Shakeup in Indian Affairs Rumored

Source: Los Angeles Times

Date: 1972-12-06

Page: 2

Original TEI XML: frp.lat.19721206.xml

Shakeup in Indian Affairs Rumored

The government's top three federal officials in charge of Indian affairs will be fired shortly, sources said today.

They are Assistant Secretary of the Interior Harrison Loesch, Commissioner Louis R. Bruce Jr. of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and his top assitant, John O. Crow.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton last Saturday relieved them of their responsibilities for Indian matters. Morotn [sic] acted in the wake of a six-day takeover of the bureau by militants in early November which provoked cross fires of criticism between Loesch, Bruce, and Crow.

The White House today refused to confirm the rumored dismissals.

Loesch had named Crow last year as Bruce's top aide. The action brought protests from some tribal chairmen who said Loesch was attempting to thwart Bruce's reform of the BIA to make it more responsive to grass rootes Indians as President Nixon had proposed.