BIA Fight: 'One Has to Go'
BIA Fight: 'One Has to Go'
A White House spokesman last night reacted to namecalling by a top official of the Bureau of Indian Affairs by saying "we are sick and tired of the polarization" there and promised that "measures will be taken to get rid of it."
The spokesman said that Deputy Commissioner John O. Crow's denouncement of his boss, BIA Commissioner Louis R. Bruce Jr., "spreads right out in front of you the kind of shape that place is in."
Crow, reacting to planned reduction in staff and other changes by Bruce, said "one of us has to go. I've tried to work with him and tried to help, but I've reached the end of my rope."
Bruce would not engage in an attack on Crow, but rather said he was "extremely proud of the new directions and new programs" developed in the bureau under his leadership.
Bruce said that "because of pending congressional hearings, I have no statement relating to remarks made regarding my conduct during the recent takeover . . . Judgments relating to this are obviously premature in light of uncoming hearings and/or investigations."
On Monday, the House Indian Affairs Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. James A. Haley (D-Fla.) will begin three days of hearings on the government's handling of a protest last month that led to a six-day occupation of the BIA building by Indian demonstrators. Bruce is to be one of the witnesses on Monday.
A second inquiry has been set for early next year by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). Of Crow's criticism of Bruce, the White House spokesman said, "I've rarely seen such an example of polarization" within a government agency.
He said corrective measures will be taken "soon," meaning some time this month. The spokesman would not say whether the shakeup would involve Crow, or Bruce, or both, but said "they can't serve the people they are meant to serve" and fight among themselves.
Bruce said he has had "great support from Interior Secretary (Rogers C. B.) Morton, from key members of Congress and the White House.
"It isn't, nor will it be, easy to change the oldest bureaucracy in the federal government," Bruce said. He said that while he had "a lot of help to accomplish these changes from many career BIA employees, a few apparently feel extremely uncomfortable as a result of these changes.
"I regret this, for their struggle against inevitable change only harms the Indian people . . .The federal government should acknowledge Indian sovereignty, expand and improve the federal trust services and help Indian tribes develop their own local governments," so they can truly begin to call the shots.
Crow, a 38-year employee of the Department of Interior, said he received no criticism from any higher ranking employee because of his statement.
Assistant Secretary of the Interior Harrison Loesch, who has overall responsibility for the BIA, "kind of laughed" when he heard about the statement, Crow said.
"I kind of took a page out of his (Loesch's) book," said Crow in reference to the outspoken assistant secretary.
Loesch and Crow were two of the federal officials singled out for criticism by leaders of the Trail of Broken Treaties, who occupied the BIA building.
Crow said his break with Bruce followed Bruce's handling of the demonstration. "I don't like the support he gave to the unruly mob," Crow said. "He couldn't administer anything. He is just compounding the situation."
The deputy commissioner acknowledged that "it sure is unusual for an appointive official to publicly criticize his superior," but "times have changed since I was brought up in this business."
He said that because he is eligible for retirement, "I'm working for nothing, just about, because I like what I'm doing."
Crow said there is "a good possibility" that both he and Bruce will be fired as a result of the split.
Bruce, who is a Mohawk, and Crow, who is part Cherokee, are appointed by different officials. The commissioner is a presidential appointee and his deputy an appointee of the Secretary of the Interior.