The announcement from ITT chairman Rand Araskog that its Alcatel NV joint venture with Compagnie Generale d’Electricit SA would be selling off some parts of the business puts the spotlight on the disparate investments in computer companies made by ITT around Europe in the early 1980s. Araskog gave no hints about what might be for sale, but ITT owns business minimaker ComputerTechnik Mller in Germany, at last count had 37% of Holland Automation in the Netherlands, and has controlling holdings in RC Computer and Christian Rovsing in Denmark. Only the last of these could be said to fit into the broad thrust of the Alcatel business. And in the US, the Xtra Business Systems Personalike operation and the Qume OEM peripherals business each look prime candidates for divestiture.
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