JAPANESE PURCHASE OF U.S. HIGH-TECH FIRM OPPOSED

  Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige
  has asked the White House to consider blocking the planned
  Japanese acquisition of a major U.S. Computer and semiconductor
  maker, U.S. Officials said yesterday.
      The officials told reporters Baldrige had serious concerns
  on national security grounds about the sale of Schlumberger Ltd
  &lt;SLB> unit &lt;Fairchild Semiconductor Inc> to Fujitsu Ltd
  &lt;ITSU.T>. The officials said the sale could leave the United
  States overly dependent on a foreign company for equipment used
  in advanced missiles, aircraft electronics and intelligence
  gathering.
      The U.S. Officials added the sale would also worsen the
  strained relations between the two countries stemming from the
  huge Japanese trade surplus.
      The White House Economic Policy Council would consider the
  sale in the coming weeks, they said.
      Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger's position was not
  known, but in the past, he has opposed the transfer of high
  technology to foreign governments or companies.
      Computers made by U.S. Manufacturers are widely used in the
  world, but Tokyo told U.S. Negotiators recently it prefers
  local manufacturers and would not buy U.S. Supercomputers.
  

