Ihe Battalion
Serving the Texas A&M University community
Vol. 75 No. 48 Friday, November 6, 1981 USPS 045 360
12 Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611
The Weather
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Tomorrow
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lI.S. officials unclear
(in nuclear strategy
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Attempting to
ttk> an outright contradiction in nuc-
iar strategy between Secretary of State
ander Haig and Secretary of De
le Caspar Weinberger, the adminis-
ion declared both men correct —
did not say what the doctrine actual-
k issue arose when Haig, testifying
dnesday before the Senate Foreign
lations committee, unexpectedly in-
ected an answer in which he said
(NATO doctrine included plans for a
emonstration shot” nuclear explosion
[how the Western alliance meant
lisiness in any possible confrontation
Wth the Soviet Union.
I Weinberger directly refuted that
Sement 24 hours later by telling the
mate Armed Services Committee:
here is absolutely nothing in any of
e plans that I know of that contains
lything remotely resembling it — nor
puld it. ”
Forfour hours the administration was
felt on the direct contradiction as offi
cials tried to put together a statement
that would not embarrass either man.
An administration statement finally
said that the so-called “demonstration
shot” had been under consideration, “as
a possible option a number of years
ago.
But, the statement continued, “there
is no precise NATO military plan and
there have always been significant
doubts expressed in NATO — doubts
which the United States shares about
the utility of this option. ”
David Gergen, the White House
communications director, released a
statement saying:
“Secretary Haig was correct in noting
that the demonstrative use is an option
that has been considered by NATO.
Secretary Weinberger was correct in
noting that this option has never been
translated into a military plan.”
Officials recall the idea came up in the
1968 session of the NATO Nuclear Plan
ning Group, as one of a series of propos
als put forward by secretary of Defense
Clark Clifford. No specific target was
mentioned, although it was presumed
that the explosion woidd take place in
some desolate part of the Soviet Union,
as a warning that the western powers
were willing to match any Soviet attack
on Western Europe.
However, the idea aroused great con
troversy and it has not been mentioned
publicly since then.
But the fact that Haig was NATO
military commander from 1975 to 1979
and is intimately familiar with NATO
strategic doctrine suggests the option
remains on the list of possibilities.
The statement said: “NATO strategy
is designed to confront the adversary
with a wide range of possible responses
to aggression. NATO forecloses no op
tions. All seek to keep the level of vio
lence at its lowest level.” The White
House said that Haig and Weinberger
had breakfast Thursday morning, be
fore Weinberger’s appearance before
the Senate committee, and that the two
departments conferred on the state
ment issued late Thursday afternoon.
Soviet submarine escorted
\>ut of Swedish waters
United Press International
(KARLSKRONA, Sweden — Swedish ships today escorted
Soviet submarine apparently equipped with nuclear torpe-
fcfrom the top-secret military zone where it ran aground 11
jiys ago while on a suspected spy mission.
Ea minesweeper and tug boat led the gray Russian craft
rough mine-dotted waters on the four-hour journey out of
e Bleckinge archipelago into international waters in the
laltic Sea where at least six Soviet warships waited. Three
|iet seamen stood on the submarine’s turret.
l“0ur laws have to change,” a senior officer said as the
psian craft was towed off in rolling seas while Swedish
lelicopters flew overhead. “It must be made easier for us to
fcan foreign submarines that come into our waters.”
pThe tug boat released the submarine from the tow about
P hours later, but the tug remained close by as the Russian
selincreased its speed to 15 knots, Swedish officials said.
Soviet Admiral Aleksej Kalinin, waiting on a Kashin-class
trover, had to formally receive the “whisky-class” sub-
ine either by signing a document or radioing his accept-
e, Cmdr. Sven Carlssen of the Karlskrona naval base said.
[The expulsion of the submarine and its 56-man crew ended
11-day diplomatic crisis over the Soviet intrusion, which
me Minister Thorbjorn Falldin called the “most flagrant
lation since World War II of Swedish territory and
ereignity.”
Falldin said Thursday the investigation of the submarine
iwed it had Uranium-238 on board, which meant that “in
probability the vessel was carrying torpedoes equipped
th nuclear warheads.
Naval officials from the Karlskrona base said the inspection
of the submarine showed a torpedo tube containing Uranium-
238 that was “live,” meaning the weapon could be exploded.
The officials said the eight torpedoes on the submarine were
probably nuclear-armed.
Previously, defense specialists had not thought the whisky-
class submarines — comparatively antiquated vessels that
were built between 1951 and 1957 — had nuclear weapons.
But Swedish naval officials said the discovery of the atomic
arms meant all the 52 similar Soviet submarines in the Baltic
Sea were probably carrying nuclear-tipped torpedoes.
Uranium-238, by itself useless for atomic weaponry, can
line nuclear devices that contain Uranium-235, the form
needed to set off a nuclear explosion, specialists said.
Falldin said Sweden had asked Soviet authorities to con
firm their suspicions about the nuclear weapons, but “we
have not received an answer.”
The Soviets maintained the submarine ran aground be
cause of radar equipment failure, an explanation also given by
the submarine’s commander when he was interrogated by
Swedish authorities Monday.
Swedish officials said there appeared to be no leaks of the
radioactive materials in the water where the vessel had been
sitting since it ran aground Oct. 27 in a restricted area 10 miles
from the top-secret Karlskrona base and 20 miles inside
Swedish waters.
Reinforcing suspicions that the submarine was on a spy
mission, Swedish military authorities said Wednesday they
were testing a secret antisubmarine torpedo when the vessel
ran around just 11 miles from the test site.
Staff photo by Dave Einsel
Quiet solitude
Chang Eun Kim, a graduate student in Indust rial Engineering, takes time under a tree to relax.
Jonfire slightly behind schedule;
inal cutting begins Saturday
By CATHY ANDERSON
Battalion Reporter
]orps members and civilians will
ad to the cutting site Saturday morn-
to begin the final wood cutting
ekend before bonfire.
The cutting site is located about 25
les north of Bryan on Old San Anto-
i Road.
“We are slightly behind in cutting,
t we feel we will be able to finish this
ekend, Art Free, head stack, said.
He said 27 loads of wood have been
land hauled to Duncan Field for the
81 bonfire. Last year, 55 loads of
>od were used on the stack,
i Bruce Martin, vice president of Off
impus Aggies and yellow pot, said
ere have been no extra work hours
anned to meet the deadline. But,
ee said, this weekend there will be
ore trucks and tractors available to
Np meet the deadline.
In case of a shortage, however,
irms assigned to loading wood onto
icks will be sent out next week to
ing in more cut wood from the site,
ree said.
Martin said the major factor in meet-
g the deadline will be getting people
turn out.
“We haven’t been getting the turn
it we have had in the past,” he said.
S “Some people are afraid to get in an
nvironment where they feel they can’t
erform as well as their peers,” he said,
Ithough 100-pound girls have cut and
auled logs this year.
“If I had 1,000 people we’d have
om for everyone,” he said.
We will reach the cutting site by 9:30
ch morning and leave Saturday by 4
m. and Sunday by 2 p.m., Martin
id.
And next week will be dedicated to
irking the stack, he said.
Any off campus students interested
l helping should pack a lunch and meet
ehind Duncan Dining Hall by 8 a.m.
iaturday.
Tracks in the mud are more prominent than wood
on Duncan Field. Cutters are falling behind in
producing timber for Bonfire. This weekend is the
last cutting weekend for the event.
Fifth power outage
darkens campus
By SHERYLON JENKINS
Battalion Reporter
Several buildings on campus were
again without power Thursday when
two electrical power cables went down
— the fifth power outage this semester.
Physical Plant Director Joseph J.
Estill said the cables failed about 8 a.m.,
causing a power failure in the Systems
Administration Building, the Physical
Plant, the Animal Husbandry Pavilion,
the Facilities Building, the Construc
tion Shop and Grounds Maintenance
Building and the Agriculture Building.
In addition, power failed in
Schuhmacher, Puryear and Law Halls,
the Coke Building and the All Faiths
Chapel.
Estill said the two cables went down
about ten minutes apart.
“Cables don’t go out everyday, but
you expect it when you have cables that
are 50 years (old),’’ the director said.
He said one of the cables was re
placed at 2:40 p.m., restoring partial
power. Complete power was restored
by 6 p.m.
In a similar power failure, several cir
cuits overloaded Oct. 12, leaving the
campus with only partial power.
But, Oct. 6 an electrical conductor
failed in the final minutes of the Texas
A&M-University of Houston football
game, causing a campus-wide power
outage. Apparently, rain leaked
through a roof and dripped on sections
of a switching gear which shorted out a
12,000-volt breaker, Estill said.
Power again failed campus-wide four
days later when equipment on an elec
trical conductor malfunctioned.
However, Estill said Thursday’s pow
er failure was not connected with any of
the previous power outages. If the inci
dent had been related, it would have
occured within a week of a previous
outage, he said.
Burning nests in vent
start courthouse fire
Birds’ nests which caught fire in a
vent Thursday forced 51 prisoners,
sheriff s department personnel and em
ployees to vacate the Brazos County
Courthouse.
However, no injuries or damage re
sulted from the fire.
Sparks from equipment being used
to install a smoke vent on the fourth
floor of the courthouse were responsible
for the fire. Deputy Fire Chief Robert
Blinka of the Bryan Fire Department
said.
He attributed the cause of the fire to
sparks which dropped onto some birds’
nests in a third floor vent.
Bryan police and sheriffs depart
ment deputies had the courthouse eva
cuated before firemen arrived, the de
puty chief said. And by the time firemen
arrived, the fire was already out.
There was no fire damage, Blinka
said, but portions of the third floor had
to have smoke removed.
The prisoners were moved from the
county jail, on the fourth floor of the
courthouse, to the Commissioners’
Court on the first floor.
This was the first time in two years
the prisoners had to vacate because of a
fire, a sheriffs department spokesman
said.
However, Thursday was the second
time this week there was a fire at the
courthouse.
On Tuesday, a cigarette ignited lint in
an air conditioning duct on the first floor
of the courthouse, a spokesman said.
The fire department extinguished the
fire in about 40 minutes.
There were also no injuries or dam
age resulting from the Tuesday fire, he
said.