The Battalion
Serving the University communily
76 No. 132 USPS 045360 12 Pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, April 12, 1983
Advisers recommend
limited use of MX
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The plan de
veloped by a top-level advisory com
mission for strengthening the back
bone of America’s nuclear deterrent
could spell trouble for the MX missile
and create new political problems for
President Reagan.
The blueprint presented to
Reagan Monday by his Commission
on Strategic Forces assigns the MX a
“limited but very important” pur
pose, while placing longer-term
emphasis on smaller, less destructive
weapons.
After three months of study that
included discussions with more than
200 technical experts, the commission
recommended what Chairman Brent
Scowcroft called “a major new depar
ture” in strategic thinking.
It concluded the path to stability in
the nuclear age lies in moving toward
smaller weapons of war, a marked
change in course from more than two
decades of building bigger intercon
tinental ballistic missiles with multiple
warheads.
Scowcroft called it “a closely
reasoned report” that put the MX in
perspective. He also acknowledged
the commission was in a no-win posi
tion in attempting to resolve the furor
surrounding the MX.
“Few, if any, will consider our re
commendations an optimal solution,”
he said. “If such were available, this
commission probably would not have
been convened.”
In a report that will serve as the
basis of Reagan’s recommendations
to Congress, the commission outlined
a strategic moderization program
that, unlike Reagan’s, does not hinge
on the MX alone.
The commission urged prompt de
ployment of 100 MX missiles in ex
isting silos to reduce a “serious imba
lance” created by the Soviets’ capabil
ity to destroy U.S. land-based missiles.
The panel discarded the more than
two-dozen basing options considered
over the last several years as two presi
dents have tried to move forward with
production and deployment of the
195,000-pound, 10-warhead MX.
While the use of existing silos is the
most immediate and least costly alter
native, it also was rejected by Con
gress as an interim solution and does
nothing to reduce the vulnerability of
the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear
“triad.”
With the MX a key element of the
commission plan, though in a form
different from that proposed by
Reagan, opposition emerged quickly
on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Ore., said:
“Previous MX deployment schemes
ranged from absurd to insane. This
proposal is nothing less than mad.”
Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., a pres
idential contender who opposed the
earlier basing mode, said the new
plan “makes no more sense today
than it did when the administration
proposed it as a temporary solution
16 months ago.”
Officials want ‘watchdog’
Ethics panel considered
acuity senate voting
legins for first election
United Press International
AUSTIN — House Speaker Gib
Lewis says the heat he took when he
forgot to list some business dealings
on his financial disclosure forms con
vinced him of the need of an indepen
dent state ethics commission'.
“Some of the issues that happened
to me this year solidified my thinking
in this behalf,” Lewis told the House
State Affairs Committee Monday,
which held public hearings on a pack
age of election and campaign reform
bills.
The measures were assigned to a
subcommittee.
The establishment of a panel to act
as a watchdog over the ethics of Texas
legislators and state officials also was
endorsed enthusiastically by former
House Speaker Bill Clayton.
“It’s quite evident Texas is way
behind step,” said Clayton, who noted
37 other state already had such com
missions.
Support for an ethics commission
has increased since Lewis’ admitted
he forgot to disclose some of his busi
ness relationships with liquor distri
butors and horse racing lobbyists.
Lewis told the committee it was im
portant to set up an ethics commission
that would be viewed by the public as
unbiased.
Clayton, now a lobbyist in Austin,
said there is a clear “need for a body to
sit and give opinions.
“I assure you an ethics commission
made up of members that are non-
biased and non-political would be a
great benefit in restoring the public’s
confidence in the elected system and
state government,” he said.
Rep. Jim Turner, D-Crockett, who
is sponsoring one of three ethics com
mission bills in the House, said,
“There is a growing cynicism about
the standards we possess as public
officeholders.”
Turner’s bill would create a nine-
member board that would serve stag
gered six-year terms.
The commission would have no
power to punish or censure legisla
tors, commission or board members
and state employees, but it could in
vestigate complaints and recommend
criminal prosecution of alleged offen
ders.
It would also issue advisory opin
ions in areas of state law relating to
campaign finance and disclosure, lob
byist registration and reporting, con
flict of interest, nepotism and penal
code provisions on bribery and cor
ruption.
Other bills considered by the com
mittee would:
— limit campaign contributions,
expenditures and loans.
— ban the personal use of cam
paign funds.
— more closely regulate the forma
tion and fundraising conducted by
political action committees.
by Kim Schmidt
Battalion Staff
lominations are in and absentee
ag has begun in elections for the
lly established faculty senate,
absentee voting began Monday
t ballots being accepted in Room
of the Sterling C. Evans Library,
ling will conclude at 5 p.m. Friday,
jular elections will be April 19.
■dominations for the 85-member
|y began March 23 and closed Fri-
lat5 p.m. By the deadline, at least
[candidate had filed for every seat
available. Candidates are listed on
page 5.
Faculty senate steering committee
members say they are pleased with
the number and quality of faculty
members nominated.
“The number of nominees is en
couraging,” said Dr. Walter Buenger,
assistant professor of history. “I am
also very pleased that we have a lot of
talented and committed people run
ning.”
Turnout has been especially good
in the College of Education where at
least five candidates are running for
each of the six seats available.
In the College of Business Admi
nistration, however, candidates are
running unopposed in all but one of
the seven places.
Buenger said he also is pleased that
no one department or group of facul
ty members dominate the candidates.
“Every group seems to be well rep
resented,” he said.
See FACULTY SENATE, page 5
‘Gandhi’ wins eight awards
at Oscars, beating ‘E.T.’
thagras ‘too poor’ to pay
United Press International
|AN ANTONIO — A judge has
Jed Charles and Jo Ann Harrelson
t Jimmy and Elizabeth Chagra are
i poor to pay for their high court
Its, but he warned them not to
bake money on their notoriety.
[The four were prosecuted on mur-
f and conspiracy charges in the
^■ith of U.S. Judge John H. Wood
jrlwho was shot in the back outside
| niiSan Antonio apartment May 29,
I s :i979.
U.S. District Judge William Ses
sions — noting that Chagra and the
Harrelsons were declared indigents
and that Mrs. Chagra had “minimal
available assets” — denied a motion
by U.S. Attorney Ray Jahn that the
four pay all court costs resulting from
their prosecution. The government
allegedly spent millions of dollars in
the massive investigation and pro
secution of the case.
But Sessions said the government
could move again to seek payment of
court costs if the Harrelsons and
Chagras eventually made profits on
such ventures.
Sessions said Monday the court did
not construe the government’s mo
tion as a “vindictive prosecutorial tac
tic,” as claimed by defense attorneys,
but that he did not see how court costs
could be fairly assessed.
Oscar Goodman, who represented
Jimmy Chagra, said earlier that the
government motion “represents a
vindictive reprisal for his (Chagra’s)
exercise of the right of trial by jury.”
United Press International
HOLLYWOOD — “Gandhi,” the
epic biography of the apostle of non
violence and father of modern India,
overwhelmed the touching fairy tale
“E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” to win
the most and biggest Oscars.
“Gandhi” collected eight awards at
Monday night’s 55th annual
Academy Awards presentation, in
cluding best actor for its star Ben
Kingsley and best director for
Richard Attenborough, who labored
20 years to put the story on the screen.
Meryl Streep was named best ac
tress for her portrayal of a tormented
victim of Nazi terror in “Sophie’s
Choice.”
Louis Gossett Jr., who played the
tough-talking, but softhearted
Marine drill sergeant in “An Officer
and a Gentleman,” was named best
supporting actor and became the
third black ever to win an acting
Oscar. The previous two were Hattie
McDaniel and Sidney Poitier.
Jessica Lange won as best support
ing actress for her role as a winsome
soap opera star in “Tootsie.” The
third actress ever nominated twice in
the same year, she lost the best actress
award, as had her two predecessors.
“Gandhi” and “E.T.,” the biggest
movie moneymaker in history with a
worldwide gross of more than $400
million, competed against each other
in seven categories and “Gandhi” won
five of them — best picture, director,
original screenplay, film editing and
cinematography.
“Gandhi” also won Oscars for cos
tume design and art direction and be
came only the third British film, fol
lowing “Hamlet” in 1948 and “Char
iots of Fire” last year, to win Holly
wood’s top honor.
“E.T.,” a modern fairy tale about a
boy who befriends a gentle creature
from outer space, beat out “Gandhi”
for best original score and best sound.
It also won for visual effects and
sound effects editing.
“I am totally bowled over by this,”
Attenborough said when picking up
his best director Oscar.
“The person you really honor was
Gandhi himself,” he said a few mi
nutes later in accepting the movie of
the year award. “He was an inspira
tion to millions and millions of peo
ple. The extraordinary thing is that
he is currently still an inspiration.”
Kingsley, a half-Indian British
stage actor making his movie debut,
said he was “overwhelmed to be men
tioned in the same breath as the other
four gentlemen who were nominated
with me.” The losers included Paul
Newman and Peter O’Toole, now
winless in 13 tries, as well as Dustin
Hoffman and Jack Lemmon.
Defense plan may work, official says
by Kim Schmidt
_ Battalion Staff
1 President Ronald Reagan, in call-
big for new nuclear technology to
|build an anti-ballistic missile system,
lay shift the entire emphasis of the
hudear arms race from offensive
build-up to defensive build-up, says
Jthe director of Texas A&M’s Center
por Strategic Technology.
Consequently, Dr. Richard Tho-
nas said, the shift could quell furth-
tr development of nuclear missiles.
The shift, Thomas said, could satis
fy Reagan administration goals of
pecreasing nuclear weaponry — a
goal that the administration has
Ittempted to reach in the past
Ihrough direct negotiations with the
Joviet Union.
Thomas said that if the United
States develops an effective defense
system against missile attack, other
countries no longer would have a
reason to develop attack missiles.
“It’s possible it could have that
effect,” Thomas said. “If defensive
technology can overtake offensive
technology, then people may ask
what good is ICBM (intercontinen
tal ballistic missile) technology.”
And Thomas said he thinks the
United States has “an 85 to 90 per
cent certainty” of being able to de
velop an effective anti-ballistic mis
sile system.
“It is not 100 percent certain,”
Thomas said. “But based on what
has been done to date, I would bet
with the president.”
Thomas said he favors Reagan’s
plans to develop an effective anti-
ballistic missile system for reasons
other than its potential to quell nuc
lear missile development in other
countxies.
“I think that we have to do it to
catch up with and keep up with what
the Soviet Union already is doing in
ABM (anti-ballistic missile) re
search,” he said. “There have been
reports that the Soviets are actively
working in the laser and particle
beam area.”
Laser beams and particle beams
are two means that could be used to
destroy ballistic missiles after they
are launched and before they re
enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Soviet Union also is in the
beginning stages of testing an anti
satellite system that would be able to
destroy other military-related satel
lites and that eventually might have
the capability of destroying passing
missiles in space with the use of laser
and particle beams, Thomas said.
Although the Soviets’ anti
satellite system is still a crude
mechanism, he said, it could be the
beginning stages of what might be
come an era in which “star wars”
would be possible.
The possibility of entering that
type of era has led many people to
criticize Reagan’s call for anti-
ballistic missile technology. Critics
contend that Reagan’s move was
irresponsible and could lead to both
destabilization of Soviet-U.S. rela
tions and a division among the Un
ited States and its NATO allies.
Thomas disagrees with the critics
and said he advocates developing an
anti-ballistic missile system.
“If we don’t develop an ABM sys
tem and the Soviets do, then the sys
tem will be destabilized in favor of
them,” he said.
Although Thomas said he recog
nizes the fears of U.S. European
allies, he said that an ABM system
could benefit U.S. allies as much as it
would benefit the United States.
“Europeans see this principally as
a device to protect the United States
and not to protect Western
Europe,” he said. “I think the ABM
system would have the potential for
defending Western Europe against
nuclear attack, too.”
Runoff
elections
today
Runoff elections for 15 student
body offices, including student body
president, are being held until 5
p.m. today.
Polling places are at Zachry En
gineering Center, the Memorial
Student Center, the bus stop by
Rudder Tower, Sterling C. Evans
Library, Kleberg Animal and Food
Sciences Center, Heldenfels Hall,
Academic Building, Academic and
Agency Building and Sbisa Dining
Hall.
Results are scheduled to be post
ed at 1 a.m. Wednesday outside the
Pavilion.
inside
Around Town 4
Classified 8
Local 3
Opinions 2
Sports 13
State 6
National 9
Police Beat 4
Whafsup 12
forecast
Partly cloudy skies today with a
high of 84. Southerly winds of
around 20 mph. Partly cloudy
tonight with a low near 58. For
Wednesday, a 20 percent chance of
morning showers, otherwise partly
cloudy with a high near 79.