European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 06, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes sunday August 6, 1978 today a mistake could be costly nato woe plane identification  Bra Sikl sapi when you re flying in combat there s one prime question you want answered about other planes Arethey ours or theirs the a s and its nato allies Are wrestling i a the uncomfortable problem of How to make sure. With planes hurtling at twice the Speed of sound a  mile above the Earth it in t easy. There has to be a Trade off Between he risk of shooting Down a Friend and letting an enemy get through. John 15. Walsh assistant nato Secre tary general for defense support puts it among the top military problems of the Al Liance. The reason he explains is the in creasing Price of mistakes. A few enemy planes getting through did t make All that difference when they carried bombs that might just churn up a lot of Earth he told the associated pressing an interview. It s another matter now that a single enemy plane May carry a Load of smart bombs or even a nuclear weapon. In 1974 Gardiner l. Tucker who held the Job before Walsh warned that the Lack of common system would Lead to nato planes being shot Down by nato weapons in Case of War. He wrote in an article forthe official nato review of the substantial number of nato maritime patrol aircraft which were theoretically shot Down one recent exer Cise for example subsequent analysis showed the it More than 50 per cent were attributable t o nato w Capone " Walsh thinks that was exaggerated and says i Here have been improvements since then. But the Alliance is soil at least seven years away from � Standard system the electronic device used is called identification Friend or  usually known As Iff. Just How it works is secret but the principle is the same one that the Bible says was used by the ancient he brews. They made the suspected enemy repeat a hard word if the pronounced it wrong they started swinging the Battle ave. Iff does t exactly talk but it sends out an electronic signal and insists on get Ling the right one Back. It can be used by individual planes ground stations or other military units. Nato has recommended that All the allies adopt a current american Model the Mark 12. Most of them have at least prom ised but the British Are Balking. The French say they Are still discussing the question. The British use an earlier Model called the Mark 10. British officials say it resists jamming better than the Mark 12, though it lacks one useful Channel for secret communications. They estimate it would Cost Britain Well Over s100 million to change Over.  if the British started now. It would take them a couple of years to make the change. The allies have agreed that they need an entirely new system to Start coming into use about 1985. So the British Money would Only buy marginally belter Protection for about three years the argument runs. British planners would rather put the Money into the new system and take their chances. They Point out that the Mark to and the Mark 12 can work together they Art what they experts Call  but if there were a War now. We d undoubtedly be shooting Down some of our own people said one British official who asked to remain Anonymous. There s no secret about it the russians know it As Well As we  illness of . Couples confirmed As botulism London a two elderly English couples dangerously ill after eating Sal Mon canned in Alaska Are definitely suf Fering from botulism poisoning British government scientists said Friday. Tests carried out at the government scentral Public health Laboratory at Colin Dale North London confirmed earlier suspicions of health authorities thai the Poison came from a can of Salmon the couples ale last sunday. The Salmon was canned Unalaska and marketed in Britain under the John West Label. Jesse Farmer. 64, and his wife Betty 66 along with his brother Leonard Farmer 79, and his wife Clara. 72. Were admitted Toast Birmingham general Hospital on monday with food poisoning symptom Sand Nave been clinging to life Ever since with the help of respiratory machines. 2 Lowans killed As Gas line explodes fort Madison. Iowa a a pro pane Gas Ime exploded in Rural mouthed Era Iowa destroying one farmhouse and so at pm Ederly persons a Ori said. At least six persons were injured. The fire and explosion destroyed a. Barn garage and two Sheds on one T botulism is a rare form of food poisoning which kills half its victims. A spokesman for the West midlands regional health authority said the scientific name of the Poison found in leftover bits of Salmon from the can the Farmers consumed is Clostridium botulinum Type e toxin of the same Type was found in the blood of the four victims he said. Liverpool based John West foods was Busy Friday analysing More than 1,000 suspect tins from the same Batch. Caucus to study new incident prime minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada and Britain s Queen Elizabeth Royal handshake -.__, b. Toiii8� at the common wealth games in Edmonton. A Silbinger linked to another death itt Gart. Fly Manu Iani Stuttgart Germany a _ gov Hans Silbinger has come under a new to rage of  for his nazi past by and the pipeline ruptured and burst Silbinger s Christian democratic enl eagles in the Baden Wurtemburg stat legislature reacted to the news by Call a special caucus monday to study the ates disclosure about his record As a germ Navy court officer during world War h a completely new situation has occurred which requires discussion in the  said chairman Erwi the Slat?.n.lhe conserva Arth Rosis plaguing Pope Vatican cite a _ Pope Paul i a his summer residence neat Rome. I suffering from a recurrence of Arth Rosis a disease of the joints and his Doc jew Tor at a 1943 Curt Matour looting and obtained the death. Binger to admit he had personally sentenced two deserters to death while serv ing As a Navy judge in 1945 in nazi occupied Norway. He had previously claimed he never personally passed a death sentence ". But confronted by a West German Televik "p0" to the contrary. Silbinger brushed Olf the cases As phantom sentences which existed Only on paper by cause both soldiers had escaped to set in May the governor was also forced by emigration of Russ jews up 60 percent this year newspaper disclosures to acknowledge his T e " the 1945 firing squad execution of another German Sailor convicted of Deser Tion in Norway. Silbinger admitted he was prosecutor in rvl01"11T11 3.1 of 22-Vear-old Walter i ,vdemandi"8 a a later witnessing the death sentence seven weeks before Germany surrendered. Vernor claimed he was Able to uie in Docial inho88 defended himself a Wing he acted according to Hie prevailing 4 61 of nazi Germany. He Alzory career suffered criticism Fuji i joints a in doctor has and prison ment a a ". A is in  �tls5ss a Yuma fcb last month news reports in although Christian Democrat leaders on Tol fslf"1 level rallied to feb infer when eroded w8s disclosed. Support Hal eroded As new cases came to Light some of Banc nut me statement said Las reports forced Fil Jwelch commuter assisted a � a of 12 545jewish entrants in finding new Homes offous Public life  a smear Campaign about his