Government Scrutinizes G.M.'s Plan.

Treasury officials and management experts hired by the Obama administration quietly began combing through General Motors' latest downsizing plan in Detroit last week, in a last-minute effort to assess whether more government aid could make the company viable, or whether the better choice was a managed bankruptcy. President Obama faces a deadline of March 31 to decide the fate of G.M., and by extension its huge network of suppliers. In interviews, however, administration officials said they would not be bound by that date, when Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit London for a summit meeting on the global economic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]