ASHINGTON - Governor George W. Bush of Texas purchased a house in 1988 that had a restrictive covenant saying the property was for ''white persons only,'' according to real estate records. But Bush's presidential campaign spokesman said yesterday that such restrictions had already been declared invalid and that Bush was never told about the covenant.
The issue of racial restrictions on land purchases has come up regularly in political campaigns, but the matter usually does not become a focal point unless the purchaser knows about a restriction.
Spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said the governor was not aware of the restriction, and she emphasized that the covenant, written in 1939, was not valid at the time of Bush's purchase.
''There is no deed restriction because it is null and void under Texas law and has been since 1984,'' Tucker said. ''No individual can remove it.''
The land records were made available yesterday to selected news organizations by a source who insisted upon anonymity but who has connections to a political opponent of Bush.
According to the documents, Bush, whose father had just been elected president, purchased the Dallas house on Nov. 15, 1988, for $320,000. The deed, like those for many houses in the neighborhood, included a restriction stating: ''Said premises shall be used for private dwelling purposes only and by white persons only, not excluding bona fide servants of any race.''
Broker Steve Collins told the Associated Press that the language was not included in the deed that Bush received when he bought the house, but it was in mapping documents that most homeowners never see. Bush sold the house in 1995, shortly after he was elected governor.
The Bush campaign went to lengths yesterday to try to prevent publication of the matter, asserting that it was not a story since Bush did not know about the racist restriction.
The documents originally were reported Monday night on the on-line Drudge Report and were described yesterday on CNN's ''Inside Politics.''
The documents emerged amid efforts by Bush's opponents to uncover damaging information about the Republican front-runner. Bush, who has called for an emphasis on morality, has said he was once ''young and irresponsible,'' but he has declined to be specific aside from describing a time when he was a heavy drinker. Bush also has faced questions about whether he avoided combat by joining the Texas Air National Guard, but he has denied receiving preferential treatment in becoming a pilot at the unit.
