U.S. shipping action hints ‘exaggerated’

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 1

U.S. shipping action hints ‘exaggerated’

The United States At-torney-General (Mr Benjamin Civilettl) has described as “exaggerated” newspaper reports that he hinted at tough court action in an effort to break the conference lines monopoly on carrying New Zealand-North American cargo, the Press Association reports from Wellington.

He has applied the term exaggerated to a report that he had made it clear the United States was displeased .with attempts by the New Zealand Government to block a United States Justice Department investigation into the conference lines. Mr Civilettl clarified his position in a letter to the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) before he left to return to Washingtort. Mr Muldoon read excerpts from the letter at a news conference yesterday. “First, I did not hint at tough action,” Mr Civilettl said. “Instead I made it very clear that at this stage we do not even have the facts to determine whether the allegations in the case are true let alone whether, if true, they would be sufficient to merit a suit.

“Second, I did not indicate displeasure with ‘New Zealand Government attempts to block’ our investigation.

“In answer to a question concerning the effect of your Evidence Amendment Act, I indicated that I had not studied the matter sufficiently to give a formal view and certainly not an official United States Government response. “However, I noted that since we are only requesting documents in the United States I did not think the statute would affect the investigation very much at all.”

Mr Muldoon, who received a transcript of the Attorney-General’s news conference remarks, made no comment on his .letter. But he said he thought it appropriate he should make it public so there was no question in future as to the attitude Mr Civilettl had taken. .• \

(Asked at his news conference if he thought the New Zealand Government’s action to block American investigators was a slap in the face for New ZealandUnited States relations, Mr Civilettl replied: “Well, it certainly wasn’t a kiss.”)