Portland Trail Blazers defeat New York Knicks, 82-77; photo (M)

Blazers Outmuscle Stumbling Knicks

General Motors Corp says it has cut time it takes to design and build new cars and trucks by six months; it promises another six-month improvement by end of 1998, matching its domestic competitors; chart (L)

AUTOS ON FRIDAY/Technology and Design; G.M. Speeds Up Car Development

Kathleen E Willey's severe financial problems discussed as factor in her seeking deal to sell rights to a book detailing her allegation that Pres Clinton made unwelcome sexual advance; since her husband committed suicide in 1993, Willey has inherited many of his debts, including $274,500 judgment that she was ordered to pay last June; it was shortly thereafter that Willey and her lawyer began exploring ways that Willey could make money by selling her account of her meeting with Clinton; photo of Julie Hiatt Steele, who has said Willey urged her to lie and falsely corroborate her story to Newsweek (L)

Willey Debts in Foreground Of Efforts to Sell Her Story

Market Place column discusses Clinton Administration's objection to expansion of so-called stapled REIT's, and its lack of objection to alternative structure aimed at getting most of same tax benefits, called paper-clip REIT (M)

Stapled REIT? Paper-Clipped? The Latest Talk in Tax Shelters

Lieut Gov Betsy McCaughey Ross announces her candidacy for governor of New York; many Democratic leaders have expressed deep distrust of McCaughey Ross, who quit Republican Party last year, questioning how someone who campaigned as George Pataki's running mate in 1994 can present herself as advocate of Democratic values; photo (M)

New Democrat Enters Race For Governor

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column discusses Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of Los Angeles Dodgers from O'Malley family and rumors that George Steinbrenner will sell portion of New York Yankees to Cablevision Systems Corp; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Celebration! A Boss We Can Cherish

Guernsey's auction house says unidentified relative of John F Kennedy Jr and Caroline B Kennedy spent $51,000 to purchase two diaries and photo album at auction of John F Kennedy memorabilia; purchases occur on final day of two-day Kennedy auction, which concludes with unofficial total of $10 million in sales; photo (M)

Kennedy Family Member Buys Diaries and Photos at Auction

Chinese Prime Min Zhu Rongji lays down ambitious benchmarks for sweeping social change, pledging to make ailing state-owned industries solvent, overhaul country's banking system and redesign Govt, cutting its staff by half--all within three years; but zeal for economic revolution that Zhu displays at his first news conf as leader of Govt is not matched by any hint of rapid political change; he flatly rules out an official reappraisal of 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, which killed hundreds and has left lingering wound in society; Zhu says that subsidized housing--a hallowed benefit for country's workers--will be phased out entirely; photo (M)

NEW CHINA LEADER PROMISES REFORMS FOR EVERY SECTOR

Group of alumni led by chairmen of Barnes & Noble booksellers and Red Apple supermarket chain commits itself to raising $10 million in next five years for Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the city's most selective and prestigious public schools; gift, which would be used to establish university-style endowment fund that could generate as much as $800,000 in annual income, is believed to be largest ever pledged to American public school; Leonard Riggio, Barnes & Noble chmn, says that $2 million has already been raised; photo (M)

Alumni to Give Brooklyn Tech Huge Donation

Senior American officials say that Pres Clinton, at urging of Pope John Paul II, will ease American restrictions on Cuba, direct flights to country and money sent to relatives by Cuban-Americans; stress that Clinton will keep economic embargo on Cuba; officials say that Clinton wants to respond to plea from Pope for help in carrying out religious and relief activities that do not benefit Communist Govt of Fidel Castro; restrictions on tourism will not be relaxed (M)

U.S. TO EASE CURBS ON RELIEF TO CUBA AND MONEY TO KIN

Commerce Dept reports nation's trade deficit expanded to $12 billion in January from $10.9 billion in December, as financial crises in Asia depress demand for American goods in that part of world; deficit in goods alone rose to $18.8 billion, highest level on record; figures provide first clear evidence that Asian problems are beginning to slow robust American economy; analysts expect widening trade deficits in coming months to exert more of drag on growth in US; Clinton Administration steps up efforts to press Japan into reviving its moribund economy to help pull Asia out of crisis; Deputy Treasury Sec Lawrence H Summers says Japan should increase public spending and cut taxes by 2 percent of country's gross domestic product, or $77 billion; Labor Dept says Consumer Price Index for February rose one-tenth of 1 percent, held down by falling oil prices, leaving inflation rate for last year at 1.4 percent; graph (M)

January Trade Deficit Soared, as the Asia Crisis Hit Home

Network Associates, nation's largest independent maker of computer security software, says it will sell program specifically prohibited by Commerce Department; says its Dutch subsidiary will sell international version of Pretty Good Privacy, strong encryption program that does not provide back door for law enforcement surveillance; this challenge to export laws comes at time when Clinton Administration is already fighting Congressional attempts to end export controls on encryption software for fear that such restrictions will hurt ability of American industry to compete internationally; Clinton Administration wants industry to build back doors into encryption software to make it possible for law enforcement officials to secretly decode private messages; opponents claim keys to proposed back doors could be too easily stolen, compromising privacy and security of highly personal information (M)

Export Laws Challenged by Sale Of Encryption Software Abroad

Utah defeats West Virginia, 65-62, in NCAA Basketball Tournament game; photo (M)

Utah Advances on a Wing and a Towel

Ben Brantley reviews Broadway revival of musical Cabaret; photos (L)

Desperate Dance at Oblivion's Brink

William Cope Moyers, son of TV journalist Bill Moyers and Judith Davidson Moyers, is recovering alcoholic and drug addict; William Moyers will appear before Congressional hearing into substance abuse on March 24; his ordeal helped motivate Bill Moyers's new documentary series, Close to Home, which explores nature of addiction; William Moyers appears only briefly in TV series, which will be shown on public broadcasting stations beginning on March 29; photo (M)

Celebrity's Son: Big Connections And Addictions; Ordeal of Moyers Family Underlies a TV Documentary

Zilkha Energy of Houston, Tex, has improved success rate of new oil and gas wells and helped revive exploration in areas of Gulf of Mexico that major energy companies had largely abandoned, using million-dollar computers to analyze seismic readings from ground under gulf; Zilkha, low-profile petroleum company without roughnecks, rigs or corporate bureaucrats, run by Selim Zilkha and his son, Michael, has been so successful that it was bought in January by Sonat Energy for $1 billion; Zilkha bought huge volumes of digitized data covering most of gulf's shelf, hired best geologists they could find and gave them latest computerized tools for turning data into drilling strikes; company's triumph is proof of returns possible from bringing new approach to what seems like mature business; technological progress has created new balance of economic power; rest of world no longer cringes at OPEC threats; photos; maps; graphs (L)

A Wildcatter On the Tame Side; Replacing Roughnecks With Computers

Federal Centers for Disease Control releases study showing that suicide among black teen-agers, once quite rare, has increased dramatically over last two decades, troubling rise that might reflect strain some black families feel in making transition to middle-class life; study finds that rate of black suicide for youths aged 15 to 19 more than doubled, to 8.1 per 100,000 in 1995, from 3.6 per 100,000 in 1980; finds similar pattern, with far smaller numbers, for ages 10 to 14; researchers also find that gap between white and black teen-agers is narrowing--in 1980 white rate for ages 10 to 19 was more than twice black rate, but in 1995, white rate was 42 percent higher; suicide is now third leading cause of death for black 15- to 24-years-olds, matching rate in general population; leading cause of death for black youths is homicide, followed by accidents; chart (M)

Black Youths' Rate of Suicide Rising Sharply, Studies Find

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' latest new body for its Silver Seraph model has made its US debut; new body seems likely to be last Rolls built under British ownership; photos (M)

Last of the British Blue Bloods?

 Campaign for Speaker  House Republicans are angry that a colleague has been campaigning for the Speaker's job, even though it has not yet been vacated. Page A14.

INSIDE

The Government has approved a technique that uses naturally occurring microbes to reduce salmonella in chickens. The technique involves spraying chicks with bacteria; if successful, it could also reduce the use of antibiotics in chickens, which scientists say has contributed to an increase in drug-resistant bacteria.    Article, page A12.

Raising Safer Chickens

President Clinton's lawyer in the Paula Corbin Jones sexual misconduct suit said that he would not raise evidence in court of Ms. Jones's past sexual conduct. Page A19.  

Clinton Lawyer's Strategy

George Steinbrenner says that he has discussed selling portion of New York Yankees to Cablevision Systems Corp, television and sports company that already owns New York Knicks and Rangers; adds that no deal has been made, and insists that he would neverly completely let go of Yankees; Steinbrenner owns about 60 percent of club; photo (M)

Steinbrenner Discussed Selling a Piece of Yankees

Southern governor runs for president. Polished satire, via Mike Nichols.

Portrait Of a Candidate As Casanova

Analysis of Clinton Administration's successful strategy for gaining widespread political support for expanding NATO into former Soviet bloc, proposal that was feverishly criticized when first broached by Pres Clinton; now, as Senate heads toward vote next week on whether to admit Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic into NATO, approval is considered foregone conclusion; Administration's strategy for transforming the impossible task into one of least controversial treaties to come before Senate in recent years was yearlong campaign to build on bipartisan support and then blunt every potential rallying point of opposition (M)

NATO Debate: From Big Risk To Sure Thing

Clyde Haberman column criticizes Immigration and Naturalization Service agents at Kennedy International Airport who treated Lynn Bullock, first-time traveler from Manchester, England, shabbily because she was confused by section on immigration and customs forms asking for her 'US address' (M)

March 20, 1998

Headlines from March 20, 1998

Blazers Outmuscle Stumbling Knicks

AUTOS ON FRIDAY/Technology and Design; G.M. Speeds Up Car Development

Willey Debts in Foreground Of Efforts to Sell Her Story

Stapled REIT? Paper-Clipped? The Latest Talk in Tax Shelters

New Democrat Enters Race For Governor

Billboard 200

Titanic

Ray Of Light

Let's Talk About Love

My Homies

Savage Garden

Historical Context for March 20, 1998