The lurking 'Libyan Connection' Clements' backers worry that link to oil•field firm may be used as issue SAM ATTLESSY S I/D AUSTIN — Some aides to Republican gubernato- rial candidate Bill Clements are worried that sometime before the Nov. 4 general election a political commercial aimed at linking Clements and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will be aired on televi- TEXAS POLITICS sion stations across the ____________________________ state. In their worst nightmares, the campaign aides envision a TV spot showing side-by-side mug shots of Clements and Gadhafi, with a message questioning Clements' patriotism. An unsigned letter to the editor in a San Anto- nio newspaper last week was the first of what Clements supporters think will be a negative campaign by supporters of Democratic Gov. Mark White to make political hay out of "The Libyan Connection." The letter pointed out that Cements "owns millions of dollars worth of stock in a company that is still doing business in Libya" and that he should "put our country ahead of profits." The company in question is Schlumberger Ltd., a multinational corporation that is the world's largest oil well service company. Clements resigned this summer from the com- pany's board of directors, which he had joined shortly after Schltunberger had acquired Clements' firm, Sedco Inc., in a multimillion dol- lar merger in 1984. Clements also had served on Schlumberger's six-member executive committee. And, in a com- pany proxy statement issued last March, he was reported to have owned 1.76 million shares of company stock. Bill Clements John Bryant Sclaiumberger has affiliate companies opera- ting in Libya, and Democrats such as U.S. Rep. John Bryant of Dallas have noted that doing busi- ness in that country provides money for Gadhafi "to finance terrorist activities throughout the world." Clements resigned to run for governor and not out of "any indignation of the company's op- erations in Libya," said John Fainter, an Austin lawyer and confidant of White's. Fainter and White's campaign manager, Dwayne Holman, said they are unsure how, or even whether, they will use "The Libyan Connec- tion" in the campaign, although they are quick to note that it could be an effective issue. State Democratic Party Chairman Bob Slagle said an even better campaign issue against Clements is to point out that some smaller Texas oil service companies have said Schlumberger prices its services below cost to get an even big- ger share of the business in Texas. "That's something a lot of folks can relate to," said Slagle. "It's crummy of Clements." Clements' spokesman, Reggie Bashur, accused the White campaign of being "desperate and fran- tically searching for any kind of mud to throw at us. "Mark White is 'mown for having a very large campaign bag filled with clever tricks," Bashur said. Clements' spokesman also suggested that if White's campaign tried to question the former GOP governor's patriotism, it would backfire. "Bill Clements is a former deputy secretary of defense and a man who has given years to his conimunity, his state and his country. His patriot- ism is Without question," Bashur said. "U President Reagan decided Libya needed to be bombed back to the stone ages, Bill Clements would be the first to stand and cheer," said Bashur. Although Cements' aides think the issue would backfire on White, it appears that they would like it brought in the open early enough in the campaign that Clements could argue his case and move to "inoculate" Texans about the issue. US. Rep. Tom Loeffler, R-Hunt, recently com- pleted a campaign tour on behalf of Clements, and much of his message was that White will "do or say anything to get re-elected." Loeffler was prepared to respond to "The Ly- bia Connection" question, and Clements' support- ers reportedly suggested to one San Antonio newspaper reporter that he ask Loeffler about the Issue. The reporter didn't ask the question, but Loef- fler went on to warn that White will try anything to win re-election. And Bashur later said, "Mark White will play politics with anything to get a vote."