LITMIR.BIZ

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had our share.”

      “That monument, the one they’re calling the Wall, you been following that?

      “The drawings look great. I understand some people’re calling it the Gash.”

      “One of the functions of a wall is to divide.”

      “Yeah, but another’s to protect... I guess maybe the two go together. Before I got into the oil business I covered the anti-war beat, especially the vets. I ought to find out what they’re thinking about the it, though that’d be kind of difficult from Paris.”

      Marty laughed. “You got to this godforsaken place.”

      “That’s true. I’ll get hold of our guy covering that beat, what’s left of it.”

      “You’ve done some spots for CBS from Paris – how’d you like that?”

      It’s a nice break from working for a living, is what I tell people. I hear you’re thinking about showcasing our European work, some sort of cooperative deal.”

      “I’ve heard that too.” Marty chugged his drink and slammed the glass down. “I been up since four. Time for beddy-bye.”

      “Try five for size... five yesterday, that is.” I got to my feet. “See you in the a.m.”

      6. Highways And Byways

      HOW ANYBODY COULD BE SO CONSISTENTLY OFF BASE is beyond me. For a guy they called the Great Communicator, he didn’t even try to reach the great majority of people who’re just squeaking by. I guess he didn’t think he had to. From each according to his need, to each according to his greed – way to go, Ronnie! Though when you think about it, in a land where striving is number one, it’s no surprise the successful get away with so much. They’re who everybody else aspires to be. Luckily for the rest of us, though, Reagan and his crowd had more than their share of screw-ups. Even the super-competent Stockman! They said the boss took him out behind the woodshed. Surprised me – I didn’t think clemency was in his tool kit.

      Having never been to Newfoundland, I have no desire to start now. I give Paul a lot of credit, not letting that leg of his hold him back. And I like how he and that Lucie are getting on. She has a streak of irreverence I find admirable. You can see he is attracted but he hews to the straight and narrow. I’ll bet Jonathan will have a comment about that. I also like Paul’s frank talk about the Church. That situation’s only going to get worse, though let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If it’s so infallible, why do the leaders keep making such terrible mistakes?

      Steve Samuels says my deposition has been set for April 15, as if that date isn’t enough of a burden already. Reminds me – I’d better check with my accountant. There’s too much going on, and it’s not easy holding it together from here. Thank God for Joseph, but I still have this nagging worry something has fallen in a crack.

      Jonathan calls again, this time from London. He’ll be back tomorrow, late. When I ask how did it go this time he is not so giddy. I have no idea what, if anything, he accomplished and he is not disposed to tell me on the phone. “Relax, Gus, we’ll debrief tomorrow,” he says. He’s been spending too much time around the military.

      * * * * * * *

      THE PLANE RIDE BACK WAS SO EASY I finished the le Carré. A feat, for he is heavy going for me, oblique, though I like his characters. I also organized my notes for a follow-up to the Ocean Ranger story, comparing French energy policy with ours. This seemed a logical time to let it fly. My series of three Dispatches began with the cost, financial and human, of the oil dependency which for a century has skewed the policy of nations, fomented wars and toppled governments. I drew heavily on our good old oil report. Could there be an end in sight, I asked, a moderation at least? Powerful interests say keep drilling, keep refining, there’s plenty left, and rivers of ink have tried to debunk the “peak oil” theory. But how can any fair appraisal deny oil is a declining resource? A. There’s only so much left. B. It is not renewable. C. Therefore it must run out. The question is when.

      Oilmen are tactically brilliant – the extremes they go to at the margins proves that. Why can’t such genius be turned in more wholesome directions? When it comes to weaning us off our oil habit, as Marty put it, encouraging other energy sources, we have failed miserably. If a buck could be made in solar power or wind energy or grain-based fuels, private enterprise would have done it years ago. And as for nuclear, it can’t seem to gain real traction. Instead of reaping its peaceful benefits we’ve had military control, political infighting, and now timidity before activists and their doomsday scenarios.

      Our recent history has not been kind to fans of government as service-provider. Apart from isolated successes, some notable, even noble, not since FDR has our government earned high marks for sustained performance. This is the flaw in the conservative formula, I concluded in my Dispatch. They claim government can’t solve the problem because government is the problem, but they are elevating poor performance into doctrine. The Reaganites want to dismantle Washington and turn private enterprise loose. Fact is, the Articles of Confederation aren’t coming back. Like it or not, Reagan has to govern or, more befitting his style, preside.

      The second Dispatch dealt with the current state of U.S. deregulation and offered a prognosis. Driven by zeal for lower prices and broadened service, arguably a populist motivation, supported by industrialists claiming to want “real competition,” we’re well on our way to deregulation. Turmoil is assured, I predicted, success certainly is not, nor public benefit, broadly considered. Next to tee it up, the savings and loans. Starting in 1980 and with important legislation pending, the “thrifts” are being encouraged to move into risky, higher-profit ventures. Relaxed accounting and stockholding requirements are part of the game, along with, of course, declining oversight. In time the chickens will come home to roost, I predicted, but for now this staid old industry is the “go-go” place to be.

      Ronald Reagan also put a moratorium on new regulations across the board, and told the agencies to re-examine those on the books. He imposed a hiring freeze. Pro-deregulation advocates were now heading agencies and departments – SEC, FCC, Interior, OSHA, FDA.

      Competition has a nice ring, but it’s the last thing the businessman really wants. Market control? That’s more like it. Forget the Reaganites’ dishonesty, what about their blindness to the reason regulation came about in the first place? However mixed its track record, the regulatory system dealt with real problems, curbing tycoons and buccaneers whose excesses had greatly harmed the country. Has human nature changed in the past sixty years? What proof have we that the cunning and greedy have reformed? Of course there is no proof, but in the current environment none is necessary, none wanted. Government is bad, private enterprise good – end of discussion. In this climate tunnel vision is a powerful tool. American capitalism has done great things, but its dark side, its frontier mentality, is always leaving the mess for somebody else to clean up.

      My final Dispatch circled back to oil, discussing Reagan’s energy policy and contrasting it with that of France. Paramount among the sectors that will suffer from Reagan’s deregulation crusade, I wrote, energy demands a kind of long range thinking that few businessmen attempt. But, I added, national perspective and promoting the public good aren’t part of the free-enterprise vocabulary, let alone its mandate, not in the U.S.

      In contrast, what happens when government has the political will to grab hold of the energy problem? Like us, France was shocked by OPEC, but the nation of Becquerel and the Curies willed itself to become a leader in civilian uses of nuclear science, and by 1970 had a number of reactors in service. The government then opted for massive development, aiming at making nuclear the country’s main source of electric power. Well ahead of its public, it laid plans for over fifty new-design power plants and uranium enrichment facilities. During these years, France also actively exported equipment and enriched uranium, aiding South Africa, China, Israel, Iraq and Iran in development of their nuclear capabilities, the 1957 Israeli project conducted in secrecy and outside the IAEA.

      As I wrote, nuclear was supplying over 70% of France’s power.

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