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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1981)
Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Wednesday April 1, 1981 BvBI E Afirstdra nay or may l&MUnive o disclose £ be Univer leencomplt to Atto fcforap reeks. “1 can’t j ainty how Garri ., ge nittee. "Frc lends mostl "s sched' And, she Slouch By Jim Earle 3 * • • • <o • 7 8 |» 15 16 .<9 £5 *^4 zi f7 29 “ fl II ■‘K ■4? ,/a ./9 4* 3® • • COMMtEcT rue cots r Missionary staying raises old CIA issue By DAVID E. ANDERSON United Press International The kidnapping and slaying of Wyclilfe Bible translator and missionary Chester Bitterman raises anew the old question of the relationship of American missionaries abroad and the CIA. , . ^ r . Bitterman’s kidnappers claim the ling uist-missionary’s employer, Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics, is a front for the CIA. They have demanded an end to all Institute activity in Colombia. The Institute, which has more than 100 missionaries in Colombia, vigorously de nies the charges. Two issues have been raised: the use of the missionary profession as a CIA cover and the use of actual missionaries as sources of information. Since 1977, the CIA has been under policy directives not to use clergymen, journalists or educators — a policy that CIA Director Stansfield Turner last year admit ted had been violated. Efforts to write that policy into a strict legal prohibition in a new CIA charter failed last year, with opponents of the prohibition claiming it would limit the agency’s flexi bility. No one within the religious community expects any positive action under the admi nistration of President Reagan. One of the leaders of the effort to defeat the proposed prohibition last year was Dr. Ernest Lefever, then head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and now head of the State Department’s human rights office. “If information about highly secret, sen sitive and dangerous activities on the part of an adversary is needed, it may be justifiable for a CIA operative to pose as a journalist, geologist, or even a medical missionary,” the small society by Brickman Warped There’s no Nobel for finesse By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — What must have been some of the most subtle negotiations in modern times took place during the re cent U.S. visit of Japanese Foreign Minis ter Masayoshi Ito. According to published reports, Presi dent Reagan wanted to presuade Ito to cut back auto exports to America without actually asking Ito to cut back auto exports. Although we won’t know how well he succeeded until we count the number of Japanese cars that reach our shores in com ing months, administration officials seem to feel the oblique approach hit home. One cabinet member commented that the Japanese were “very astute” and thus able to figure out “what we were saying.” Not having a transcript of the Reagan-Ito talks, I cannot tell you exactly what was said. But from various second-hand inter pretations, I surmise that the meeting went something like this: The president welcomed the foreign minister to the White Hon: gaud asked what had brought him to America. The foreign minister replied that he came here under the impression the presi dent had something important to discuss with him. The president said that as a matter of fact there was a little matter he wanted to take up. He asked if the foreign minister had noticed anything curious during his visit. The foreign minister asked if the presi dent were referring to the custom of staging the annual Cherry Blossom Festival either before or after the Japanese cherry trees were in bloom. an everyday occurrence and not a spi muster in honor of the foreign mini: visit. sti ittorae y The foreign minister said that was remarkable and a tribute to Japane American friendship. The president said he was highly in I of Japanese-American friendship but dreadfully worried about the U.S. industry. He wondered if the minister saw any cause-and-effect relal ship between woeful conditions in U.S. auto industry and the number of anese cars on American streets. ti ini 4 DO A preside : in Febr consider: possibl time Tb The president said no, he was alluding to the number of Japanese cars on the streets. The foreign minister said he had indeed noticed this display of hospitality and wanted to thank the president and the American people for going to so much trouble to make him feel at home. The president said he appreciated the foreign minister’s sense of gratitude but felt the foreign minister should be informed that the large turnout of Japanese cars was The foreign minister said such a conn tion had not occurred to him. However, said a ton of bricks didn’t have to fall onl to get a point across. Any export cutb would severely damage the Japanese a industry, he added. The president asked about the possibi of selling Japanese cars in Japan. The foreign minister said that was tainly a novel suggestion. He said he wo study it further when he got back horn Mi stii The mure is investig iolege Stal Muhlingl fas stabbec face in tb' |j|)ppw An auto, Lefever told Congress. “The ultimate moral measure of any such deception should be the conse quences of the act — both short-range and long-range,” lefever said, arguing it is “sheer nonsense” that the use of a mission ary coyer by-CIA agents compromised the : integrity of the profession. Opponents of CIA use of missionaries and clergy, either as cover or as agents, argue that such use creates both short-and long-term problems. “Our United Church of Christ ministries around the world and the ministries of other Christian churches depend upon inti mate, trustful relationships,” Dr. David Stowe said at the time of the Turner revela tions. “We cannot tolerate the jeopardizing of these relationships by even the suspicion that missionaries, clergy or church workers are involved in spying,” Stowe said. The Rev. M. William Howard, president of the National Council of Churches, said CIA use of the profession as a cover for their spies “effectively impugned the reputation of every American missionary in every country they serve with the support of the American churches.” Most mainline Protestant denomina tions supported the restrictive legislation and many churches have internal policies forbidding their missionaries to cooperate with the CIA. But the church policies do not stop CIA agents posing as missionaries and the gen eral mood of the public, as well as the Reagan administration and the Congress, makes it unlikely churches will get any changes. Bitterman’s tragic death is unlikely to change that. witi -..■en i ier, Mi i comp vitness tment i drawin r<. Z lie wee! ■-iiall wee ways a !/ the op H e diffici he weel I Station L( log It’s your turn Local bar manager raps fraternit) Editor: Enclosed you will find a letter I have written to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. The letter is basically a chastisement of those persons incapable of adult behavior in public. I would like to stress the fact that this is not our overall impression of fraterni ties or of the student population. This re lates only to those Sig Eps who can’t control themselves. I would appreciate your print ing the letter in its entirety as a general notice to anyone who may think that Rebels will tolerate anything but decent behavior by its customers. We try to provide the best atmosphere, we ask in return the best in behavior from our customers. We don’t think that’s too much to ask: (To the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon): For the past six months Rebels has striven to provide the best in food, drinks, and atmosphere to the Bryan-College Station community. We have done our utmost to accommodate all our customers and in par ticular the students of Texas A&M Univer sity. In order to do so there must be certain common rules of behavior followed by all our customers, so as not to be offensive to anyone. We understand large parties may get out of hand at times and certain persons may get a little out of line. We do not under stand organizations, supposedly projecting a refined image, to be consistently out of line and troublesome. Your fraternity has proven itself to be just such an organization. There seems to be a tremendous lack of self and group discipline, and common courtesy among your members. The inst ances of your group’s rudeness and com plete disregard for others are too numerous to cite. It has actually gotten to the point of my employees requesting not to serve you. Their request is hereby being granted. As owner and manager of Rebels, I have reached the limits of my tolerance for rude ness and childish behavior. I have neitl the patience nor desire to spend my time that of my employees babysitting yo group whenever they descend upon Effective immediately, your fraternity barred from Rebels in groups larger th four. Should any larger groups gatl together you will be asked to leave. TI will remain in effect until such time as members of your fraternity have sho' themselves capable of behaving as adull I would appreciate you relaying this mi sage to all concerned. Should you wish discuss this matter you may contact me Rebels between the hours of 2-4 p. m. ore at 846-7421 to set a meeting. Steve Larson, Manag Rebels Restaurant & B By Scott McCullar YOU? | CANT BELIEVE IT, l THINK I'VE FOVNP THE ONE /AAN I’VE ALWAy* ^EARCHEP FOR. '— —y l'V£ SAVE P A SPACE IN N\Y LIFE FOR A MAN THAT LOOKS ANP ACTS ANP FEELS THE WAY I'VE BEEN ALONE FOR SO LONG, COULD YOU ... PLEASE,... NEED + LOVE ME TOO ? FM SURE YOU DO. OH GOD, YES, IT'S SO STRANGE, / FEEL THE SAME... The Battalion MEMBER ISPS <14.5 560 Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Dillard Stone Managing Editor Angelique Copeland Asst. Managing Editor Todd Woodard City Editor Debbie Nelson Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce Photo Editor Greg Gammon Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Asst. Focus Editor Susan Hopkins News Editors VenitaMcCellon, Scot K. Meyer StaffWriters Carolyn Barnes, Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bernie Fette, Cindy Gee, Phyllis Henderson, Kathleen McElroy, Belinda McCoy, Kathy O’Connell, Richard Oliver, Denise Richter, Rick Stolle Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers Chuck Chapman Brian Tate EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Begents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper students in reporting, editing and photography clas within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial mil should be directed to the editor. 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