William C. Clohan Jr., the U.S. undersecretary of education, resigned last week, reportedly under heavy pressure from the White House.
Mr. Clohan, who was second-in-command of the Education Department, was said by informed sources to have been forced out by Administration officials who did not believe he was committed to the President’s conservative philosophies.
The sources said White House officials gave Mr. Clohan no reason for requesting his resignation, and they said Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell was not consulted by Presidential advisers in making the decision to request Mr. Clohan’s resignation.
Spokesmen for the Education Department refused to comment on the matter last week. The department’s public-affairs office issued a one-sentence statement saying only that Mr. Clohan “has resigned.”