The splits in the US administration are beginning to assume UK Labour Party proportions, but two of the most frequent squabblers, Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldridge and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, are deaf to complaints that since Schlumberger is French, they have no jurisdiction to oppose the proposed sale of its Fairchild Semiconductor unit to Fujitsu of Japan, and are agreed that the sale must be blocked. Officials say that the Central Intelligence Agency is opposed to the sale, but it is unclear what steps the administration can take to block the sale. One suggestion is that the Pentagon could strike Fairchild from its list of approved suppliers – except that it is the sole source for some parts.
