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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1991)
91 ‘me that 2 touch. 1 called the pl a y :hat was ‘Jdsmith ,f ore that uper.He ' n soma r e didn't me extra ch anat- hearing hat went Houston in gler in s are off about it "I try to i and do- doing. 1 acked. If et about iith now ie name- two-time >r Archie me of iith said. ' that ran I-forma- he same ing with that hole ne hit it 'th-south ith pow- the players e are doir.i ly can stuf! scrimmagf aat now be ctory oves a tremen ing the St said eat the'Si' >st physic r offensiv y and jus! backs rut don't of pressutf you try to e ball cam World & Nation Wednesday, September 25,1991 The Battalion Paged: CIA analyst testifies in hearings WASHINGTON (AP) — A pivotal figure in the Iran-Contra affair testified Tuesday that in 1986 he clearly laid out for CIA di- rector-designate Robert Gates evi dence pointing to a White House diversion of money to Nicaraguan rebels. The testimony by senior CIA official Charles Allen followed Gates' assertion that he couldn't recall being told of a White House role in the possible diversion. The question of what Gates knew about the 1985-86 diversion of money to the Contras from U.S. arms sales to Iran has been at the heart of the debate by the Senate Intelligence Committee on whether to confirm Gates. Gates has told the committee in sworn written responses to its questions that “to the best of my recollection, Mr. Allen never men tioned to me or speculated that anyone in the U.S. government. Official says he told Gates of Iran-Contra suspicions including the ... White House" was involved in the diversion, which occurred despite a legal ban on U.S. aid to the reoels. Allen told the panel that he had met with Gates on Oct. 1, 1986, and again on Oct. 7 to ex press his growing concern at in creasing signs that a diversion was occurring. “Mr. Gates appeared startled and disturbed that the White House would involve itself in such dubious activity," he said. Gates specifically expressed concern at the role played by White House aide Oliver North, Allen said. Allen said Gates told him he had always admired North but that “this was going too far" if indeed a diversion was under way. Pressed by Sen. Sam Nunn, D- Ga., Allen said, “It was clear that I implied the chain went from North to Adm. Poindexter," Presi dent Reagan's national security adviser. Allen also differed with Gates on the amount of information he had conveyed to him about the suspected diversion during the Oct. 1 meeting. Gates has testified that Allen's remarks amounted to a brief reference at the end of a lengthy conversation on other is sues, and called it “extraordinarily flimsy" speculation. “I had what I call an analytic judgment," testified Allen, who at the time was the top CIA counter terrorism official. “Mr. Gates may call it speculation. That's fair. But I call it an analytic judgment." Allen said that at the time he feared, but had no proof, the trail would lead to the Oval Office. But now “I have absolutely no knowl edge" that Reagan was involved in the diversion, he added. Gates “has a faulty memory when it comes to the involvement of the NSC" — the National Secu rity Council — said panel member Bill Bradley, D-NJ. “There's a conflict in testimo ny there," agreed committee chairman David Boren, D-Okla. Allen said he laid out for Gates the reasons that led him to con clude that a diversion “could well be under way," even though he lacked hard proof. Allen listed four indicators he shared with Gates, among them that North had told him of substantial profits accrued in “the reserve" from a markup of 500 to 600 percent on the price of the arms sold to Iran. Deadline For Entries: Oct 4, 1991 Contest Rules And Entry Forms Available At The Sterling C. Evans Library EL Salvador Rules insure noise reduction by year 2000 allows leftist Regulations promise to quiet jets guerrillas in police force UNITED NATIONS (AP) — El' Salvador's government and the leftist rebels agreed Tuesday that the guerrillas will be incorporated into a new national police force, thus safeguarding their entry into the political process. Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani and the military com manders of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, continued working with U.N. mediators Tuesday to iron out other issues and sign a com munique, diplomats said, speak ing on condition of anonymity. Salvador's constitution will be amended to separate the national police from the Defense Ministry, which is currently in charge of all the country's security forces. The political independence of the new police force is intended to make it free of the army's influ ence, and thus able to safeguard the public, diplomats said. The FMLN had originally sought incorporation into the army, with its officers inserted right up to the command level, but the Salvadoran government reject ed that option. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar instead proposed the creation of the new national police force as a compromise. The government and FMLN negotiators agreed to continue working on other issues, such as purging the army of rights abusers, and to meet with the sec retary-general again on Oct. 15, diplomats said. The eight days of negotiations were an attempt to reach agree ments in principle on ways of reas suring the rebels they will be safe if they disarm and join the political process, thus ending the 12-year- old civil war. Perez de Cuellar agreed to me diate the talks at the request of the United States and Soviet Union. In a speech to the General As sembly on Monday, Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani said that at that point, “We have made important progress in negotiations to ensure that 1991 will be the year of peace." 'Total agreement for an end to the conflict may be a reality in the very near future," Cristiani said. Perez de Cuellar was more cautious on Monday, saying “roadblocks still remain." Repre sentatives of the FMLN gave a similar assessment. Skinner WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner on Tuesday launched a drive to hush the nation's loudest jets by the end of the decade, without severely disrupt ing airline finances. Skinner issued new noise re duction regulations that gave air lines the flexibility they had asked for, while promising more peace and quiet in the new century for most of the nearly 3 million Amer icans now exposed regularly to high levels of jet racket. Skinner put the cost at any where between $880 million and $4 billion, while one industry group said it likelv will be $100 billion. In any case, it likely will be paia by airline travelers througn higher ticket prices, Skinner noted. The transportation secretary said that in certain "very rare" circumstances his department would consider waiving the new rules for up to two years so as not to force financially troubled airlines out of business. Skinner also issued new standards that likely will make it more difficult for individual airports and communities to issue more restrictive noise rules. James B. Busey, head of the Federal Aviation Ad ministration, said this was necessary to avoid dis rupting the airline industry and 'to reduce the noise in a standard way so that noise will not be simply pushed to another area." 'These regulations provide a good balance that meets the needs of the 300 million Americans who fly, and the several million people who live near air ports," Skinner said. "We're giving airlines flexibility but setting standards for them to meet. How fast that will occur will depend on the economic condition of the industry." The new airport noise-reduction rule will require the replacement or quieting of more than 2,200 of the nation's loudest jet aircraft by the year 2000. Foreign airlines flying into the United States also will be re quired to meet the new noise standard. When the transition to quieter aircraft is com plete, Skinner said, the number of people exposed to nigh levels of airport jet noise will be reduced by about 85 percent, from about 2.7 million to around 400,000. Skinner said the project will cost airlines $880 mil lion to $4 billion, depending on whether they choose to retrofit noisy "Stage 2" aircraft with "hush kits" or quieter engines, or to replace them with quieter "Stage III" aircraft. "Eventually the consumer will pay for it," Skin ner said. Robert J. Aaronson, president of the Air Trans port Association, put the estimated cost far higher, saying it will cost the airlines his association repre sents more than $100 billion. But he called the new regulations "a significant landmark" that will assure "quieter skies around the nation's airports." Skinner's announcement revised a proposed Fed eral Aviation Administration noise-reduction regula tion that would have given airlines fewer options in achieving a quieter aircraft fleet by the year 2000. Asthma/Allergy Study WANTED: Individuals 18-50 years of age with asthma to participate in a short clinical research study involving an investigational medication in capsule form. Up to $200 incentive for those chosen to participate. PAULL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL CALL 776-0400 1102 Harvey Road College Station, TX 77840 /IMPERIAL' fcHrNESE“R?4’rAU«XWt~ (409) 764-0466 "Everyone knows the importance of getting good value, but not everyone knows the importance of comparing the difference to get good value." -Chirtese Proverb COROLLARY: When in doubt about which Chinese restaurant in B/CS is the best taste the dlfference.Those who taste the difference will get good value. FOLLOW THE ANCIENT WISDOM, TASTE THE DIFFERENCE AT IMPERIAL Where quality authentic Chinese food is served at affordable prices. In addition to lunihet. on weekdays, the well liked IMPERIAL Buffet is now available In the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 7 days a week for $5.95 per person. TRY IMPERIAL, YOU WILL KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! Open 7 days per week for lunch & dinner 1. Sweet & Sour Pork 2. Sweet & Sour Chicken 3. Sweet & Sour Shrimp 4. Pepper Steak 5. Twice Cooked Pork “Soup not available for to-go orders 3.95 6. Chicken w/Cashews 3.95 7. Chicken w/Broccoli 4.55 8. Shrimp w/Cashews 4.25 9. Hunan Chicken 3.95 10. Beef w/Broccoli Complete Menu Available 3.95 3.95 4.55 3.95 4.25 Consumer confidence continues to decline NEW YORK (AP) — Disturb ing signs emerged Tuesday that suggested consumers are increas ingly insecure and pessimistic, boding ill for the already shaky economic recovery and the Christ mas shopping season. The Conference Board, an eco nomic research organization, said its consumer confidence index skidded in September, the third straight drop for the widely fol lowed barometer of consumer atti tudes. Major automakers said sales of new cars plunged compared to a year ago. Americans are growing more worried about the current state of the economy and less sure about business conditions six months from now, the Conference Board said. "Given recent consumer confi dence readings, those who expect the economy to rebound in the re maining months of the year are likely to be disappointed," said Fabian Linden, a Conference Board economist. Consumer expenditures ac count for two-thirds of the gross national product, making the economy's recovery from reces sion dependent on consumer will ingness to spend. The lack of confidence was re inforced later Tuesday when Gen eral Motors Corp. said its car sales tumbled in mid-September from year-earlier levels, despite incen tives aimed at clearing 1991 mod els from showrooms. Ford Motor Co. reported a substantial decline and other car- makers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp. also reported lower sales. The slump in confidence is reminiscent of a year ago when the start of the Persian Gulf crisis frightened consumers into curtail ing purchases in the fall and at Christmas. This year the outlook for Christmas is dim because overall retail sales are sluggish at a time when they normally would be ac celerating. Polish dissident visits China BEIJING (AP) — Adam Michnik, a political pris oner in Communist Poland and a legislator in the new, democratic Poland, held out his hands and imi tated a man trembling with nerves. "When Chinese officials see me coming ...," he said, and let laughter finish the sentence. "They know they will hear something different, and I try not to disappoint them," he said. The eight-day visit of Michnik and five other Pol ish legislators, which ended Tuesday, was rich in irony, offering China's aging hard-line Communist leaders the unpleasant vision of once-jailed democra cy activists in government positions. Could this be China's future coming to haunt it? The Polish delegation's leader, Bronislaw Gere mek, also a former dissident, tried to tell the leaders just that. "They (the Polish Communists) put us in jail, but later they invited us to a round table (talks)," Gere mek said he told a group of Chinese officials. "You may want to think about your own dissidents. You may have to talk to them some day." Of the many foreign politicians who have pressed China over the past year to release political prisoners, none has conveyed as strong a sense of mission as Michnik and Geremek. "For people like us, it is a moral duty," Geremek said one evening as they downed shots of vodka at a Polish reporters home in Beijing. The Chinese re sponse? 'They got very angry." Polish sources said Wan Li, chairman of China's National People's Congress, immediately ended a meeting with the Polish group after Geremek gave him a list of political prisoners. That raises the question of why the Chinese invit ed the Poles. The sources said China pressed hard for the group to come. "For the Chinese it is very important. They want to prove that they accept the changes in East Europe and that it won't affect China — that it is only Eu rope," Geremek said. THE WAITING IS OVER! The long awaited 1990-91 Video Yearbook is HERE! If you ordered a video come by Reed McDonald room 230 to pick up your copy. If you did not place an order there are still some copies available for the price of $29.95 plus tax. Cash, check, Mastercard, or VISA will be accepted. Don’t miss out on Aggieland’s memories in motion, AggieVision 1990-91.