Club Destroys Gallegly Tape; Plot Thickens as Barbs Fly

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and the campaign manager for his major Republican challenger, Sang Korman, traded charges Friday after it was reported that a tape recording that may have resolved a dispute about a Gallegly speech had been destroyed.

Bob Lavoie, who runs Korman’s campaign, alleged that Gallegly was part of a Watergate-style cover-up. Gallegly, in turn, suggested that Korman’s campaign may have conspired with employees of a Woodland Hills firm to concoct a tale about a phantom tape recording.

And, amid the intrigue of a political whodunit, the June 7 GOP primary campaign heated up.

Litton Speech

In the cross fire are four engineers at Litton Industries. They said this week that they heard Gallegly say during an April 6 speech to members of the Litton Guidance and Control Division Management Club that Korman should repay an outstanding loan.

Gallegly denies mentioning Korman by name or charging that he had defaulted on a loan. But he says he cannot recall what, if anything, he said in reference to his opponent.

Korman has charged Gallegly with maliciously damaging his reputation and has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit. Gallegly dismisses the threat as a bid to deflect attention from the fact that Korman’s campaign is largely funded by Korman and other Korean-Americans who live outside the 21st Congressional District.

Excerpts Printed

Meanwhile, Litton employee William Mras appeared to hold the key to resolving the conflict. Mras, one of the four employees who told The Times of Gallegly’s comments, said Wednesday he had tape-recorded and transcribed the controversial speech. The May issue of the management club’s newsletter, which Mras edits, includes excerpts from Gallegly’s talk and states: “A tape of the speech is available for loan.”

Mras, however, declined to provide the tape or transcript Wednesday, saying that Gallegly hadn’t been informed that he was being recorded. Mras said he would turn the tape over to Gallegly at his request, but Gallegly said he would not ask for it.

On Friday, Litton officials said the tape had been destroyed. Each campaign greeted the news with suspicion, immediately accusing the other of subterfuge.

Robert S. Knapp, Litton’s public relations director, said of the tape’s disposition: “It was made for the internal use of the management club; the management club recognized that the recording had been made improperly without the congressman’s permission, and the management club made the decision to destroy it.”

Knapp said the management club--a volunteer organization of Litton employees in the Guidance and Control Division--destroyed the recording Wednesday, apparently after receiving a request from The Times to hear it. He said he was unaware of any transcript.

Korman’s campaign learned of the tape’s destruction Friday when its attorney, Peter Bagatelos, contacted a Litton executive to ask him to preserve the recording because it might become evidence in a libel or slander suit.

‘Less Than Honest’

“My thoughts immediately jumped back to the Watergate fiasco where foolhardy individuals thought that by suppressing evidence they could suppress the truth,” Lavoie said. “It should be obvious to everyone that Mr. Gallegly has been less than honest about this entire affair.”

Then, he added, “There is no doubt in my mind that the congressman has put some pressure on these people.”

Told of Lavoie’s charge, Gallegly responded: “That is the most ludicrous statement I have ever heard in my life. . . . If there was a tape to start with and it was destroyed, I think that Mr. Lavoie’s right in the middle of it.”

Replied Lavoie: “The heat of the campaign must be destroying the congressman’s sensibilities.”

Knapp denied Lavoie’s allegation; he said the decision to destroy the tape was strictly an internal Litton matter.

Reports Questioned

Gallegly, meanwhile, noting that the son of one of the four Litton employees quoted in a Times article works in Korman’s campaign, suggested that the tape may never have existed. Michael Gurien, son of Litton engineer Harvey Gurien, is a Korman volunteer.

Gallegly said of the employees: “They’re alleging certain things and then they destroy what they call the evidence. That really questions their credibility significantly . . . . I think it’s just real convenient that they make the allegations and then destroy the tape.”

Knapp expressed surprise when told of Gallegly’s remarks. “I’m told there was a tape, and the tape was destroyed,” he said.