Jerry Seper reports in The Washington Times (2/25/99, p. A6) that "Angry Canadians yesterday called for a criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into the sale of infected blood from prison inmates in Arkansas when Bill Clinton was governor that is expected to kill hundreds of people over the next few years.

"Michael Galster, a former Arkansas prison health official who first questioned the safety of the blood shipments to Canada, said the probe should focus on ‘unlawful’ collection and distribution of blood products tainted with Hepatitis C and HIV to Canadian hemophiliacs beginning in 1980."

WHY WERE 400 CASES OF DOCUMENTS WITHHELD?

"During a press conference at the National Press Club, Mr. Galster accused Mr. Clinton of ‘personally withholding 400 cases of documents’ describing how the Arkansas blood program — run by a Clinton political supporter — was allowed to continue to ship blood to Canada even after the FDA shut down the program for U.S. blood buyers in 1983.

"David Harvey, the lawyer who brought a $1.1 billion suit last month against Canadian officials who processed the Arkansas blood, said he expects to file a similar suit against U.S. authorities ‘within the next two weeks.’

"He said the $1 billion U.S. suit will focus on documents showing a connection between Mr. Clinton, Arkansas Department of Corrections officials and Leonard Dunn, the longtime Clinton supporter who headed the Health Management Associates Inc., the firm that collected and later sold the blood under a state-approved contract...."

WILL THE MOUNTIES GET THEIR MAN?

"Within a month of the report's release, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police began a criminal investigation of how the blood got to Canada and questioning the involvement of Arkansas officials and Health Management Associates, the firm that

operated a profitable blood collection program at Cummins State Prison in Grady.