Judge asks probe of role of US official in IBM case

A federal judge said ''questions of propriety'' had been raised in the government's decision to drop its 13-year-long antitrust suit against IBM because the chief government attorney in the case failed to disclose he once served as a consultant to the computer company.

US District Judge David Edelstein called for a congressional investigation to determine whether Assistant Attorney General William Baxter's role was proper and in the best interest of the public. Mr. Baxter's consultant activity for IBM was disclosed in a series of letters brought to the judge's attention.