court judge appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr to conduct a preliminary inquiry, found that "actual criminal conduct by some members appears to have taken place." 'Serious Problems' for Some Judge Wilkey urged Mr. Barr to carry out a broader criminal investigation of possible fraud and other crimes involving a small number of lawmakers who would never be identified by the Justice Department unless they were indicted. In response, the Attorney General announced today that he was setting up a special five-person unit within the department's criminal division to carry out the inquiry.