The Battalion Tuesday, Oct. 25, 1988 Page 3
State/Local
Former arms negotiator leaves Europe for A&M position
By Kelly S. Brown
Staff Writer
JFor the past five years he argued arms
introl with the Soviets. He was living a
hfch, hectic life as an American negotia-
B in Europe — coming home every
night to his palace in Austria before
Tshing off to two or three parties where
[gotiations would be the focus of the
ejcning.
■Dr. Ron Hatchett has traded in his al-
ways-on-thc-go lifestyle for calmer, but
Oil t jus! as challenging, days in College Sta
tion. He returned to his native Texas in
September to become the associate direc
tor for programs at the Mosher Institute
f Defense Studies.
iHatchett, who has been at the Institute
Ice September, said the defense-orien
tated think tank is in manv wavs more
ina: I
tun
tonet
mg at
fries
friewi
See related story, page 1
lillenging than the work he did as an
Tis negotiator.
JJntil August, he was the U.S. Depart
ment of Defense's primary spokesman in
Europe on conventional arms control,
where his goal as a negotiator was to in-
jliaM' national security but to do so with
less reliance on arms and armaments, he
said.
■'he battle of a negotiation was some
times frustrating. Hatchett said.
| “But 1 knew 1 had to try." he said. “No
maiter how little my anticipations were
going into a round. I had to look at it in
|Bpective — that it was a new round
and it could result in a breakthrough. No
matter how pessimistic I was about our
c|ances. 1 had to go. Arms control is a
high-stake activity, not only from the
itandpoint of the possible result in terms
oBecurity of the people, but the likcli-
jpood that both systems can survive."
It’s also high stakes from an economic
itandpoint.
“It we come up with a conventional
■s agreement that significantly lowers
■conventional force level in Europe, it
Wil save an extreme amount of money.”
Hatchett said.
■onventional arms are the most ex
pensive forces, he said. Nuclear forces
Ha bargain when compared to conven-
Hal arms — 85 percent of the defense
dget is spent on conventional arms, he
:spitc the magnitude of his responsi
bilities negotiating arms agreements with
Hof the world's most powerful politi-
al and military forces. Hatchett said he
^never intimidated by the Soviets,
e have been negotiating from a po
sition of strength, especially under the
Reagan-Bush administration.” Hatchett
said. "We know what the real situation is
around the world. We know who has the
support, the hearts and the minds of
more people in the west, and we have the
support of our own allies.” Hatchett said.
"1 never felt under-the-gun or intim
idated when negotiating with the Sovi
ets.”
There is a great difference in negotia
tions with Soviets under Gorbachev and
negotiating with Soviet leaders prior to
Gorbachev, he said.
"I'm not saying the ultimate goals of
the Soviet Union have changed under
Gorbachev, but their way of doing busi
ness has changed.
"In the past. Soviets would not even
be embarrassed about, for example,
things like not agreeing to on-sight in
spection — they'd say it was an insult.
They gave us all these reasons for not al
lowing inspectors to come on their soil,
but when Gorbachev came to power, he
began to talk about several things that
could offer this possibility of inspectors
on their soil and on-sight verification.
This is a big step for conventional arms
control agreements in Europe," Hatchett
said.
"But I have to stress the word ‘possi
bility' because we don’t know whether
or not Gorbachev's serious — we have a
chance to test him on this.”
Hatchett said it's a little easier at least
to talk to the Soviets now. "Whether the
results will be different in the long run is
dependent on whether or not Gorba
chev's glasnost and perestroika policies
eventually pan out."
That is a wait-and-see situation.
Hatchett said, whereas in the past, the
United States knew where it stood with
the Soviets — they usually were saying
no.
"It was also frustrating in the past be
cause they blocked every avenue nec
essary to come to an arms control
agreement,” he said. "What is frustrating
now is that the Russians are saying what
we want to hear, but they haven't gotten
down to details yet. so we have to wait to
see if what they say they’re going to do
will pan out.
"The proof of the pudding is in the eat
ing. and we haven’t been able to eat the
pudding yet.”
Whether it is pudding, steak or sand
wiches. the Soviets and American nego
tiators eat together often because so
much time is spent negotiating.
"Maybe three hours twice a week were
spent in formal, across the table negotia
tions, while 30 to 40 hours a week were
spent in informal negotiations.” he said.
Dr. Ron Hatchett
“We had a saying — ‘I regret but I
have one liver to give to my country.'
because of all the cocktail parties and
formal dinners we had to attend.
"I met face-to-face with these people
daily,” he said. "I got to know them as
people rather than as a status or a face
less slogan like 'communist' or ‘capital
ist.’”
There is very little acrimony and dra
matics during negotiations, Hatchett
said.
The Soviet and U.S. negotiators have
a mutual respect for one another, which
comes from the fact that they are from
large countries and are respective leaders
of their alliances. Hatchett said.
“The old rigid Soviet negotiators, like
Stalin — who once said about Gromyko.
‘1 ronld tell him to «it on a block of icc
and he would sit without moving until it
melted.' — they’re tenacious in holding
a position and never felt embarassed
about taking positions that didn't make
sense." Hatchett said.
But Hatchett said the new leaders in
the Soviet Union are personable. He
calls them ‘blow-dried Bolsheviks'.
"They wear more modern clothing and
they wear their hair in western ways.
They look like us. talk like us and try to
mimic our values. They talk about de
mocracy. peace and freedom, but you
still have to realize they trust the Soviet
system or they wouldn't be representing
it.”
Hatchett trusts the American system.
He grew up in Waco thinking that one
dav he probably would attend Texas
A&M. He came close. Just before he
was leaving to come to A&M. he was ac
cepted at the Air Force Academy in Col
orado. He chose the Academy because it
offered a four-year scholarship.
At the Academy. Hatchett earned a
degree in international affairs.
"As a potential military officer. I
thought I should focus on understanding
a culture and people — the ones that I
decided on were our potential enemies.”
Hatchett said.
"One of the principles of war is know
your enemy — know how he thinks,
know what motivates him — so I con
centrated on Soviet East European Stud
ies.”
Hatchett speaks Russian and Yugosla
vian. He attended the University of Za
greb in Yugoslavia for a semester be
cause he wanted to study in a communist
country to better understand the govern
ment. Zagreb was the one place he could
study as a serving military officer, be
cause Yugoslavia is not a member of the
Warsaw Pact.
After graduation. Hatchett held regu
lar Air Force positions, he said. Then he
became an Air Intelligence Officer and
was stationed in Europe.
The Air Force seeks specialists in po
litical military affairs who are capable of
dealing with the state department and
other Washington D.C agencies. Hatch
ett was selected to return to the United
States for more academic training. He re
ceived his master's and doctorate in in
ternational affairs-Soyiet bloc at the Uni
versity of Texas.
He arrived-in Washington in 1980.
working for the joint chief of staff as a
staff officer.
Hatchett took a sidetrack in interna
tional relations during 1980-81. He
worked in the Middle East on Lebanese.
Jordanian and Israeli affairs.
Slowly easing out of the military role,
he began working in Washington at the
Foreign Institute as the Department of
Defense representative. While there, he
heard of a position opening in Vienna for
a representative for the secretary of the
Department of Defense.
He was soon interviewed, then hired.
His role was first as a military officer.
“I never felt under-the-
gun or intimidated when
negotiating with the Sovi
ets.”
Ron Hatchett
but in 1986, he retired from the Air
Force and accepted a civilian military ap
pointment to continue working as a ne
gotiator.
While in Vienna, he lived in the wing
of a 19th-century paldce in the center of
the city. The palace is on the Ringstrasse
— a tree-lined boulevard that encircles
the city — where all the main govern
ment buildings of the old empire were
built. His office was also on the Rings
trasse. "It was the sheik address.” he
said.
Back in Texas. Hatchett now has a
longer distance to travel to work, and the
work is just as hard.
"It feels good to be here, away from
all that.” he said. "It was a high-intensity
lifestyle. My hectic schedule was trying,
because the day didn't end at 5 o'clock
— there were always three to four social
events almost every night except Sun
day. The events were more or less man
datory. and some of our most effective
and successful negotiating came from
those parties.
"Here at A&M I can can still work on
issues of national defense policy for the
government, but I'm not burdened by
day-to-day activities.”
Here he can step back and take a broad
view of what directions national security
policy should be moving.
“I can think in terms of shaping policy
for the future, and analyzing implica
tions of policy decisions we’re making
today.”
Twenty-five years after Hatchett's
thoughts of going to A&M had guided
him elsewhere, he said he is finally able
to realize the ambitions he had in high
school of being associated with A&M.
"There is no better place in Texas to
have a defense studies institute than at
Texas A&M. given the rich tradition it
has of contributing to the national de
fense.”
Hatchett not only is associated with
A&M at the Institute, but beginning in
the spring, he will interact with students
as well, teaching a geography class.
"I love to teach,” he said. "I want to
get across to the student the current situa
tion in Europe. Not only the geography
features of where mountains, rivers and
rainfall patterns are — that’s good to
know — but they should also know the
social, economic and political situations
of today.”
Texas university enrollments up 5.8 percent
AUSTIN (AP) — Texas college and
university enrollments arc up by nearly 6
percent this fall, far more than expected,
state higher education officials said
Monday.
Preliminary figures for the Fall 1988
semester showed a combined enrollment
at all institutions of higher education that
totaled 834.444. a jump of 5.8 percent or
45,916 students over 1987. the Higher
Education Coordinating Board reported.
Enrollment at public junior and senior
colleges and universities in Texas totaled
731.783. a 6.5 percent increase.
Kenneth Ashworth, state higher edu
cation commissioner, said. “This level
of growth is far above what was ex
pected. If we add to this year’s growth
the increase for last fall, our public col
leges and universities have grown by al
most 70,000 students in two years.”
Ashworth said that growth has come
since the Legislature last was in session,
and he said the expanding student body
will have to be recognized in the money
appropriated for colleges and universities
when lawmakers convene again in 1989.
Thirty-three public senior universities
reported combined increases of 19,533
students, while two reported a combined
loss of 72 students, the coordinating
board reported. Total enrollment at the
35 schools was 385,343. up 5.3 percent
from last year.
Texas A&M University at Galveston ■
reported the largest percentage gain.
34.9 percent, while the University of
Texas at Austin reported the largest in
crease in students, 2,364.
Enrollment also was up at 42 of the 49
public junior college districts, a 7.9 per
cent net increase, or 25.414 students,
and a combined enrollment of 346.439.
Among the public community col
leges, Collin County Community Col
lege reported the largest percentage gain
at 43.9 percent, while the Houston Com
munity College district had the largest
increase in students with 2.829.
WHAT ABOUT US?
ik
Japan is doing well.
Under 8 years of Republican rule, countless American jobs
have been exported to Japan—and Japan has moved ever
closer to controlling our economic future.
FACT: Japan now controls 17 of the world’s
25 largest banks. The United States controls
just one.
Saudi Arabia is doing well.
After 8 years of Republican rule, America still has no energy
policy. The Saudi and other OPEC economies have boomed
while the Texas economy has gone bust.
FACT: Texas has lost over 216,000 oil-related jobs
in the last five years, while America’s oil imports
have jumped 20% in the past two years alone.
The international drug cartel is doing just great.
For 8 years the Republicans have talked tough about drugs
but time and again have sought to slash funding for the war
on drugs.
FACT: Under the Republicans cocaine smuggling
has tripled, heroin trafficking increased 50%
and the number of drug-related deaths doubled.
TV . . s r.
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TEXAS AND AMERICA DESERVE BETTER
• Democrats helped save millions of American jobs by passing historic trade legislation this year.
• Democrats have adopted a Texas-proposed national energy policy that would significantly
increase sales of Texas oil and natural gas and create tens of thousands of Texas jobs.
• Democrats are committed to standing up to drug kingpins like Panamanian strongman
Manuel Noriega and to waging a real war on drugs on our streets here at home.
On Tuesday November 8th
VOTE DEMOCRATIC
General Meeting-Aggie Democrats
Nov. 2 8:30 502 Rudder
Nov. 7 8:30 504 Rudder
Political ad paid for by Aggie Democrats Michelle Touchet President and Brazos County Democratic Party, Ron Gay Chairman
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'OWN IHaVILIL
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Tuesday October 25, 1988
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Robert Palmer On Stage At 8:00 P.M.
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