DS
Local rock 'n' roll band sought
for nationwide music contest
— Page 3
More Texans are buckling-up
as mandatory seat belt law nears
— Page 3
Connell attempting to make a
Yacquef in pro tennis circuit
— Page 6
—« -r^ASM m -m •
The Battalion
Serving the University community
|Bi Vol. 80 No. 184 USPS 045360 6 pages
College Station, Texas
Friday August 2, 1985
House approves sanctions against South Africa
1.4/III
Associated Press
■ WASHINGTON — The House
gave overwhelming approval Thurs-
da\ to compromise legislation im
posing economic sanctions against
the white minority government of
South Africa, but conservative Re
publican opposition in the Senate
■clayed a final vote until after a one-
month congressional recess.
■ The House voted 380-48 to adopt
tin plan, which would ban the im
portation of South African gold
coins into the United States and im-
fflose other limited sanctions in a bid
to pressure Pretoria into altering dis-
■iminatory practices against the
Black majority.
R But the best that frustrated sup
porters could do in the Senate was a
17-0 showing on a test vote, a roll call
rendered meaningless when oppo
nents voted with backers of the sanc
tions.
The congressional action un
folded in an atmosphere of uncer
tainty over President Reagan’s inten
tions. Reagan opposes sanctions, and
while congressional sources said the
administration had spread the word
that he would veto the measure,
White House officials said no deci
sion had been made.
In the House, liberals and conser
vatives made a joint plea urging the
president to sign the measure.
But in the Senate, conservatives
threatened a filibuster and Rep.
Jesse Helms, R-N.C., objected three
times as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy,
D-Mass., sought a final vote before
the beginning of the recess.
Weinberger against
South Africa sanctions
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Defense
Secretary Caspar Weinberger, as
serting that the United States can
not afford “any more enemies,”
said Thursday that economic
sanctions weakening the govern
ment of South Africa could lead
to an even worse regime —- even
one as bad as Iran,
“We are not in a position to
make any more enemies as far as
countries are concerned,” Wein
berger said in a wide-ranging in
terview with The Associated
Press. “We need all the help, all
the friends, all the alliances we
can put together.
*T’ve always tried to take the
fxvsition that we certainly do not
See Weinberger, page 4
grez
that this will help a nation in trou
ble,” Sen
said.
Malcolm Wallop. R-Wyo.
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Another One Bites The Dust
The Piggly Wiggly in College Station now-is the second supermarket
to close its doors within the past month in the local area. It joins the
ranks of Mariel’s, which closed its doors last month, and Weingarten’s
Photo by ANTHONY S. CASPER
which went out of business last year. This latest closing leaves the su
permarket chains of Safeway, Skaggs, Kroger and newcomer Winn-
Dixie to serve College Station customers.
High school testing recommended
Help for black students proposed
-1
By BRIAN PEARSON
Staff Writer
Dr. Ivory Nelson, Texas A&M ex
ecutive assistant to the chancellor,
has introduced suggestions to help
black students break college en
trance barriers.
As the chairman of the Commit
tee on Black Student Retention in
Higher Education in Texas, Nelson
presented a plan on July 18 to pro
mote the academic progress of
blacks.
The plan was presented to the
Coordinating Board of the Texas
College and University System.
Nelson said the suggestions would
help more blacks graduate from
high school and get more blacks to
enter and graduate from college.
He said the recommendations
would apply to all students.
“We’ve got to change something
that’s happening in the high schools
so we can get them into college,”
Nelson said. “Only half the students
that graduate from high school go to
college. We need more than that to
g°”
Only 39 percent of the blacks that
graduate from high school go to col
lege while 57 percent of whites go on
to higher education, he said.
Nelson said he is optimistic the
coordinating board will approve the
recommendations.
The committee recommended
that all high school students be re
quired to take a basic core of college
He denounced the measure as
“racist pandering and meandering
in an ef fort to do what looks good to
the public.”
The measure, written against a
backdrop of a white crackdown
against majority blacks in South Af
rica and rising anger in Congress,
would ban the importation of
Kruggerand gold coins for sale in
the United States. It also would pro
hibit loans to the South Af rican gov
ernment and block the large-scale
sale of computer materials to the
Pretoria government.
The bill would limit exports of nu
clear goods to South Africa, al
though it would permit U.S. cor
porations to make new investment in
the country.
The measure represents a virtual
repudiation of Reagan's no-sanc
tions policy of “constructive en
gagement” in South Africa. At the
White House, spokesman Larry
Speakes said the president would
make no decision on the measure,
the product of a House-Senate con
ference committee, until it reaches
his desk.
“There are a number of com
plaints we have about the bill,”
Speakes told reporters.
Later, however, congressional
sources who asked not to he identi
fied by name said White House aides
were signaling Reagan’s intention to
veto the measure. Those reports
drew a quick denial at the White
House.
U.S. Army officer,
5 others jailed
for conspiracy
preparatory classes such as chemis
try, physics and calculus, he said.
The courses might increase the high
school graduation rate for blacks.
“Black students were not taking
these rigorous courses and getting
prepared for college,” Nelson said.
Seventy-five percent of white stu
dents graduate from high schools
while only 63 percent of black stu
dents graduate, he said.
The preparatory classes would in-
See Students, page 4
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Six people,
including an Army officer assigned
to the Pentagon, were arrested on
charges of conspiring to export arms
to Iran in violation of a U.S. govern
ment ban on such sales, the FBI an
nounced Thursday.
Among those arrested was Lt. Col.
Wayne C. Gillespie, 46, of Alexan
dria, Va.. The FBI alleged that he
had inspected TOW anti-tank mis
siles destined for Iran.
“There were over 1,300 missiles
on the shopping list,” said Dick Ross,
an assistant FBI special agent in the
Tampa-Orlando, Fla. district. “The
total value, if everything was ob
tained, was about $75 million.”
In the affidavit filed in federal
court in Orlando, the FBI said
agents had been told Gillespie was
assigned to the Army’s Missile Com
mand at the Pentagon.
But Defense Department spokes
man Fred S. Hoffman said that was
in error.
“Colonel Gillespie is a research
and development coordinator in the
office of the deputy chief of staff for
international programs at the Army
Materiel Command,” Hoffman said.
Ray Aponte, a spokesman for the
command, said he could not imme
diately describe Gillespie’s duties or
discuss what security clearances the
officer held.
Aponte also said it would take
some time to obtain Gillespie’s serv
ice record with the Army.
“This hit us very suddenly,” he
said.
An FBI official, declining to be
identified publicly, said it was not
known whether there was any con
nection between the alleged conspir
acy to purchase arms for Iran, re
vealed Thursday, and the arrests last
month of six people alleged to have
been involved with the shipment to
Iran of stolen U.S. military equip
ment.
FBI Director William H. Webster
said the current arrests stemmed
from a bureau undercover opera
tion in which an agent identified as
“UCA” met at various intervals be
tween March 11 and July 31 with
several of the principals involved in
the alleged scheme.
“Federal investigative agencies are
constantly alert for plots to transfer
U.S. technology and arms in viola
tion of our laws,” Webster said. “We
will pursue, without ceasing, such il-
tl activities to insure that violators
legal
are brought before the bar
tice.”
of
jus-
The United States banned the ex
port of military supplies to Iran after
religious fundamentalists led by the
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
ousted the Shah of Iran in 1979.
Authorities said the alleged con
spirators intended to purchase a va
riety of U.S. missiles, including the
TOW, the Sidewinder, Harpoon,
Sparrow AIM-7F, Sparrow AIM-7M
and Phoenix. They also were said to
be seeking the French Exocet missile
as well as miscellaneous parts for the
F-4 jet fighter, including 10 F-4 en
gines, and other military equipment,
such as a mobile hospital.
Besides Gillespie, those arrested
were identified as:
• Paul Sjeklocha, 47. of San Jose,
Calif., also known as Paul Cutter, a
publisher and author of articles oh
military science and technology.
• Fadel M. Fadel, 54, a Lebanese
national engaged in the import-ex-
port business in Calabasas, Calif.
• Farhin Sanai, 52, of Calabasas,
Calif., the wife of,Fadel.
• George Neranchi of San Fran
cisco.
• Amir Hosseni, who has claimed
to be an official of the Iranian gov
ernment.
The FBI was seeking Charles St.
Clair, 50, of Granada Hills, Calif.,
who was believed to be out of the
United States.
In Alexandria Thursday, U.S.
Magistrate W. Curtis Sewell set bond
at $100,000 for Gillespie.
The complaint charges that the
six intended to purchase 1,140
TOW anti-tank missiles at a total cost
of $9,120,000 and that they would
provide an aircraft to fly the weap
ons and parts to Iran.
Registration, drop-add 1st District Ol&Ction to prOCQCd
to begin on Monday
Open registration and drop-add
for the fall semester will be held Au
gust 5-23.
Associate registrar Don Carter
says the registration center in the Pa
vilion will be open from 10 a.m. to
noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
Students who were eligible for
preregistration in the spring, but did
not register, may do so during open
registration. Those who did not at
tend A&M during the spring semes
ter, but have attended the University
before, and students who were
blocked for preregistration by their
academic department should contact
.eir department to see if they will
be allowed to register.
Carter warns that some academic
departments will not have represen
tatives available to register students
at all times. So. students corning to
campus to register or drop-add must
call their departments ahead of time
to make sure someone will be avail
able to register them.
To begin the processes of registra
tion and drop-add, students should
report to their major departments.
Students who are drop-adding
classes must have their fee invoice
with them, Carter says. But, he says,
it is not necessary to have a paid-fee
receipt.
Associated Press
AUSTIN — Saturday’s special
election to fill the vacant 1st Con
gressional District seat can proceed,
a three-judge federal court panel
ruled Thursday.
However, the judges said the re
sults might be voided if the state fails
to seek approval of the election date
from the U.S. Justice Department by
Aug. 9.
Gov. Mark White said his staff was
“preparing the papers for submis
sion to the Justice Department as
quickly as we can.”
White aide Janis Monger said the
submission could not be made
Thursday, “but we are working on
it.”
Attorney General Jim Mattox said
voters shouldn’t be confused by the
courtroom maneuvering.
“The election will go forward and
your votes will count,” Mattox said.
“I want to make sure that voters are
not frightened away from the polls
Saturday.
“Courtroom maneuvering
shouldn’t keep people from voting
and having those votes counted.”
In their unanimous opinion, the
judges said Texas made a mistake by
failing to clear the original June 29
special election date and the Aug. 3
runoff date with the Justice Depart
ment.
Under the federal Voting Rights
Act, Southern states are required to
obtain preclearance from the Justice
Department of certain election pro
cedures to make certain there is no
discrimination against minorities.
White had argued that Texas
didn’t need federal approval of the
special election to replace Rep. Sam
Hall, D-Texas, who resigned earlier
this year to become a federal judge.
After a hearing in U.S. District
Court, the three judges issued a
complicated order directing state of
ficials to submit an election request
to the Justice Department.
In a unanimous opnion, the
judges gave the state three direc
tives:
• Texas was told to ask for appro
val immediately.
But if it failed to do so, the judges
said they wouldn’t stop Saturday’s
voting.
• Texas also was told it could sub
mit its election request before Aug.
9.
If the U.S. attorney general then
approves the plan by Aug. 15, the
election results will stand.
• If Texas fails to submit a plan
by Aug. 9, the judges said, “The
election will be declared void.”
Steven Rosenbaum, a U.S. attor
ney from Washington, told the court
if the state submitted its election
plan immediately his office has
promised to act on the request by at
least late Friday.
Assistant Attorney General Mary
Keller argued, as White had earlier,
that Texas hadn’t violated the Vot
ing Rights Rights Act.
She argued that state election laws
that gave White the right to declare
an emergency and set dates for spe
cial elections had been precleared by
federal authorities.