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The Battalion
Vol. 82 Mo. 177 GSPS 045360 6 pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, July 14. 1987
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Making The Cut
includeB Ernest Moseley, a carpenter of 26 years, is cutting
roblentl material to go around the perimeter of Kyle Field’s
ns antH new surface. Moseley and four other carpenters
live a
Photo by Robert W. Rizzo
were called in from Temple to help put down the
new turf. Moseley says the process should be com
plete in 14 days.
North gives testimony
amid praise, criticism
North supporters launch
effort for presidential bid
WASHINGTON (AP) — After a
day of praise and tongue-lashing
Monday, Lt. Col. Oliver North was
ordered back for a sixth day of testi
mony before the congressional Iran-
Contra committees, to be followed
by a rebuttal appearance by his for
mer boss, Robert McFarlane.
McFarlane, President Reagan’s
former national security adviser, in
tends to challenge statements made
by North in at least three areas
where the former White House aide
said he had authority from superi
ors, said Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-lnd.,
chairman of the House Iran-Contra
committee.
He said those areas were: altera
tion of documents, the Contra re
supply program and solicitation of
foreign countries for aid for the Ni
caraguan rebels.
“In all three instances, it’s a ques
tion of authority,” Hamilton said. “I
think there is a flat contradiction as
to those points. He is coming in be
cause he wants to directly dispute
and contradict the testimony of Col
onel North on those several items.”
North spent most of Monday lis
tening to praise and occasional con
demnation for his actions, with one
committee member declaring
“there’s going to be one lot of hell
raised” if North is prosecuted but
another worrying about adopting
values “of a totalitarian govern
ment.”
North’s worst tongue-lashing
came from Rep. Jack Brooks, D-
Texas, who recited a litany of activ-
ites mentioned in North’s testimony
the past five days and said: “Democ
racy cannot survive that kind of
abuse.”
“I do not believe in adopting . . .
the philosophies and values of a to
talitarian society,” North said. “I
honestly believed we carried out
those activities within the constraints
of law.”
The activities, as he had outlined
them last week, were putting profits
from secret arms sales to Iran to use
for arming the Nicaraguan rebels
and for other secret projects.
Brooks tried to question North
about what the congressman called
“a plan to suspend the Constitution”
but was stopped by Sen. Daniel
Inouye, chairman of the Senate
committee.
North appeared to balk at an-
HARKER HEIGHTS (AP) —
Supporters of Lt. Col. Oliver North
have launched efforts in Texas and
three other states to draft him for
president, according to a woman
who said she has been beseiged by
calls that he run for the office.
Groups in Texas, Illinois and New
Mexico are waiting for North’s ap
proval before they launch a full-scale
campaign, said Jan Meidinger, assis
tant vice president and branch man
ager of a mortgage company in Kill
een.
A retired Kansas utility employee
on Monday also announced forma
tion of the “Oliver North for Presi
dent Clubs of America,” claiming
the Marine lieutenant colonel would
win a presidential election if it were
held now.
Robert Allen Peck, a former Kan
sas City Power 8c Light Co. worker
and a World War II veteran, filed in
corporation papers in the Kansas
secretary of state’s office for what he
hopes will become a national organi
zation.
Meidinger said North became a
swering and Inouye issued his rul
ing, saying “I believe that question
touches on a highly sensitive and
classified area so may I request that
you not touch upon that, sir.”
There will be one other witness on
Tuesday, a White House custodian
of documents, before Rear Adm.
John Poindexter — who succeeded
McFarlane as national security ad
viser — will appear.
As the hearings entered their
ninth week on Capitol Hill, White
House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater
said that Reagan never was briefed
on the possible diversion of arms
sales profits for the Contras or any
other covert operation.
Fitzwater’s statement was in re
sponse to an assertion Sunday by
Inouye that Poindexter in 1986 had
hero in the eyes of many because of
his nationally televised testimony be
fore a congressional committee in
vestigating the shipment of U.S.
arms to Iran and tne diversion of
profits to Contra rebels fighting the
Nicaraguan government.
The earliest effort began on
Wednesday with a call to North’s of
fice by Robert K. Arundale II, chair
man of the North for President
Committee in Illinois, the day after
North’s first day of testimony, Mei
dinger said.
The work is partly to express sup
port for North’s position in the Con
tra affair and “it’s also a very legiti
mate request for his running for
president,” Meidinger told the
Temple Daily Telegram from her
Marker Heights home.
“I don’t think our options are all
that good, as far as candidates,” she
said. “Oliver North is as good a
choice as anyone we have out there.”
Meidinger said she has been inun
dated with telephone calls from peo
ple expressing their support for
North immediately after nearing of
the campaign.
initialed a memo indicating he had
briefed Reagan about such use.
During most of the day, some
committee members treated North
gingerly, even deferentially, while
some expressed strong opposition to
many of the aspects of the affair.
“I begin to feel right now that we
the people, in order to form a more
perfect union, Col. North, have in
stead adopted the values, at least
temporarily, of a totalitarian govern
ment, in an effort ... to encourage
and enhance democracy,” said Rep.
Dante Fascell, D-Fla.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he
could not condone the failure to in
form Congress of secret operations.
But he then said, “I don’t want you
prosecuted. I don’t think many peo
ple in America do. And I think
there’s going to be one lot of hell
raised if you are.”
ilranian gunboats attack French freighter in Persian Gulf
ition (:§;
■ MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Two Ira-
dbf-- flian gunboats pounded a French freighter
ild natmjth rocket and machine-gun Fire for 20
knipto hiinutes before dawn Monday in the Per-
1 woul s j an G u if Iraq said later that its warplanes
987. Baided a nearby Iranian island.
irovkteB n 0 casualties were reported in the
1th bee , freighter attack off Saudi Arabia,
cs, beB Capt. Max Gangneur of the 24,540-ton
retireesB on t ainer ship Ville d’Anvers told the Asso-
crs^Biated Press by radio that fire from the Ira-
^ian vessels raked the crew’s quarters at
2:25 a.m. while most of the 19 French sail
ors were sleeping.
The French government issued a
statement in the afternoon saying its charge
d’affairs at the French Embassy in Tehran,
Iran, had been instructed to demand an ex
planation for the attack from Iranian au
thorities. The statement called the incident
a “serious affair.”
“It’s a miracle we suffered no casualties,”
said Gangneur, 49. fie said the freighter’s
hull and engine room were badly damaged
and its electricity supply was cut off.
The Ville d’Anvers was hit about 100
miles south of Kuwait’s al-Shuaiba port,
where it had unloaded cargo. Iran began
last September to concentrate its gulf at
tacks on ships owned by or serving the emi
rate, which supports Iraq in the nearly 7-
year-old war.
Gangneur’s ship was headed for Dubai,
but changed course for the repair facilities
of Bahrain after the attack.
The vessel was hit about 40 miles off Far-
siyah, which is midway between Iran and
Saudi Arabia. It is one of several Iranian is
lands on which the fanatical Revolutionary
Guards base their gunboats.
Iraq said within hours of the attack that
its jets bombed oil installations on Farsiyah,
inflicting “devastating blows.”
A military communique broadcast on
Baghdad radio said Iraqi fighter-bombers
also scored direct hits on a “a large mari
time target,” the Iraqi phrase for a tanker,
in the gulf off Iran.
Iran said its naval air defenses shot down
an Iraqi jet over the southern gulf at 10 a.m.
Iraq’s official news agency quoted a military
spokesman as denying any aircraft losses.
Because of increased Iranian attacks on
Kuwaiti shipping, the United States is regis
tering 11 of the emirate’s tankers so they
can lly the American flag and be given U.S.
Navy protection.
, Legislative leaders call agreement
near on spending decisions for state
Subcommittee begins hearings on $6 billion tax increase
fied
I AUSTIN (AP) — A Senate sub-
Kommittee began hearings Monday
Bm a $6 billion tax increase, while
Begislative leaders said they believed
Agreement was near on spending is
sues.
| “I’m very hopeful of concluding
Bhis business in this special session”
Hjlkhich ends July 21, Lt. Cov. Bill
7/Brlobby said after a meeting with
jBHouse Speaker Gib Lewis and Gov.
V'H Clements.
“I think we’re making progress,
nuch more than people think we’re
naking,” Lewis said. “And we’re al-
lost there” on spending, he said,
ilthough he said there are “a lot of
problems” with the Senate’s tax
plan.
Over the weekend, the House-
enate conference committee, ne-
otiating a 1988-89 state budget;
Agreed on $38.6 billion spending
otal.
To pay for it, the Senate’s tax
policy subcommittee heard testi
mony on a $6 billion tax increase
hat would raise the sales tax from
5‘A to 6 percent, expand it to motor
vehicle repairs, interstate long dis-
ance phone calls and computer
ioftware.
The plan would increase a van
ity of fees, including driver’s li
cense, auto registration and profes
sional licenses.
The proposal also would change
the franchise tax formula to include
corporate profits; have businesses
prepay part of their 1990 corporate
franchise tax; charge businesses for
could reach the full Senate for de
bate on Tuesday.
But Lewis said he saw problems
with both the structure and the size
of the Senate tax plan.
Asked about the $6 billion total,
“I think we’re making progress, much more than peo
ple think we’re making. And we’re almost there. ”
— Gib Lewis, House Speaker
sales tax permits; raise the motor
vehicle sales-rental tax; increase the
tax on cigarettes and tobacco prod
ucts; increase the hotel occupancy
tax and place a surtax on the insur
ance premium tax companies now
pay, as well as administrative insur
ance services.
The House earlier approved a
$5.2 billion tax hike that would
have extended the state sales tax to
sales of insurance policies. But the
Senate bill doesn’t include such a
levy, and senators said the idea w'as
dead in that chamber.
The tax subcommittee’s chair
man, Sen. Bob Glasgow, D-Ste-
phenville, said he hoped his bill
the House leader said, “That’s way
more than it should be.”
In addition, Lewis said, “There’s
E roblems on some of the motor ve-
icle inspection fees, drivers license
fees (and) I have not figured out
what they’re trying to do with this
business franchise profits deal.”
At the Senate tax hearing, State
Comptroller Bob Bullock said he
believed the higher tax rates would
find more favor with the public
than a new levy.
“I think, frankly, Texans would
be more satisfied with increased
rates . . . than they would (with) a
new type of tax at this point,” Bul
lock said.
The comptroller also said sen
ators were flirting with a kind of
corporate income tax by adding
profit to the corporate franchise
levy.
“I think one must remember that
you’re bordering on a profit tax —
it’s a hybrid,” Bullock said.
During a half-hour meeting
Monday morning, the governor
and legislative leaders talked over
the spending plan being finalized
by the conference committee.
Clements, who in the past vowed
to veto any tax increase greater
than $2.9 billion, said he believes
progress is being made on the
spending bill.
“We’re moving forward and pro
gress is being made,” Clements
said.
But the governor continued to
decline to take a firm stand on ei
ther the tax or spending totals he
would sign into law.
“We’re not in a position at this
point to talk about firm numbers
and acceptance of this or accep
tance of that,” Clements said.
“The conference committees are
working, they’re continuing to meet
and we’re making progress,” he
said.
Asked if the eventual budget so
lution would escape a gubernatorial
veto, Lewis replied, “I hope so.
That’s our intent.”
Officials tell swimmers
to stay close to shore
after 2 shark attacks
PORT ARANSAS (AP) —
Swimmers were warned not to
venture into waters deeper than
two feet Monday following two
shark attacks over the weekend.
In separate incidents Sunday, a
16-year-old girl and a 32-year-old
woman were attacked in the wa
ter, within one-half mile of each
other, off Mustang Island.
On Monday, city officials held
an emergency meeting and
passed a resolution warning
swimmers and advising them of
safety measures that are being in
stituted, Mayor Dale Bietendorf
said.
In the first incident, Brenda
King, 16, of Rockport, was float
ing in the waves in chest-deep wa
ter, when something bumped
into her.
“I finally realized there was
something sinking its teeth in
me,” King said. “I could feel
something sharp and painful
going into my foot.”
King was taken to AMI-Coastal
Bend Hospital in Aransas Pass,
where she was treated and re
leased for puncture and bite
wounds on the right foot.
Later, at about 7:30 p.m. Sun
day, Kitt Viau, 32, of Port Aran
sas was injured more seriously.
“I was out there jumping waves
and it came up from behind and
grabbed my foot,” Viau said. “It
started shaking its head again and
again like a mad dog does with a
ra g-
“Actually, I thought, ‘This is it.
I’m a goner,’ so I started beating
it in the head.”
After two friends helped pull
her away from the shark, it left,
she said.
She was in stable condition at
the hospital Monday after treat
ment for a five-inch laceration on
the left foot, nursing services su
pervisor Nedra Wright said.
An advisory tells all swimmers
to stay in water less than two feet
deep because both attacks took
place in about four feet of water.
City officials said they have
lifeguards at five locations inside
the city limits including the
county park, and urged swim
mers to swim near the lifeguards.
“Swimmers must understand
that sharks are native to these wa
ters, and any time you are swim
ming, there are sharks present,”
officials said. “We see no great
cause for alarm, and will monitor
the situation closely.”