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Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1988
College Station, Texas
Vol. 88 No. 33 USPS 045360 8 Pages
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Photo by Kathy Haveman
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Karen Timme, a junior speech communication major and Robert Russell, a Palmer) do a card trick to promote the Renaissance Festival Tuesday by Rud-
senior engineering technology major, watch Merlin the Magician (Bill der Tower.
Cubans seize
ship carrying
‘Cup’ yacht
MIAMI (AP) — A Cuban gunboat
seized a 160-foot supply ship carrying
New Zealand’s entry in the America’s
Cup race and detained eight United
States citizens Tuesday, the Coast Guard
said.
The Tampa Seahorse, a New Orleans-
based ship, was sailing about 12 miles
off the southeastern tip of Cuba when the
gunboat approached and seized it. Coast
Guard spokesman Dan Vogeley said.
The ship’s agent later told the Coast
Guard in Miami that the America’s Cup
entry, the New Zealand, was aboard the
ship, which was en route from Long
Beach, Calif, to New York City.
There were no reports of shots fired or
use of force, and the ship and crew were
taken without further incident to Cayo
Mola, Cuba, Vogeley said.
The master of the ship disputed the
Cuban navy’s claim that the vessel was
inside the island nation’s territorial wa
ters and placed an urgent call to the
Coast Guard at about 3 p.m. EDT. Coast
Guard officers advised the master to
comply, Vogeley said.
The ship was escorted to the port for
inspection purposes, Maggie Kerrigan, a
spokeswoman at the New Zealand con
sulate in Los Angeles, said.
Kerrigan said New Zealand officials
have asked the State Department and
Coast Guard to help gain the vessel’s re
lease.
“They are confident of no significant
delay (in winning release of both ves
sels),” Kerrigan said.
“We understand this type of incident
has, on occasion, occurred in the past
with U.S. ships (sailing through) the pas
sage between Cuba and the Dominican
Republic,” Kerrigan said.
The chairman of the New Zealand
Challenge, Michael Fay, was not aboard
the ship. Fay forced the San Diego Yacht
Club into an early defense of the Cup this
year after winning a court order that vali
dated his challenge of the race rules.
The sloop Fay used in the race was
twice as long as the traditional 12-meter
yachts used in Cup competitions. The
San Diego Yacht Club responded by
building a dual-hulled catamaran to de
fend the Cup, and Dennis Conner skip
pered the Stars & Stripes to two easy vic
tories over the Kiwis to sweep a best-of-
three series.
Fay is planning to return to the New
York court holding jurisdiction over
America’s Cup disputes to seek forfeit
ure of the Cup on grounds that the San
Diego Yacht Club used an allegedly ille
gal defender.
A Question of Identity’ dead issue, director says
By Stephen Masters
Senior Staff Writer
and
By Richard Tijerina
Staff Writer
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Problems surrounding the Aggie
layers’ production of “A Question
f Identity,” which resulted in the
lay’s cancellation, have not been re
ived, and director Charles Gor-
lone said he considers the play a
lead issue.
I Conflicts arose between Gordone
and the play’s author, Pat Pfeiffer,
J>ver the way the play was written
^ Bid produced. Gordone and Pfeif
fer agreed beforehand to revise and
■write several parts of the script to
gether, but Gordone asked Pfeiffer
not to attend the later rehearsals.
Pfeiffer disagreed with Gordone’s
anges and requested production
up called® 1 iff the play he stopped. The final de-
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The play deals with a reporter’s
quest to find answers in the mys
terious death of a slain civil rights
leader in the 1960s.
Gordone said his main problems
with the script were with the way
blacks were depicted in the play and
Pfeiffer’s lack of knowledge about
the time period.
“We couldn’t have done it with the
things that were in the play,” he said.
“I refused to as a playwright, as a di
rector and most primarily as a black
man, because we’ve had enough of
stereotypes.
“She didn’t know anything about
her subject. We chose the play be
cause we thought it would be very
stimulating for Texas A&M. It’s a
subject that touches all of us — the
civil rights movement and race.
“We thought it was the kind of
play that, if worked on, would be
worthy to work on. We felt it had
great possibilities. It espoused the
understanding of people and ques
tioned our own identities.”
Pfeiffer, who is white, was un
available for comment Tuesday.
Gordone said although Pfeiffer’s
intentions were good, she was not fa
miliar enough with the time period
to present an accurate description of
the civil rights movement.
“I think that she had great inten
tions, but there was too much institu
tionalized racism in the play,” Gor
done said. “This is where we fell
apart because she would not change
it and it was getting down to the wi
re.”
Gordone said there were no ex
amples of prejudice in the play, only
instances in which Pfeiffer did not
accurately portray the way blacks
were in the decade.
“It wasn’t prejudice,” he said, “it
was just bad information in terms of
where blacks were. It was bad infor
mation because blacks weren’t like
that. They didn’t speak like that.
“In writing, I know what institu
tionalized racism is,” he said. “I don’t
care what good intentions (there
are). It’s like (saying), ‘Some of my
best friends are black and I know
some black people, but I wouldn’t
have them for dinner. They can live
their life and I can live mine.’ ”
Because of these indiscrepancies,
Gordone said he had no choice but
to rework some of the play’s scenes.
Gordone felt revisions were
needed because the original script
was “raw” and not in any con
structed format. Pfeiffer, an ama
teur playwright, won the 1988 Aggie
Players’ New Plays competition with
her submission “A Question of Iden
tity.”
Gordone said he did not rewrite
the play, but merely edited it and
filled in certain scenes and phrases
which needed to be defined.
“Her play was not damaged, it was
enhanced,” Gordone said. “I went
ahead and fixed it the best I could. I
did not change her play and I did
not rewrite it. I merely filled in char
acterization, filled in certain things
that needed to be explained, trying
the best that I could to use her lan
guage.
“I’m certainly not in the business
of rewriting anybody’s plays. I’m not
going to have blacks who would
come and see it, and even whites,
(come see the play) passed off with
blatant insult and racial innuendos.”
Gordone said Pfeiffer did not ac
cept his recommendations for revi
sions in the script.
“She’d go back and rewrite it and
rewrite it the same with worse lines,”
he said. “Finally, once we finished all
that she considered my recommen
dations and we sat down and read it,
they weren’t dramatic and weren’t
keeping with the theme of her play.”
Gordone won the 1970 Pulitzer
Prize for his play, “No Place To Be
Somebody,” and is now a distin
guished lecturer at A&M.
Gordone said he was looking for
ward to working with Pfeiffer be
cause he thought it would be re
freshing to work with a white
playwright on a civil rights play.
“I thought it was great that here
was somebody white who was taking
a chance on writing a play concern
ing blacks,” he said. “I thought she
and I could very much get along be
cause she is a product of the 60s and
so am I. I was anticipating a good
rapport. Playwrights and directors
get into this all the time. It’s not un
usual.”
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A bank holding
tmipany with branches in 72 countries
as indicted Tuesday in what federal
gents described as the first drug-related
toney-laundering case involving a
and if® - S°b a l banking institution.
William Von Raab, head of the U.S.
lustoms Service, called it the “first cor-
rate raid,” adding “we have given
w meaning to the term ‘hostile take-
r er.”
“For some international banks, their
sleaze factor is higher than their interest
rates,” Von Raab said. “That’s what
we’re talking about here, just pure
greed. ’ ’
In a two-year undercover sting dubbed
“Operation C Chase,” from the C in C-
note or a $100 bill. Customs agents were
able to infiltrate powerful Colombian
money-laundering syndicates and help
launder an estimated $32 million in drug
proceeds, federal authorities said.
The money was intended principally
reshmen officials
Ichosen in run-offs
W
u
m
By Kelly S. Brown
Staff Writer
Trenton Kelley was announced presi-
ntof the class of ’92 as candidates and
pporters gathered around the Lawar-
ice Sullivan Ross Statue Tuesday af-
poon to hear results of the freshman
m-off elections.
Shawn Roberts was elected vice presi-
ent; Michael Pilgrim, secretary; C.R.
Jpok, treasurer and Rod Garrett, social
cretary.
neb HThe f 2ve newly elected freshman offi-
^Cfs, who are all members of the Corps
0 fjet* ( l |of Cadets, will be joining Heather West
Student Government. West was
ected historian after the preliminaries
ct. 5.
[Perry Liston, a junior business major
election commissioner, said only
Jtlf of the freshman who voted in the
[first election voted in the run-off.
son
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|“More emphasis should have been
Seed on the second election because it
the final vote for five offices,” he
Id.
The run-offs drew 707 freshmen vot
ers in the run-otts, while 1,491 had
voted in the first election.
Kristin Hay, an election commissioner
and student senator, said, “It’s interest
ing to see who was ahead going into the
run-offs and who actually won.”
In the preliminary presidential race,
Kim Nietenhoefer, a biomedical science
major, had been ahead with 20 percent of
the vote, while Kelley held 11 percent.
In the run-offs Kelley won with 70 per
cent of the vote.
But theirs wasn’t the only close race.
Not only was Lisa Mayer ahead in the
preliminary race for social secretary with
44 percent of the vote, while Garrett had
26 percent of the vote, but in the run-offs
the office was decided by two votes.
Garrett clinched the seat with 336
votes, while Lisa Mayer had 334 votes.
Hay said they made sure every ballot
was counted and recounted because the
vote was so close.
“We encourage students who did not
win to seek chairman positions on class
council this fall,” Hay said.
Campaign materials must be down by
Friday at 5 p.m.
for Colombian drug traffickers, includ
ing the Medellin Cartel, Customs said.
Indictments unsealed Tuesday named
nine banking officials along with a Lux
embourg-based bank holding company,
BCCI Holdings, as well as two subsidia
ries, Bank of Credit and Commerce In
ternational S.A., which has operations in
the United States and England, and Bank
of Credit and Commerce International
(Overseas) Limited, organized in the
Cayman Islands and operating in France,
the Republic of Panama, Colombia, the
Bahamas and the United States.
In addition to the indictments, the
government filed civil complaints seek
ing the forfeiture of the individuals’
property and funds as allegedly rep
resenting drug profits, and it also seeks
the forfeiture of BCCI assets.
A federal restraining order was issued
against the bank, preventing all but rou
tine business without clearance from
U.S. Marshals, Von Raab said.
Altogether, 85 defendants were named
in indictments returned in Tampa, New
York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia,
Houston. Additionally, five other war
rants were issued in Miami, Los An
geles, London and Paris, with two in
London.
At least 40 people have been arrested
around the world, including some people
in the United States, England and Argen
tina, officials said.
Cenelia Ocampo Perez was the only
one of four suspects arrested in Houston
that was named in a seven-count indict
ment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd
Foster said.
She was charged with one count of
drug conspiracy and one count of money
laundering, he said.
Other people who were named in the
Houston indictment were Bibion Osorio,
charged with drug conspiracy, posses
sion of cocaine with intent to distribute
and four counts of money laundering;
Rafael Forero, charged with drug con
spiracy, possession and two counts of
laundering; and Victor Alzate, charged
with drug conspiracy and two counts of
laundering.
“The indictment alleges a broad-rang
ing drug conspiracy and it charges these
people with money laundering, or laun
dering of the drug proceeds, which was
generated through the sale and distribu
tion of cocaine,” Foster said.
He said undercover agents posed as
launderers, accepting suitcases full of
money, and that the agents acted as mid
dle men with Colombian suppliers.
Houston officials joined in the two-
year investigation last February, Foster
said, and handled an average of $1 mil
lion a month in drug money.
“It is the first time an entire interna
tional financial institution and its impor
tant members have been indicted,” said
Von Raab, who appeared at a news con
ference here with high-ranking customs
representatives from England and
France.
Drug agents from England and France
participated in busting the ring.
“Colombian traffickers are really
looking to Europe to improve their mar
kets,” Von Raab said, saying cocaine
prices are double there. “But they can’t
without help from financial institutions.”
“That’s why this case is important. ”
The holding company, prosecutors
said, is the world’s seventh-largest pri
vately held financial institution. Most
large banks have pidjlicly traded stock.
The trade journal American Banker
said Bank of Credit and Commerce In
ternational ranks as No. 326 among the
world’s biggest banks, as measured by
deposits, and No. 378 as measured by
assets.
The bank said in a news release that its
officials and lawyers had not seen the al
legations and couldn’t respond.
Deaver addresses
perjury conviction
at A&M lecture
By Sherri Roberts
Reporter
Though presidential image making
was the planned focus of his lecture,
Michael Deaver instead addressed the
volatile subject, which most recently
established his name in headlines.
“My crime was not that I returned
to my former profession, but that I
was a prime target,” President Rea
gan’s former deputy White House
chief of staff told an audience in Rud
der Theater last night.
After resigning from that post in
1985, Deaver established the lobbyist
and public relations firm, Michael K.
Deaver and Associates. Because of
his connections with influential poli
ticians, Deaver was criticized for sell
ing his influence.
During investigations, Deaver tes
tified to having no recollection of
contacting Washington officials on
behalf of his clients. Contradictory
testimonies led to Deaver’s perjury
conviction in December.
“I don’t think there’s anything
wrong with taking skills learned from
working in government to work in the
private sector,” Deaver said. “Access
means you understand how the sys
tem works and having the ability to
cut through bureaucracy and get to
the heart of the client’s matter.”
Deaver said it was not coincidental
that the officials pressing for investi
gation were facing political pressure.
Deaver said the ethical standards of
Congress were in need of an over
haul.
“If you’re going to have ethical
standards, let’s not be hypocritical
about it,” he said. “If they had to go
through the investigation I had, I
don’t know what would happen.”
Deaver said congressmen were a
minor form of royalty in Washington,
citing their exemption from parking
tickets as an example of their prive-
leged status. Deaver said these
exemptions were small-scale evi
dence of a larger-scale problem.
“Congress is not representative,”
Michael Deaver
he said. “The national legislature is
not in touch with the problems of the
average citizen.”
Unlike the average citizen, Deaver
said, members of the House of Rep
resentatives are allowed to make de
posits and withdrawals exceeding
$10,000 in a personal bank without
being reported to the Internal Reve
nue Service.
“We need a congress of profes
sional teachers, professional entre
preneurs and professional computer
scientists, not of professional poli
ticians,” he said.
As Reagan’s deputy chief of staff,
Deaver was referred to by many as his
image-maker. Although he never saw
this as being his role, Deaver said the
candidate’s image is important.
“The visual image people see is as
important as the spoken word,” he
said. “We have the opportunity to see
the whole person. We learn from
their body language and gestures as
much as we do from the spoken
word.”
Whatever his role, Deaver’s 20-
year friendship with the Reagan’s
was strained due to his conviction.
“It’s changed,” he said. “I’m a
convicted felon, and he’s the presi
dent of the United States. I wouldn’t
want to do anything that would hurt
him politically, as much as that
hurts.”
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