European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the Sta a and stripes sunday september 18, 1977 increase from 48 hours attack warning put at 8-15 Days by Drew Middleton new York times military writer Gen. Alexander m. Haig commander of the North at lactic treaty organization forces now believes that the Alliance can count on eight to 15 Days warning of an attack by troops of the soviet led Warsaw pact. Until the completion of a detailed nato study of mobilization arrangements some authorities had put the time at As Little As 48 hours. Shortly before Haig s estimate was made Public sept. 2 in West Germany Gen. Samuel v. Wilson then chief of the defense intelligence Agency told the joint economic committee of Congress that russian readiness to attack in Central Europe might not be As High As some past Esti mates had  downgrading of soviet preparedness for a sur prise attack became known As nato forces including 12, 000 american troops airlifted from this country Are engaged in a series of exercises that will cover the Alli Ance s front from Norway to the Aegean  analysts in Washington consider that Haig s Esti mate of the Alert period May be too Long. The supreme commander s estimate however is based on a detailed study of the Warsaw pact s preparedness that was or dered Early this year. The study said that despite numerical superiority the Eastern bloc forces were experiencing serious difficulties in two key Fields. The first is that logistical support for the attacking troops after the first five Days of the Battle is apparently hampered by deficiencies in rail and Road transport. The second area of difficulty is in the command and control of armies that in the initial phase would include East German and polish forces in addition to soviet troops. The Warsaw pact s problems authoritative military sources emphasize do not eliminate some of its advantages. The Quality of the weapons and the Quantity of men available to the Warsaw pact still show steady increase year by , the russians Are taking Steps to reduce the effectiveness of the cruise  to nato intelligence sources the soviet Union is building High towers near its Borders that will contain the most advanced  radars from their positions on the towers can look Down a great distance to the horizon and pick up in coming cruise missiles which Fly at a Low Altitude an authoritative source  at nato assume that the towers on which construction began earlier this year were intended to provide Early warning of the by bomber. Cruise missiles like the by operate at Low altitudes although at much less Speed and the radar designed to pick up the bomber May prove equally effective against the  radar stations Are either unable to detect Low flying missiles or aircraft or detect them top late for the effective use of surface to air missiles or anti aircraft artillery. Wilson s testimony before Congress on soviet Prepa redness disclosed a Sharp difference Between the Over All numbers of soviet weapons and the number actively pm  defense intelligence Agency has found that soviet combat aircraft in Europe Fly far fewer hours each month than comparable . Planes that the russians deploy Only one out of six combat ships at sea compared with one out of three for the United states Navy that Only limited number of soviet strategic missile submarines Are at sea at any Given time and that soviet tank strength in Central Europe includes a Large number of tanks in storage. Wilson told the congressional committee that although Many soviet tanks which outnumber nato s by approximately 3 to 1, Are inactive at any Given time soviet maintenance procedures Are such that tanks in unit storage can be made ready for combat without  James Miller the Dia s weapons expert told the com Mittee that the russians at any one time have Only 11 per cent of their strategic missile submarines at sea while the United states maintains approximately 50 per cent of its Force on  Dia Assumption is that the soviet Union believes it will have adequate warning in order to bring their forces to Peak strength in a crisis. The russian practice of deploying Only one out of every six combat ships at sea May be due the Dia sur Mises to a desire to economize on the Wear and tear resulting from constant deployment. The soviet approach is opposite to that of american forces. Their experience with aircraft ships submarines or the heavy weapons of the ground forces is that unless weapons Are employed in exercises or patrols effective readiness in wartime is less probable no matter How much warning time is available. One consequence of these disclosures May be a relaxation of tension in Central Europe. Under present military and political conditions there authoritative sources in this country and Europe agree soviet aggression would be unprofitable. This judgment military sources pointed out does no invalidate current concerns Over nato s military pos Ture. Among these concerns is the congested conditions behind the Alliance s Forward positions in Europe. The support forces for Forward troops Are packed into a relatively narrow area and movement to the fighting front would be impeded by civil disorganization Art Buchwald Washington while behind closed doors was very entertaining i m afraid it s going to give people a wrong impression of Washington. Since it was meant purely for entertainment the producers took liberties with the Way things work at the White House and in the rest of the town. This could damage the cause of clean honest government which the people in the country expect of Washington and Fortuna Tely get. The idea of the film is As farfetched As anything Ever seen on the to screen. It is unthinkable that a president of the United states in this Case Jason Robards would use his Power and that of the Cia and the Fri As Well As unsavoury people in the White House to do harm to his political ene Mies. While this makes Good theater it obviously could never happen. If anyone suggested such a thing the president would fire him immediately. In behind closed doors the charac ters supposedly based on such real people As Bob Haldeman John Ehrlichman John Dean John Mitchell Howard Hunt and Many others were portrayed As schemers and sinister Hatchet men ready to protect the president at any Cost even if it meant violating the Law of the land. This of course makes a Good Story but it could never have happened. The men who have worked in the White House always came from the Best families were educated in the Best schools and raised in the american tradition of fair play and patriotism. They never would have resorted to any illegal act to further the re election of the president. It just was t in them and even if a president had suggested it which no president would they would have immediately resigned rather than carryout his orders. The television drama also gave another very unreal picture of Washington. I showed a businessman trying to buy an ambassador ship for his wife with a Large political Campaign contribution. Now this is where the writers have gone too far. In the history of american diplomacy no ambassador ship has Ever been Given in Exchange for a political Campaign contribution. If this were True we would have ambassadors All Over the world who did t know what they were doing and we would have some of the most unqualified people in the country reporting Back to washing ton on the affairs of state. For those of us who live in Washington the most unfair incidents in behind closed doors concerned the women of this town. The to series showed them going to bed with men in Power to whom they weren t married. The Cia director in the plot even left his wife for a widow and a Young College girl had an affair with a White House aide in Hopes of getting a Job. The implication was that the morals in Washington Are Loose and that people go to bed with each other whether they re married to them or not. This is a terribly unfair picture to show because it gives the wrong impression of what Washington is All about. As Long As i be lived Here i be never known sex to play any part in government. Washington women think too much of their reputations to bed Down with a Man just because he is in Power. And a Man in Power would never take advantage of his position to seduce a woman he was not married to. For one thing it would com Promise the High ideals the constituents expect of their politicians and High govern ment officials. For another it would be Asin. When it comes to politics Power and sex Washington is above reproach. Even the newspapermen who cover this town would never do anything to Sully their reputations such As lie cheat or go to bed with someone just to get a Story. The reason this City has never been touched by scandal is that everyone from the president Down to the most Humble South korean businessman has a sense of morality and ethics which unfortunately cannot be found in the rest of the country. Behind closed doors has done a great disservice to the political system by presenting Washington and the people who work Here in a terrible Light. It is a fairy tale and should be seen As such. If there was even a smattering of truth to it g. Gordon Liddy would not be our president today. C los Angeles times letters to the editor correcting locations of Baha i in a recent Issue you ran an article by a entitled californian gives up after freeing hostages at Baha i religious re  the article was about a gunman who held 63 people hostage at a Baha i school in California. In this article you mentioned a spokesman for the Baha i Faith s world Headquarters in Wilmette 111." the world Center of the Baha i Faith is located on it. Carmel in Haifa Israel. The National Center Headquarters of the National Assembly of the Baha is of the ., is located in Wilmette. Phyllis Unterschultz Furth Germany pen pals requested the  Lintha raders. 27 teen Amer Janaina Ina or my u to of my ninth graders 2 teen agers ranging in age fro 14 to 16 years Are in their fifth year of English and would very much enjoy being pen pals with american teen agers of the same age group. I too would enjoy having an International pen pal. I am a German National and teacher of English and French. My interests include literature tradition folklore postcard and stamp collecting photography botany and letter writ ing. Is. C. Davis Mosbacher Strasse 57-58 d-6200 Wiesbaden letters wanted i am 1i a years old and interested in music ceramics and Bike Riding. I love to write 10 people and i would really love to write to people from other countries to compare the different customs. Laurie Strait Box 35 Hope . 07844 reminder All letters to the editor must con Tain full printed name and address of the writer and must be signed. Unsigned letters will not be considered for  Are encouraged to include phone number and Economy address especially if they desire a fast reply. Because of the Large volume of Mai this column receives daily letters that Are Brief and to the Point have much better Chance of being published. European edition col. Billy e. Spangler Usa editor in chief it. Col. J. C. Taylor Usan. Deputy editor in chief Mert Proctor managing editor Elmer d. Frank production manager Henry s. Epstein circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for . Armed forces overseas. The stars and stripes is published in conjunction with the armed forces information program of the department of defense. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not Necess Arii the official View of the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. 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