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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 1986)
iXl FT* V T exas A&M mm V • The Battalion ! Vol. 82 No. 63 GSPS 045360 6 pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, November 26, 1986 ational security adviser resigns (WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- Ident Reagan’s national security ad- resigned Tuesday, and a key loperative who handled secret arms to Iran was fired as the admin- limation disclosed that up to $30 mil lion of the money the Iranians paid Ifor U.S. arms was diverted to U.S.- |ba(ked Nicaraguan rebels. ^Keagan, nonetheless, continued to ijdelend his Iranian policy while ad- |mil ifig that one element of its im- Bmentation was seriously flawed Hi that he was not kept fully in- IfMTiied of his own aides’ activities. congressional sources reported ylilesday that Sen. Phil Gramm was lui|ingthe administration to appoint former Sen. John Tower of Texas to succeed Vice Adm. John M. Poin dexter as national security adviser. Tower said he had not been con tacted by the administration and re fused to say whether he would be open to taking the job as national se curity adviser. Meanwhile, Attorney General Ed win Meese revealed that the first U.S.-sanctioned arms shipment to Iran took place in 1985 without Rea gan’s knowledge and was approved by the president only after the fact. Administration sources, speaking on condition they not be identified, said that Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, who was fired in the shakeup, gave Israeli officials the go-ahead tor that shipment on his own authority. Reagan said he would name a commission to examine the role of his National Security Council staff, which directed the operation and has come under direct fire from the State Department for its operations, and the Justice Department will launch a full-scale probe of how the money was handled to determine whether federal crimes were com mitted in tunneling money to the Contras at a time when Congress had banned direct U.S. military aid to them. Reagan appeared in the White House briefing room on short notice to announce he was permitting his chief national security adviser, Poin dexter, to resign to return to the Navy, and that North, one of Poin dexter’s deputies, had been relieved of his duties on the National Security Council staff. A knowledgeable source who de clined to be identified by name said that North was questioned person ally by Meese on Sunday in the attor ney general’s office. The day before, sources said. North was questioned by a group of Justice Department lawyers for about 12 hours at his office in the Old Executive Office Building across the street from the White House. A White House aide close to North described the NSC officer as being in good spirits despite his dis missal. “He’s going to take his hits and support the president,” said the aide, who insisted on anonymity. Meese, following Reagan to the lectern, told reporters that, with North’s knowledge, $10 million to $30 million collected from the Irani ans for U.S.-shipped weapons was si phoned by Israeli middlemen and transferred to bank accounts set up by Contra rebels fighting the Sandi- nista regime in Nicaragua. House Majority Leader Jim Wright, D-Texas, said Meese told congressional leaders at a private White House briefing that negotia tions were carried out by Israel and the Iranians to reach a price, which was greater than the cost to the U.S. government. Wright said Meese de scribed at least one of the trans actions this way: arms were sold to the Iranians for $19 million, after which the CIA reimbursed the Pen tagon $3 million, covering its costs. Of the $ 16-million “residue,” Wright said, some $12 million was deposited in a numbered Swiss bank See Fired, page 6 ■ T/ioiii' I ,ggies gear up for Longhorns ith muddy, short-lived bonfire Centerpole falls after 45 minutes By Rodney Rather Staff Writer “When the bonfire burns, the )nd lasts forever.” These words spoken by Texas |WM coach Jackie Sherrill may e true, but, as thousands of Ag- ies can testify, bonfire does not st forever. The 1986 bonfire lazed for less than an hour be- Jore the centerpole snapped and Irought the whole structure to the ground in a shroud of sparks. If the centerpole falls before idnight, A&M tradition pro- laims, the Aggie football team Iso will fall to the University of texas Longhorns. But the I'welfth Man spirit of the student tody — not to mention the more jlcoholic spirits present in many R&M student bodies — may gen erate enough heat to overcome tliis bad omen. I During those few moments while the bonfire stood upright, urning furiously, Sherrill con- Irmed what all true, maroon- |looded Aggies think. “There’s no question that Ihat’s happening today makes )ts of people throughout the odd very envious,” he said. Sherrill also explained how he few the Aggie light when he first tme to A&M in 1982. “I had an opportunity to spend fome time on the bonfire, and af ter that night, I learned a whole loi about the meaning here at A&M,” he said. . In response to pre-game rhe- s foric from a few UT players who have bad-mouthed A&M in the Ifliedia, receiver Shea Walker had | short reply. I “We don’t do a lot of talking,” Walker said. “We’re going to do our part on the field.” a auioE he dll rei able 1*1 >n and er for section lent! is that ristet jrequis nothici ystem [diet jle fot uisitfi imin^ lisu'O l il wi' mi veen £' egiiie Israel says It transported arms to Iran JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said today it shipped arms to Iran for the United States and that the Iranians paid for the weapons with money deposited directly into a Swiss bank account. A statement read by Prime Min ister Yitzhak Shamir’s spokesman said Israel did not handle any of the money. The statement was issued after Shamir ended three hours of consul tations late Tuesday night with his foreign and defense ministers, Shi mon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin. It was the first acknowledgment of Israeli involvement in delivering weapons from the United States to Iran. “Israel helped in transferring de fensive weapons and spare parts to Iran according to a request by the United States,” said the statement read by spokesman Avi Pazner. “The payment was transferred by an Iranian representative directly to a Swiss bank, according to American instructions, without passing through Israel,” the statement said. It said Israel was surprised when U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III declared Tuesday that Israel re layed some of the money paid for the weapons to Nicaraguan rebels. “Israel had no knowledge of this,” read the statement. “It is clear that Israel was not and will not be pre pared to serve as a channel for this.” President Reagan told journalists Tuesday in Washington that he was not told all the details of the Iranian arms deal. Meese followed Reagan to the lectern in the White House briefing room and said that, with Lt. Col. Oliver North’s knowledge, $10 million to $30 million collected from Iran was siphoned by Israeli middle men and transferred to bank ac counts set up by rebels fighting the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. After the revelations in Washing ton, Shamir said on Israeli television that the United States should not blame Israel in the arms sale. “I don’t think there’s anything to blame Israel for,” he said. “It is not our policy to export arms to Iran, but sometimes there can be excep tions.” Israeli television said some U.S. officials appeared bent on creating the impression that Israel carried out the weapons deals behind Rea gan’s back. Ze’ev Schiff, a respected military analyst for the newspaper Haaretz who returned from Washington this week, said: “We hear more and more voices in Congress and else where saying ‘You entangled us in an adventure.’ ” Israeli sources in Jerusalem told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Israeli officials suggested to the United States that they could act as a conduit for ship ping U.S. weapons to Iran. The 1986 bonfire blazes Tuesday night. The bonfire fell after 45 minutes. Pentagon wasn’t advised on effects of arms proposals students charged with theft of phone service By Mona Palmer Assistant City Editor and Ken Sury Sports Editor iTexas A&M University Police charged two A&M students Tuesday with misdemeanor theft (fservice. Rudy Velasquez, 22, and Robert Bostic, 21, both turned themselves in to the University Po lite Velasquez was booked at 1 p.m. and Bostic was booked around 3:30 p.m. Both students al legedly charged $20 to $200 in long-distance service. Bob Wiatt, director of security and University Police, said MCI Telecommunications Corp. filed the complaints last week. He added that the police have three additional warrants to serve. Charges are also pending against five mem bers of the A&M football team, Wiatt said. He said Star Tel filed the complaints with the Uni versity Police Monday. “A lot of people think ‘Oh gee, you’re not pick ing the athletes until Monday,’ ” Wiatt said. “But there are other factors. The kids picked up today and tomorrow had complaints filed against them last Thursday or Friday. “On the athletes, these complaints were re ceived yesterday (Monday) afternoon,” he said. “They have to be processed, and with the holi days 1 do not look until Monday or Tuesday be fore those warrants will be issued and served.” In a statement Tuesday, University President Frank E. Vandiver wrote, “We certainly do not condone action such as that alleged against a few of our students, but we regard it as an individual problem rather than one that directly involves the institution. . . . We think it unfortunate — perhaps could even say unfair — that this partic ular company’s officials have apparently decided it is to their advantage to make examples of ath letes.” A&M head coach and athletic director Jackie Sherrill said Tuesday that he stood by Vandiver’s statement and wouldn’t comment further. WASHINGTON (AP) — The na tion’s top military officer told Con gress Tuesday the Pentagon wasn’t consulted on the military effects of a major nuclear arms control proposal before President Reagan offered the plan to Soviet Leader Mikhail Gor bachev at the Iceland summit. The U.S. offer to eliminate all atomic-tipped nuclear missiles within a decade caused concern among U.S. military leaders, said Adm. William L. Crowe Jr., chair man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The proposal was discussed by Reagan and Gorbachev at their sum mit meeting in Rekyjavik last month and is still under consideration at Holiday food poisoning can be avoided By Mark Beal Reporter 1’, It’s almost Thanksgiving, time to head home, watch football and stuff yourself silly. But public health offi cials warn that it’s also time to watch out for food poisoning, i Dr. Leon H. Russell Jr., professor of veterinary medicine and veteri nary public health at Texas A&M, says Thanksgiving’s festive environ ment often creates the perfect atmo sphere for harmful bacteria that breed in food. I “Holiday meals are the cause of a lot of food poisoning,” Russell says. "People cook a bunch of food, maybe carry it a long distance, let it lit at room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator in big con tainers.” Such practices can allow the food to reach temperatures close to nor mal body temperature, which is also the ideal temperature for bacteria to multiply. The result, he says, is that a lot of people end up being “sick as the de vil” during the holidays. No accurate figures are available because food poisoning is rarely re ported unless there is a major out break, Russell says. But he estimates that instances of food poisoning probably double around holidays. Russell says most cases of food poisoning in the United States are the result of one of three types of bacteria: clostridium perfringens. salmonella and staphylococcus au reus. The bacteria attack the body in two different ways. Clostridium perfringens and salmonella cause an infection by re producing inside the body. Staphylococcus aureus (along with the less common but far more se rious clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism) creates a toxin in the food that then poisons its host. In this case, it is the toxin — not the food itself— that causes the illness. Russell says that after the onset of food poisoning, there isn’t much that can be done except to “tough it out.” “Other than botulism . . . food poisoning is not that severe unless the victims are at extreme ages ... or have some other debilitating dis ease,” he says. He says food poisoning should run its course within 24 to 48 hours. However, he does suggest that people who have been infected with salmonella take antibiotics since they can become a carrier and spread the bacteria to others for one or two weeks after they recover. Russell says one guiding principle exists for the prevention of food poi soning: “Keep the food either hot or cold; the longer you leave it in be tween, the more danger there is of getting sick.” Russell says a turkey should never be left standing at room tempera ture or taken out of the refrigerator to thaw. After it’s cooked, it should be cut up rather than placed in the refrig erator as a whole; this allows it to cool quickly and gives the bacteria less time to multiply. Other potential causes of food poisoning include inadequate cook ing and poor personal hygiene. He says the botulism toxin can easily be destroyed by heat, but that the staphylococcus toxin can’t, so the organism must be killed before it See Poison, page 6 ongoing nuclear arms reduction talks in Geneva, Crowe said. During the 10 days before the meeting was announced, there were general discussions about various combinations of nuclear arms reduc tions, Crowe told the House Armed Services Committee. “The general feeling was there would be some addressing of arms control issues at Reykjavik, but not much progress,” he said. But when Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis., the panel’s chairman, asked if the five-member Joint Chiefs, the na tion’s top military body, had studied the military impact of eliminating all nuclear missiles, Crowe said it hadn’t. “We didn’t think the proposals at Reykjavik would go that far, that fast,” Crowe said. He said later: “If I knew then what I know now, I would advise the president differently.” The Pentagon is rushing to com plete a study about the military ef fect of eliminating all nuclear weap ons and expects to have it finished by mid-January, Crowe said. Had the Pentagon known that the United States planned to propose eliminating all nuclear missiles within a decade, Crowe said, it would have put more effort into a detailed analysis of the effects. Crowe said the Pentagon is not studying an even more sweeping proposal, reportedly considered in Iceland, involving the elimination by both superpowers of all nuclear weapons. That would also include bombers and atomic-tipped cruise missiles.