The Nation - News from May 1, 1986

A high-ranking Pentagon official announced he was dropping negotiations with publishers for a novel on life in the corridors of power, saying he couldn’t afford “even the appearance of impropriety.” Richard N. Perle, the assistant defense secretary for international security policy, denied in a two-page statement that he had ever contemplated writing a novel that would “reveal sensitive or classified information. . . .” Perle dismissed complaints by Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), whose protests touched off a conflict-of-interest inquiry by the Pentagon’s general counsel.