Mr. Thompson said that public officials will often differ on substantive policy issues.

The official and unofficial numbers differ, as in the case of Romani people.

But the officials differed on how to implement the safety techniques, and experts held out little hope of major improvement soon.

German and American officials differ slightly as to how accurate a reflection of the conversation the cable is.

But American intelligence on him is poor, and officials differ on whether or when he will strike next.

Western officials differed on whether these troops could stay, or would have to be replaced by specialized units.

But other officials differed, saying the Russians had not been as open as they could be about the country's nuclear activities.

Experts and public officials differed in how they interpreted the results.

But officials differed greatly on what the next step should be.

With American intelligence on him lacking, officials differ on whether or when he will strike next.