On Feb. 7, 1983, Rita M. Lavelle, head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program to clean up toxic waste, was fired by President Reagan while under Congressional investigation for conflicts of interest and mismanagement.

The officials disputed Lavelle’s sworn testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that she first learned on June 17, 1982, that her former employer, Aerojet-General Corp., was involved in a cleanup case she was overseeing. She later served four months in prison for lying to Congress.