May 17, 1997

Special report, Master of Ruin, chronicles Mobutu Sese Seko's long brutal reign over Zaire, his inveterate meddling in Africa, colossal ego and amassing of enormous wealth, all of which has ended with stealthy departure from Kinshasa in face of rebel conquest; Mobutu's canny courtship of West during cold war, destabilization of neighbors, rapacious corruption and grandiose economic schemes have brought country to ruin; former Belgian Congo, vast in size and potentially rich, has lost roads, health and education systems, electicity and telephones, and reverted to brutishness; Mobutu in early years did forge sense of nationhood among 450 ethnic groups that have French as official language but no commonly-spoken tongue; former army sergeant first seized power in 1960, just after independence, as rivals quarreled, and may have organized 1961 execution of Patrice Lumumba at CIA urging; three decades of autocracy reviewed; photos; chronology (M)

Number of major corporations have over past few years given millions of dollars in tax-deductible contributions to National Governors' Assn and affiliated research group and, in return, received unusual access to governors' policy-making apparatus; lobbyists take part in plenary meetings, attend receptions with governors, get briefings from leaders and staff and are offered private work spaces at annual meetings; corporations include AT&T, Exxon, General Motors, Dow Chemical, Pfizer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Philip Morris and Goldman Sachs; association, which actively recruited corporate 'fellows,' defends ties as way to get best advice on important issues, but critics see unfair advantage over adversaries such as labor unions and advocacy groups, which were not invited; results are illustrated at April meeting of natural resources committee, when corporate fellows joined discussion of electricity and environmental issues; Gregory F Wetstone of Natural Resources Defense Council recalls surprise at finding lobbyists already there when he was asked to join session; Gov Tommy Thompson says critics are 'off base,' and that money is being raised for organization's Center for Best Practices (M)

New British Prime Min Tony Blair will allow British officials to resume contact with Sinn Fein, provided IRA refrains from violent attacks; does not specifically demand cease-fire or spell out how long nonviolent period will have to last; Martin McGuinness says Sinn Fein will accept; Britain had cut off contact when IRA resumed attacks after 17-month cease-fire; Blair makes offer during visit to Belfast; photo (S);

Adultery emerges as latest question of sexual misconduct to snarl armed forces; adultery is illegal under military law, as threat to discipline, but has always been commonplace, tolerated if not condoned in service that takes personnel away from families for long periods of time; soldiers and sailors have live-in girlfriends overseas and brothels flourish near military bases; photo of street in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; servicemen there observe that unwritten rule is to do what you wish, but not blatantly and without getting caught; current high-profile case involves Air Force pilot Kelly Flinn, who is single but is charged with having affair with married man and enlisted soldier; 41-year-old Air Force officer Karen Tew committed suicide in March after pleading guilty to having affair with enlisted man; she had been dismissed from service one year short of retirement; standard has shifting bottom line, since encounter with prostitute is less likely to be prosecuted, even though it is illegal in US, than case involving serious relationship like Flinn's (M)

House Budget Committee's approval of balanced-budget resolution noted