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TKeBattalion
I^Tl0l®2 No. 70 GSPS 045360 14 pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, December 9, 1986
Official: Reagan OK’d ‘indirect’ shipments
SHINGTON (AP) — Robert
Farlane, President Reagan’s
met national security adviser,
itradicted previous accounts from
Bstration officials on Monday,
Bing under oath that the presi-
itfipproved an “indirect” ship-
f arms to Iran in August
he public accounting of the
administration’s foreign pol-
[co began on Capitol Hill, Sec
ary of State George P. Shultz —
d under oath before the House
Foreign Affairs Committee — den
ied involvement in the transfer of
Iranian arms sale profits to Nicara
guan rebels, saying he had “zero”
knowledge of the “illegal” diversion
of money.
As Shultz and McFarlane ap
peared separately before the com
mittee, the Justice Department re
leased the text of its application to a
federal appellate court panel in
Washington, seeking appointment
of an independent counsel to probe
possible criminal activity in the af
fair
The request raised the possibility
that the granting of immunity from
prosecution may be necessary to get
to the bottom of the affair.
It was not immediately clear when
the three-member panel would act
to name the counsel.
Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North,
fired as a top National Security
Council aide, and “other U.S. gov
ernment officials” were mentioned
as likely targets of the investigation.
McFarlane, who had testified last
week in secret before Senate Intelli
gence Committee, testified publicly
Monday before the House panel,
saying the president gave his autho
rization for the indirect shipment of
“small levels of arms to Iran for the
purpose of strengthing elements
against terrorism.”
McFarlane did not mention any
other country by name, but Israel
has been identified as having sent
American arms to Iran during the
summer of 1985.
Attorney General Edwin Meese
III, who made a preliminary inquiry
into the matter at Reagan’s request.
said on Nov. 25, “Our information is
that the president knew about it
probably after the fact.”
On Friday, White House spokes
man Larry Speakes said he had “not
found anyone who has a recollection
of the president approving” the Is
raeli shipment in advance.
Asked about the transfer of prof
its from the arms sale to the Nicara
guan Contra rebels, McFarlane, who
resigned as national security adviser
in December 1985, said the presi
dent “did not know of and did not
approve such actions.”
When asked to speculate on who
might have approved such action,
McFarlane said, “I wasn’t there, and
it’s out of place for me to speculate.”
Shultz added a startling new
wrinkle to the unraveling scandal as
he revealed during his appearance
that former White House officials
and John Kelly, the U.S. ambassador
to Lebanon, secretly discussed nego
tiations aimed at freeing Americans
held hostage in Lebanon, without ei
ther party notifying the State De
partment of the consultations.
right selected
ouse speaker
|y Democrats
'ASHINGTON (AP) — House
tnBcrats on Monday selected Jim
Ht of Texas, their majority
Kiel for the past decade, to be-
cneihe chamber’s 48th speaker.
P ht accepted the unanimous
tion of his party colleagues
romise to quickly move a leg-
agenda that will include —
it not be dominated by — investi-
tion of the Reagan administra-
m'fcran arms sales.
Democrats “hope to demonstrate
the American people . . . that we
mocrats have our act together,
hat we can govern,” Wright
irtci The speaker of the House holds a
totitutional position, in line of suc-
iop to the presidency after the
■resident. Wright’s nomination
of flutes ratification by the full
ffj (1 |use on Jan. 6, when the 100th
Jnptss convenes.
Democrats will hold a 258-177
—''ajdity, and party allegiance in
UcA|\ote is nearly absolute.
Wright, 63, first elected to the
B^oiise in 1954, will succeed retiring
dl.Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., D-Mass.,
Bias held the speaker’s post for
it las i 10 years.
B Democrats, in their open
irty caucus, also unanimously
lose Rep. Thomas Foley of Wash-
pn, currently the majority whip,
JSInovt up to majority leader. Rep.
■ Coelho of California was
31 M as whip in the only contested
■n.
House Republicans, meanwhile,
Tiled their seasoned leadership
J)f Minority Leader Robert H.
:hel of Illinois and Minority Whip
f|Lott of Mississippi.
Tight said the House will move
Hr' to establish a special commit-
t"to get all the facts of the Iranian
Biisadventure on the table.”
put Wright said Congress should
^ow the Iran fiasco “to preoc-
lis, nor to paralyze us, nor to
It us from the important work
UlS'e to do.”
;ht promised speedy action in
)ilyy to pass the clean-water legis-
iii vetoed by President Reagan
ilhe 99th Congress adjourned,
©id a highway construction bill
iisago on his agenda.
IHfsaid achievable objectives for
Ifriew Congress included legis-
lion io cut the trade and budget
pits, welfare reform and more
; lp for farmers.
Wriight, known for his spicing his
mpy rhetoric with flashes of an-
ijr. told the Democrats they were
1 ing well by teaming him with the
Uti(|is Foley.
“Sometimes I’m too prone to
ootlfrom the hip,” Wright said,
^ylmakes me pause before step-
n gil a gopher hole,” he said.
Soon after the caucus recessed,
righi told reporters he was ready
usefe tax increase if necessary, and
[ie military buildup, to tackle
the chronic high budget deficits.
Wright proposed putting off fu
ture scheduled tax cuts for the
wealthiest Americans under the in
come tax overhaul law approved last
year.
The leadership race requiring a
vote was for the job being vacated by
Foley, majority whip, the third-high-
est House leadership post. The party
whips and their deputies count votes
and lobby members on behalf of the
leaders.
Coelho, chairman of the Demo
cratic Congressional Campaign
Committee, was rewarded for the
work done for others’ campaigns
with a 167-78 victory over top chal
lenger Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.
Rep. Bill Hefner, D-N.C., was a
distant third, and his vote total was
not announced.
Both Rangel and Hefner will re
main deputy whips.
Both parties voted to stay with
their current House party chairmen,
both of whom are possible presi
dential candidates. Rep. Jack Kemp,
R-N.Y., was unanimously approved
as chairman of the House Republi
can Conference, and Rep. Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo., won another term
as chairman of the House Demo
cratic Caucus.
Be Vewwy Vewwy Quiet.
Though most final exams are scheduled for next week, some students
got an early start: Junior premed major Brent Steadman takes a pari-
Photo by Shawn Edwards
sitology lab practical Saturday evening. He’s looking at slides made
from different dissections done during class.
School officials still on offensive zachryco
despite decline in drug abuse ^tateoffictais
(AP) — Prodded by the president
and an alarmed public, America’s
schools have launched an all-out of
fensive against drugs.
Hundreds of teachers, parents,
students and school officials inter
viewed across the country agree that
abuse of most drugs except cocaine
seems to have eased from the epide
mic levels of the 1970s.
But few take much comfort from
that.
Educators are alarmed by the ap
pearance of the cheaper, purer form
of cocaine known as crack, by the
steady drop in age of drug experi
menters, and by the most commonly
abused drug, alcohol.
“The evidence indicates that sup
pliers are providing less marijuana
this fall,” said Billy Walker, assistant
principal at the 3,500-student India
napolis North Central High. “But we
believe that they may be setting the
stage to try and bring crack into the
market as a substitute.”
A new federally financed survey
of high school drug use is expected
to be released Dec. 11. It will in
clude, for the first time, national sta
tistics on crack use among high
school students.
Educators agree drug use
in Texas schools worsening
DALLAS (AP) — Drug use in
Texas’ public schools is getting
worse and infecting even the el
ementary grades, but mandatory
drug tests aren’t the way to attack
the problem, some educators say.
No agency keeps statewide figures
on drug use in the more than 5,000
public schools, but more than a
dozen teachers, administrators and
other officials interviewed agreed
the problem is spreading.
“It’s a nightmare,” said Annette
Cootes, information officer for the
Texas State Teachers Association.
“They’re now starting drugs
younger and younger, as with glue
sniffing in elementary schools.”
Alcohol is still the most-abused
drug in Texas schools, marijuana is
No. 2, and cocaine and crack are on
the rise, said Jim Bradley, preven
tion department director of the
Texas Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse.
“We don’t have any hard statistics
See Drugs, page 14
In districts large and small, the
horror stories continue — of 10-
year-old children caught drinking
and using drugs, of youths out-earn
ing their teachers by dealing drugs.
“Five years ago we had no cases in
the elementary schools,” said Ed
ward Ortiz, superintendent of
schools in Santa Fe, N.M. “Now . . .
the problem is filtering down to the
elementary grades.”
Stories like these, along with the
cocaine-related death last summer of
Len Bias, a basketball star at the Uni
versity of Maryland; a 78-page De
partment of Education booklet.
“Schools Without Drugs”; and a re
cently televised call-to-arms against
drug use by President and Nancy
Reagan, have apparently aroused
the public as never before about stu
dent drug use.
A Gallup poll released in August
found, for the first time, that the
public viewed drug use as the No. 1
problem facing schools.
But many of those interviewed
questioned whether the anti-drug
campaign was entirely on target.
Across the country, there was
near unanimity that alcohol — rarely
mentioned in the current anti-drug
furor — is the student drug of
choice.
“Alcohol is regarded as the gate
way drug,” said Betty Herron, Ar
kansas state coordinator of Nancy
Reagan’s National Federation of
Parents for Drug-Free Youth. “My
feeling is anyone into marijuana and
cocaine has started with alcohol.”
“I think the big hullabaloo to get
tough on drugs is good,” said stu
dent counselor William Cosgriff, in
Springfield, Mass. “But I think it
might take the focus off the real
drug problem for us, which is alco
hol abuse.”
otton Club’ again a smash hit forA&M
By Daniel A. La Bry
Staff Writer
Tin front lawn of G. Rollie White Col-
seum was speckled with a mosaic of colorful
ents Sunday night as Texas A&M football
ans made their second annual pilgrimage to
otton Bowl ticket line.
amp Cotton” boasted about 700 loyal
ampers, including a Santa Claus, and more
lian 100 dwellings decorated with everything
tom Christmas lights to beer cans, the latter
«ng the most popular by far.
It was like history repeating itself, follow-
igin the footsteps of last year’s Cotton Bowl
scapade.
In 1985, plenty of tickets were left after the
ush and tickets continued to sell the second
ay.
Jim Kotch, ticket manager for the Athletic
tepartment, said the ticket office has about
,200 tickets left to go on sale today.
If the campers weren’t worried about get
ting Cotton Bowl tickets, why were they
there?
The pilgrimage may have been caused by a
craving for the free donuts that arrived about
5:30 a.m., compliments of head football
coach Jackie Sherrill.
J. W. Maynard, assistant director of food
services, said Sherrill sent 75 dozen donuts
with hot coffee in appreciation for the fan
support.
The only problem with this theory is that
people still stayed after the donuts were gone.
Another theory is that the campers flocked
to G. Rollie White to attend one of the last yell
practices held on campus this year.
Four yell leaders conducted a short yell
practice for the campers at about 12:30 a.m.
from atop the marquee over the ticket win
dows.
After the yells were over, campers went
back to playing backgammon, poker, domi
noes and quarters.
Another reason for the pilgrims’ arrival
could have been the wide variety of free mov
ies shown throughout the night — and into
the morning.
Campers could choose from a prestigious
list, including “Animal House,” “48 Hours,”
“Back to the Future,” and “Caddyshack.”
The highlight of the movies came with a 3
a.m., ear-splitting version of the helicopter at
tack scene in “Apocalypse Now” — in stereo.
Some over-rambunctious campers decided
to test their speakers and see how many tents
they could knock over with only sound.
Unfortunately, this highly scientific test
failed, but it did wake up everyone who had
fallen asleep by accident.
Mysteriously enough, the dedicated camp
ers held tight, refusing to move.
Freshmen Pat Schulte and Alan Akin were
the first campers to set up. Schulte said they
showed up at about 2:30 a.m. Friday.
The two were holding a spot for their wing
in Aston Hall.
In return for the time they spent camping,
Schulte and Akin got senior books to cover
their freshmen books.
Schulte said the two passed time by playing
games, making friends, watching movies and
studying.
Senior Mary McFarland, the first person to
pitch a tent last year, was the fourth person
out this time.
McFarland said the first couple of nights
were pretty calm, but Sunday night was wild
— wilder than any night last year.
She said she came out for the party and just
to have a good time.
Junior Dawn Ross, who set up Friday af
ternoon, said Friday was the big night, while
See Cotton, page 14
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A con
struction company with millions in
government contracts entertained
public officials at a ranch between
1981 and March of this year, a news
paper reported Monday.
H.B. Zachry Co. of San Antonio,
which faces criminal trial Dec. 15 in
Dallas in connection with airport
construction, entertained the guests
at La Perla hunting complex in Za
pata County, the San Antonio Ex
press-News reported.
The company was founded in
1924 in Laredo by H.B. Zachry,
Class of ’22, and is listed by Forbes
magazine in top 200 non-public
companies in the country with an
nual sales of about $525 million, the
Express-News reported. Company
president H.B. Zachry Jr. graduated
from Texas A&M in 1954.
The company spent at least
$70,000 on drinks, ammunition,
hunting kits and the like between
1983-1985, the newspaper reported.
A Zachry executive said the hunt
ing parties violated no law and said
they had no influence on the gov
ernment contracts the company
holds.
A Zachry spokeswoman told the
newspaper, “There is no violation of
the law.”
A guest register at the 17,399-acre
complex contains more than 300
names of guests who said they were
associated with various government
and semi-governmental bodies.
The Texas Department of High
ways and Public Transportation was
the agency most represented at the
hunting lease.
At least 250 highway department
officials signed a guest register over
a four-year period, the newspaper
reported.
Zachry won about $250 million in
state highway contracts for the 1984-
1985 fiscal year.
Top San Antonio city officials also
were guests at the ranch.
Since 1980, the city has awarded
Zachry about $40 million for con
struction projects.
As a result of work at the Dallas-
See Zachry, page 14