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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1980)
t The Battalion Vol. 73 No. 136 24 Pages in 2 Sections Thursday, April 10, 1980 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 1 0 Another shine for ‘Sully’ Photo by Dave Einsel Freshman cadets from Squadron 10 were up at 5 a.m. today to perform an ancient Texas A&M ritual, shining the broze statue known as ‘Sully.’ Located in front of the Academic Building, “Sully” is the full- length likeness of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, president of the University during its formative years. Iran TV broadcasts prelude to spy trials United Press International In what may be a prelude to spy trials for the 50 American hostages, Iranian televi sion broadcast a film showing what it said were two of the captives describing espion age activities by the occupied U.S. Embassy. The midnight broadcast came hours after the militants holding the embassy threatened to kill the hostages, in their 159th day of captivity, if the United States took the “slightest” military action against Iran. In a banner headline story today, the Islamic Republic newspaper announced a march Friday in Tehran by members of Ayatollah Khomeini’s popular “army of 20 million” — a term used for all those opposed to the release of the hostages. “The nation will renew its pledge tomor row to defend the Koran and Iran,” the newspaper, organ of the ruling clerical group, said. By DEBBIE NELSON Campus Staff The soft sound of a reverently rendered “Auld Lang Syne” echoed in an eerily quiet Duncan Dining Hall Wednesday night, as Corps of Cadets outfits said goodbye to Iranian cadets. All eight Iranian members of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets, as well as six former cadets completing their de gree requirements, have been ordered to leave the United States by midnight Friday. The action is a direct result of President Carter revoking military and diplomatic visas for Iranians in the United States. It is one of the sanctions made against Iran Monday because of setbacks in negotiations for the release of hostages being held at the American Embassy in Iran. Col. Robert Gibson, USMC, professor of naval science at Texas A&M, said Wednes day he received word of the visa revocation slightly before midnight Tuesday from his immediate superior, the chief of Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, Fla. The orders were followed by a letter from the secretary of defense, Gibson said. Non-military Iranian students attending the University are not included in the order, as they are not in the country on military visas. “They (the cadets) are a group of fine young men, a credit to the University. They have done a good job academically,” Gibson said. “I hope someday they are able to return to Texas A&M and complete their studies.” The 14 Iranian students, who are or have been enrolled in the Naval ROTC program The two alleged hostages on the film spoke English, but their names and some of their statments were made inaudible by a Persian language narration, the Washing ton Post and other American newspapers reported. During the telecast, one of the hostages, who had dark hair and was wearing glasses See related stories, pages 11 and 13 and camouflage pants, displayed what the television said was electronic monitoring equipment in a supply depot on the embas sy compound. The other man, who had blond hair and wore a V-neck sweater, showed a photo graph of an alleged spy plane. He spoke to two militants in a room with a door marked “Defense Attache.” The broadcast made no mention when the film was made. Several Iranian officials recently said spy of the Corps, have until Friday to settle finances with the fiscal office, obtain trans cripts, and dispose of personal belongings. One Iranian former cadet who asked not to be identified said the situation is unfair. He said in two weeks he would have com pleted his undergraduate degree, since grades for seniors are turned in April 25. Six of the deported cadets are seniors, he said. He has talked to his professors and to the Dean of Engineering about receiving credit for this semester’s work, but said, “it’s hopeless, nobody can help.” Gibson said credit for this semester’s classes will be determined by instructors on an individual basis. Twelve of the students are in the college of engineering; two are in the college of business, the senior said. The ex-cadet said he is partly happy to leave, because he will get to see his family in Iran. But he added, “All of our American friends got depressed that we have to leave. They say we don’t have anything to do with politics.” “I hope relations between the countries get better,” he said. Notification of the State Department’s decision came to him through a letter from the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Navy. Another Iranian cadet, who also asked not to be identified, said he received a call from Washington Tuesday telling him he must leave the country. He said the Iranian government has sent the cadets airline tick ets for the trip back to Iran, which they should receive today. Since each of the cadets can only take 65 pounds of luggage with him, all must dis- trials for the hostages have not been ruled out. American officials denied the Iranian television report and said the equipment probably was standard radio and telephone communications equipment. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh said he favored having relatives of the hostages visit them in the occupied embassy and he would bring the question up to the Revolutionary Council. But he was was countered by the mili tants who said, “there is no need for other people to visit.” Ghotbzadeh warned any nation support ing the United States “must face action similar to that Iran has taken against Amer ica,” Tehran Radio said. Anti-U. S feeling is being further intensi fied in Iran by official pronouncements the troubles with neighboring Iraq are Washington’s doing. go home decision pose of most personal belongings. One cadet reportedly sold a 1979 Buick Cutlass for $1,800. Dr. Wayne Gosnell, director of interna tional student services, said the ordering of the Iranian Texas A&M cadets to leave the country has caused “a great deal of anxiety” among the 79 Iranian students on campus. Gosnell said he has asked the district Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) office in San Antonio about the status of non-military Iranian students. “They (the INS) don’t really know,” Gosnell said. “They’re waiting to find out from Washing ton, so we re sort of in limbo. ” However, Gosnell said the INS informal ly has said it doesn’t anticipate any revoca tion of visas for the other Iranian students. Gosnell said most of the Iranians he has talked to are “very sincere, dedicated stu dents,” caught in the middle of the political situation. Mostafa Mostafavi, president of the Soci ety of Iranian Students, said, “This (depor tation of the cadets) is not really a logical way of solving the problem. It’s making things more complicated.” He said President Carter chose this plan of action because it is an election year and he wants to please the voters. Although there has been some question of Iranian diplomats seeking political asy lum in this country, Gibson said he does not believe any of the cadets will remain in the country. A UPI story from the White House Tues day said the 60,000 Iranian students in the United States would not immediately be affected by the visa restrictions. Iranian cadets to following Carter 3 S Credit puts farms in stranglehold > United Press International ^WASHINGTON — Leaders of major jm|organizations have told Federal Re- fve Chairman Paul Volcker that high in- fUeSt rates and tight credit are strangling ^agricultural economy. (5 Agriculture Secretary Bob Bergland and 2 jward Hjort, the department’s chief eco- S mist, also attended the closed meeting. ^Following the meeting Wednesday, rterlyn Carlson of Lodgepole, Neb., presi- nt of the National Cattlemen’s Associa- mJ said, “Agriculture is just at the lowest tb lever and that message came across and clear to the Federal Reserve.” j^E&ttle producers lack credit at reason- ile:rates to rebuild herds and feed cattle, . arisen said. He said if the current money crunch con tinues, consumers will pay more for beef and other food. Volcker reportedly assured leaders of the 10 farm groups credit restraints are not being imposed on small businesses and agriculture. Hjort said, “The key point that was made from the Fed’s side is that it’s their policy to not have any special restraints for agricul ture or small business.” Farm leaders urged the Federal Reserve to use a special mechanism that would fun nel seasonal loans into rural banks this spring. Ed Osborne of Tulelake, Calif., repre senting the American Agriculture Move ment, said current anti-inflationary policies are “like pouring gas on a fire, they’re mak ing it worse. ” He said if higher prices were paid for raw materials, including food, the agricultural sector could operate on earned income in stead of borrowed money. In a summary of a new agricultural out look report, Agriculture Department eco nomists said farmers are hurt more by high interest rates and tight credit this year than in previous recent tight money periods. Economists said agricultural financial markets are more closely intertwined with other financial markets than during past tight credit periods and farmers must bor row more money to plant crops than they once did. Farm prices are depressed, in part, be cause middlemen paying high interest rates are buying only minimum amounts of grain and livestock because they cannot afford to build up inventories. “Higher interest rates have also been accompanied by a rapid appreciation of the dollar during the first quarter of 1980, which may in turn be contributing to the price weakness of some commodities most dependent on export markets,” economists said. To make matters worse, economists said, if the level of farm income anticipated dur ing the second quarter is adjusted to an annual rate, farm income would fall 31 per cent in 1980 compared to last year. nidentified hijacker in custody United Press International MIAMI — An impatient, taciturn hijack- in grimy clothes was in Cuban hands day after a 10-hour hijacking odyssey dur- ^Miich he held a .45-caliber automatic to lejiead of a stewardess. The hijacker, a muscular black man ing dirty jeans, a flowered shirt and a irate jacket, jumped over a fence at Los ngeles Airport Wednesday, entered the )or of the Boeing 727 being readied for larding for a flight to Chicago and put the jin to the head of one of the stewardesses, |» FBI spokesman said. ‘He said he wanted to go to Havana,” lid Arthur Nehrbass, special agent in large of the FBI office in Miami, where ie Iplane left for Cuba late Wednesday. The hijacker was “relatively calm” dur ing the flight to Cuba and said little to the seven crew members, Nehrbass said. But he turned the gun on the stewardess “every time he felt threatened,” and grew impa tient while the plane was being refueled at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. “He threatened to shoot a stewardess in the leg if the plane didn’t take off,” he said. “We do not at this point know who this man is,” Nehbrass said. “We do not know why he wanted to go to Havana. He was very adamant.” The plane landed at Jose Marti Airport in Havana at 5:18 p.m. and the man surren dered peacefully to Cuban authorities. Af ter a delay while storm-damaged runway lights were fixed, the plane flew to Miami. An airline spokesman said it would leave early today, either for Dallas or Chicago. Nehbrass said the FBI has some leads to the man’s identity and will charge him with hijacking as soon as he is identified. But based on previous hijackings, he said, the Cuban government is unlikely to return him to the United States unless he requests it. American Airlines Vice President Dave Frailey refused to identify the seven- member crew or let them talk to reporters at Miami International because of “security reasons.” The FBI said the decision not to release the crew’s names was strictly the airline’s. “We don’t know who the hijacker was. We don’t know if he has friends who still might be around somewhere,” Frailey said. The crew was unharmed. Nerhbass said the stewardess held under the hijacker’s .45 automatic for much of the trip “is in good shape. She’s a very calm, self- possessed young lady.” The hijacker was a “very muscular black American in his 30s,” Nehrbass said. “One of the peculiarities was he was in a very dirty condition. His clothes were co vered with grease and grime.” Nehrbass said the man was wearing jeans, a flowered shirt and what appeared to be a loose-fitting karate jacket. He carried a large envelope that appeared to contain “some posses- Bowler, 99, plans one last roll at 100 United Press International SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — Edwin “Pop” Barker learned to bowl about the same time Teddy Roosevelt made his charge up San Juan Hill. And he’s still at it. “I just want one more year out of it. I want to be bowling on my 100th birth day,” said the spry 99-year-old kegler, who rolled his first ball down a lane in 1898. Last year he had to reduce his bowl ing schedule from seven leagues, five nights a week, to one league every Wednesday night. In the doorway of Broadway Lanes, where the silver-haired Barker bowls in a league named for him 34 years ago, sits a tiny shrine to him. A portrait of a younger, thinner, cigar-toting Barker is framed with a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” listing on one side and a newspap er article on the other. Barker earned mention in Ripley’s for competing in six leagues a week when he was 88. “I was working at a clubhouse,” recal led the retired fruit vendor. “They were having a game with another team and one man didn’t show up. They asked me to fill in. “The next week, the fellow was sick again so I played again. The following week the guy died, so I stayed on the team.” Barker, who had several perfect games during the ’30s, said his lighter bowling schedule has ruined his av erage. “My average? Well, I don’t like to say it these days,” he said. “It’s 109 now. “I was carrying a pretty good average when I was bowling more but you can’t expect to keep a good average when you only do it once a week. ” Barker’s son Edwin, 64, said his father still manages to outbowl some of the other local people. “You have to consider even if he had an average of 10, that would be 10 more than anyone else that’s 99 years old,” Edwin Jr. said. “When Pop beats a guy here he goes up to him and says ‘How’s it feel to have a 99-year-old man beat you? ” Barker, a great-great-grandfather, credits bowling for his longevity. “Bowling, that keeps you in shape,” he said proudly. “When you bowl, ev ery muscle in your body is used.” He drinks milk when he bowls. “Every once in awhile someone gives me a bottle of wine and I sneak a drink — but I’m not supposed to,” he said. “You know, I’ve got a bottle of whiskey I put the stopper in in 1950 and I’ve only taken it out twice — when I had a heck of a cold. ” His bowling hand was smashed and one of his fingers broken six years ago by a bowling ball returning automatically from the end of the lane. Barker blames the still-swollen finger for occasional gutter balls. But, he refuses to stop bowling. “If he stopped bowling, ” his son said, “he’d die.”