European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 9, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes january 1981 George will dont beat Haig with Flimsy twig7 before Joe Califano was Jimmy Carters Secretary of hew he was Lyndon Johnsons Domestic policy and be fore that he was John Kennedy counsel to the in which capacity he you might major when Kennedy ransomed the cubans captured at the Bay of the army was assigned the task of integrating these survivors into american when Califano sought an officer to oversee one name kept crop Ping up Alexander when Henry Kissinger was seeking an aide and had narrowed his Choice to two one of whom was Kissinger asked who knew both which he would Califano but added that Kissin Ger should understand that Haig would not be just an Haig was inter ested in and would Haig is a Man of Many parts and much those who consider him a Martinet do not know those who consider him inexperienced in diplomatic matters Are themselves innocent of understanding of what the nato commander those who think his military background some a disqualification should consult euro Pean among Kissinger is the Only american who enjoys As much respect As does and Europe revitalizing the Alliance in the encouraging to Lan dilation in the East must be the primary preoccupation of the Reagan and some critics of the nomination of Haig complain that the state department should ma1g16 Mot a o200k la George Mair illegal alien proposals Are just not workable another Blue ribbon commission has come up with a wonderful solution to a Seri Ous As it is a solution that will not the group was the select commission on immigration headed by the Theodore he Burgh and it was wrestling with the problem of illegal the Short version of its solution is 1 eliminate the illegal aliens by saying there Legal 2 make it against the Law for employers to hire illegals and 3 enforce that Law and Seal our the first step wont work because illegal aliens wont come out of hiding because they dont Trust the the illegals fear the government trick to Deport prosecuting employers who hire illegals is meaningless unless there is a Way to identify the Legal that Means a National identity card and though the endorsed i doubt if most americans beyond false papers Are pretty easy to get As we see from the Many illegals who have forged papers As for closing the that would re quire an enormous investment of men and we have tried it Many times with out As Long As we have poor neigh Bors and there Are jobs in the illegals will find a Way we have an Esti mated 6 million illegals Here now and 000 More a year coming we need a but the report just issued by the select commission on Immi Gration int c times be run by a but Haig is a civil and some of Haigs critics should choose among their it is undisciplined for them to complain first that he was just a and then that he always was More a political Man than a military the replacement of people who think the Way Carter nominees by people who think As Haig in Large what the election was because the voters message was so and because Haigs military service is such a Flimsy Twig with which to beat some who oppose a firmer foreign policy will try to rekindle the cold embers of Washington has some addicts who for just one More watergate and Washington has lots of people who Are Little moral darting about taking other Peoples i almost wish i could work up one More fever of watergate just to show that i am morally up to but i so per haps in watergate is just too much beside the the Point today being to find experienced people capable of doing democracy which Means translating reagans mandate into even before John Dean i favored impeaching i believed that Madison was that failure to control the excesses of subordinates is an impeachable and i believed that Nixon knowingly motivated Many of the 1 note that Only to indicate that support for Haig need not indicate insensitivity about the seriousness of Richard Reeves 1 do not know aside from Idle curios care whether Haig had anything to do with the Pardon of i know it would have been a calamity although a great High for watergate addicts to put on trial not just a president but a president hear the breaking and it would have been a substantial loss to the Western Alli Ance had Gerald Ford thought that any aspect of Haigs White House service disqualified Haig from what in the distinguished service to i confess to feeling for Haig the special regard i Reserve for those who might have caused me much in when i had just left a senators staff and begun Nixon asked Haig to come to the White House and Haig called me to see if i might join his being polite sort i said he did not press the Point for several then one of his aides called to say that Haig wanted to see i suggested that Haig should be allowed to reconsider after Reading what i had just written about a Haig did not Call such is my Admi ration for and such Are his Powers of that had he pressed i might have for my country i am glad Haig was serving in the White House when the roof fell for my i am glad i was and for Haigs i am glad that in As in he has a president worthy of his c the Washington Post Haig never forgot oath country Washington on the Day he be came Gerald Ford said he wanted a briefing from former Pennsylvania William Scranton on the functions and operations of the White House Alexander the Holdover chief of staff from Richard Nixon presi volunteered to set up the and he telling Scranton to be there at the next when Scranton he was told that Ford and Haig were together and could not be after a Haig walked out of the Oval saw Scranton and said the briefing is i handled that is the Way Al Haig played the that is in just five he had gone from a rather obscure army colonel assigned to the National Security Council to a fourstar general and White House chief of Haig in every sense of the the Early Ford White the confused staff and president that abruptly re placed in those Ford would react to almost every briefing by what do you think of that the Gen eral would make one concise recommendation after ending with if you think its each time Ford would its it had apparently been that Way for under both Nixon and Al a cold and calculating Man who had snaked his Way to the highest was the acting president of the United we had to keep Haig he had Ell the clout in the said Jerry Ter who was then Fords press there was business in the pipelines of the we had to keep it but we didst even know where the pipelines and Haig made it Clear he had been running the government for the last eight or 10 months of the Nixon part of that i became convinced in researching a Book on Fords was the skillful negotiation of the water Gate Pardon that Ford granted Haig had brought up the subject of a Pardon during a 45minute meeting with on Over the first month of Fords his old friends and assistants forced Haig out of the White mainly by nibbling him to death with leaks to Washington newspapers about his desire to quit and go Back to the Al has done Yeoman service for his said one of the first memos from the transition staff to president he should not be Given the option of becoming your chief of Haig had been at the White House 17 were you acting president part of that time he was asked Back i had to do things i would not have done under Normal he were there times at the end when Nixon was irrational if there i  Tell i am at peace with he is going to be asked those questions again when he sits for Senate confirmation As Ronald reagans Secretary of whatever words he he will avoid real no one but i will Ever know All that Al Haig did during those dangerous months when the United states had one president wrestling with Rea son and another with in trying to reconstruct that period from my i came to the conclusion that i did not like Alexander did not like him at but that he was an american As far As i could within the limits of his own ambition and machiavellian personal he had never violated the oath he had taken As a Cadet at West Point c Universal press Syndicate