Retaliation on Helms in Weld Case Vowed

Escalating the conflict over the nomination of William F. Weld to be ambassador to Mexico, Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) threatened to use his own committee chairmanship to retaliate against Sen. Jesse Helms for bottling up Weld’s confirmation. Lugar said the Agriculture Committee, which he chairs, will hold hearings in September on the recent tobacco settlement, an issue of enormous concern to Helms (R-N.C.) and the 100,000 tobacco farmers in his home state. Helms, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has blocked hearings on Weld because he said Weld is soft on drugs.