Reagan aide given watches

Press, 23 November 1981, Page 8

Reagan aide given watches

NZPA-Reuter Washington The White House National Security Adviser (Mr Richard Allen) said yesterday he did nothing wrong in accepting two watches as a gift from a Japanese friend. Mr Allen is being investigated by the Justice Department for accepting $lOOO from a Japanese magazine which interviewed Mrs Nancy Reagan on January 21. Mr Allen said he accepted the watches as a gift from the Japanese businessman,

Tamotsu Takase, and his wife, who are old friends. He said the gift was made before January 20. the day the Reagan Administration took office. “Two ladies’ watches were given and accepted as a personal gift for my wife from a friend of many years standing,” Mr Allen said. He took the $lOOO to avdid embarrassing the magazine and its staff and put the money in a White House safe. He then forgot about it

until it was found in September, he said. A Japanese journalist, Fuyuko Kamisaka, has told the Associated Press that one of the watches was given on January 16, and the other on January 22, two days after the inauguration. Meanwhile, it was learned that a Japanese newspaper has reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked the Tokyo police to try to determine if the amount of money given Mr Allen was $lO,OOO.