Plan to Investigate Government ‘Leaks’ Reportedly on Hold

WASHINGTON — White House officials said Thursday that the recommendation of a mid-level group of government officials for a crackdown on leaks of sensitive government information has been placed on hold because of internal opposition.

Referring to the proposal, which calls for the establishment of a special strike force of FBI agents to probe unauthorized disclosures, a senior White House official, who requested anonymity, said: “It certainly will be subject to a lot of modifications if it ever sees the light of day.”

The recommendation was contained in a secret memo presented to national security adviser John M. Poindexter last week.

Senior officials said that critical questions about the proposal had been raised by White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan and Treasury Secretary James A. Baker III.