Clark Gives Reagan His Resignation : Calls Interior Dept. ‘Task’ Completed, Wants to Go Home

Interior Secretary William P. Clark has submitted his resignation to President Reagan, saying he wants to return to his ranch in California by March, Administration officials said Tuesday.

According to White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, Clark told Reagan of his plans during a private meeting with the President in Palm Springs on New Year’s Eve. He said that the Interior secretary expressed the view that he had already successfully accomplished his “task” in Washington.

No date was set for Clark’s departure, but Fitzwater said that Clark had told the President he would like to return to California within two or three months. Fitzwater said that he did not know whether Clark and the President had discussed a successor at the Interior Department.

‘Great Confidence’

In Palm Springs, White House spokesman Peter Roussel said that Reagan has “great confidence in and high regard for Clark. He’s sorry to see him leave the Administration.”

Clark would be the second Reagan Cabinet member to resign since the President’s reelection last November. Education Secretary Terrel H. Bell also has stepped down, even though Reagan is known to have asked all of his Cabinet officers to stay.

In addition, Atty. Gen. William French Smith will depart if White House counselor Edwin Meese III is confirmed by the Senate as his successor to head the Justice Department.

Nor was it the first time that Clark, a longtime Reagan confidant, has tried to leave the Administration. He tried to resign two years ago when he was the President’s chief national security adviser, but Reagan refused to accept the resignation. At that time, too, he expressed a desire to return to his 888-acre barley and cattle ranch northeast of Paso Robles.

However, there was no indication that the President refused to accept Clark’s resignation this time.

Reagan Trouble-Shooter

Over the last four years--and before that, during Reagan’s eight years as California governor--Clark has served as a trouble-shooter for the President in various positions. He first was appointed to the State Department, where he worked as deputy secretary under then-Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. He next was appointed Reagan’s national security adviser in 1982. In both positions, he came under severe criticism for lacking experience and knowledge in foreign affairs.

But Clark heard no such criticism of his role as Interior secretary--a job he took over at a moment of crisis in the Administration when Reagan’s first Interior secretary, James G. Watt, was forced to resign after making several controversial comments. Environmentalists generally viewed Clark more favorably than Watt.

Clark’s departure will come as a blow to conservative supporters of the President because he has often represented their views in his many personal chats with Reagan.

Clark, 53, has worked for Reagan since 1967, when he joined the governor’s office in Sacramento as executive secretary.

In 1973, Reagan named Clark an associate justice of the California Supreme Court at a time when Reagan was disturbed by the liberal bent of the court.

The Washington Post reported that, although Clark is said to have told Reagan that he would be available for specific assignments occasionally, he has made it clear that he has no desire to return to a post in Washington or to serve on the federal bench.

There had been speculation that Clark might be Reagan’s top choice for the Supreme Court in the event of an opening.

Although White House officials refused to discuss a possible successor for Clark, the Post reported that the two most likely candidates were Energy Secretary Donald P. Hodel and Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.). The Post said that Republican Reps. Dick Cheney of Wyoming and Manuel Lujan Jr. of New Mexico also were likely to be in the running for the job.