August 11, 1993

In a note that mixed fury with despair, Vincent W. Foster Jr., the White House lawyer whose death last month has been ruled a suicide by the police, said he was not meant for "the spotlight of public life" in a city where "ruining people is considered sport." The text of the letter was disclosed today by the Justice Department in an effort to quiet speculation about the death of the 48-year-old deputy White House counsel, an Arkansas lawyer who was a lifelong friend of President Clinton. But instead it raised a number of puzzling new questions, few of which were answered in Administration briefings.

FEW scenes in New York may be as romantic as an outdoor cafe table in SoHo. But to a small group of artists and urban pioneers who moved to this once-decrepit neighborhood before it became gentrified and swamped by shoppers, nothing has been more disturbing than the proliferation of unenclosed sidewalk cafe tables that, with their umbrellas, sprout up like giant portobello mushrooms each night. The tables, unbeknown to many, are illegal in SoHo and nearby NoHo. An obscure 1980 zoning resolution left these two neighborhoods as the only areas in Manhattan zoned for commercial and manufacturing use where unenclosed sidewalk cafe tables are banned.

Europe Losing Faith In Political Leaders Disillusioned by corruption and recession, Western Europeans no longer seem to believe that their leaders can solve their problems. From Britain to Italy, many feel politicians are stuck in a time warp. Page A6. Victory for American Airlines A jury said American Airlines did not try to drive its rivals out of business with "predatory" prices. Page D1. Dinkins Seeks Cheaper Cover Mayor Dinkins wants to consider covering a reservoir for less than the $177 million planned. Page B3. Hope for Male Infertility A new technique that involves direct injection of a sperm into an egg has proved surprisingly successful, researchers say. Health, page C11.

It was 6:59 A.M. and Arthur Cole, 17 years old, was due in formation in front of his National Guard barracks at 0700 hours. The prospects were not good. Arthur couldn't find his regulation shoes (he was wearing sandals) and he couldn't find his Guard-issued pants (his bermudas were hanging so low his underwear was identifiable). "Let's go!" barked his platoon leader, Vincent Lafontan, a former marine who was inspecting bunks. "Suck it up! Tighten up your racks!"

New Jersey, New York and Connecticut will be among the states that benefit least, while paying the most, under the economic plan that President Clinton signed into law today. Economists, regional planners and executives have spent the last weeks poring over details of the Clinton budget and breaking the numbers down to suit their particular needs. Their calculations show that the three states rank low on nearly every measurement of new spending intended to boost the economy.