European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 05, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Page 7 Hurricane leaves thousands homeless by if associated pros dusk to Dawn curfews remained in effect wednesday along the stricken Gulf coast and officials sought shelter for thousands of people left homeless by Hurricane Elena. Lantern fuel gasoline and ice were in demand in areas still without Power. At least 17,000 dwellings in Mississippi Alabama Louisiana and Florida suffered some damage during the storm according to estimates by american red Cross aide Sand other officials. Mississippi nov. Bill Allain who declared the state s coast a disaster area monday it waiting to learn if Federal disaster assistance will be available to help resident rebuild their Homes and Busi Nesses. Mississippi officials agreed tuesday to us the 1986 legislature for As much at 112.5 million to help communities along the coast match Federal Aid. Right now it s time to get Back on our feet and get this Community Back in swipe said Harrison county s civil de sense director. Wade Guice who witnessed the fury of Hurricane Camilla in 1969. We be come through this before Down Here and we be always had the spirit it takes to come Back and More Days before they can stay overnight App How a boar scam dislodged unit Titoni Beach fla., Home floats in the a tits of Mexico. He estimated that damage could exceed the state s $500 million toll from Hurri Cane Frederic in 1979. At least 14.200 of the damaged dwell Ings Are in Mississippi red Cross spokeswoman Terry Gautier said. Damage on Alabama s Dauphin Island amounted to about $30 million. Some residents were allowed to return temporarily to inspect damaged property and make minor repairs Mobile county sheriff Tom Purvis said. It will be a few in Florida where Elena passed near much of the Gulf coast during its erratic journey last week the red Cross Esti mated that 40 houses and 300 Mobile Homes were destroyed and 350 houses and 150 Mobile Hanics sustained major dam age. Mayor Louis Rawls of Bogalusa la., said up to 100 Homes were damaged by Elena. He estimated damage at s3 million. Federal and state officials were Back on the Road again wednesday surveying storm damage. Their efforts tuesday were slowed by debris which blocked Access to some of the hardest hit neighbourhoods. Webb Lee Harrison county circuit court clerk and emergency operations assistant said the next major task facing recovery officials is finding housing for people whose Homes suffered major dam age. Curfews along the coast were enforced by National guard troops and Law enforcement officials. So far though. Lee said we Don t have any looting to speak Pascagoula and surrounding smaller towns near the Alabama Border appeared to be the hardest hit by the storm. Mia talks in Vietnam Are called very productive7 Washington Nytz the Rea Gin administration has said that talks last week with vietnamese officials in Hanoi were the most positive to Date in the 12 year Effort to resolve the problem of Ameri cans unaccounted for in the Vietnam War. In one of the most conciliatory statements Ever used about discussions with Hanoi state department spokesman Charles e. Redman said tuesday that i am pleased to state thai the talks were very productive and that the meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere. Last wednesday and thursday a four member United states team led by Richard children political and military affairs director of the National Security Council staff met with the acting vietnamese for eign minister to Dong Giang and with the Deputy foreign minister Hoang Bich son. Originally a higher level american delegation led by Richard l. Armitage assist ant Secretary of defense and Paul d. Wolf Wilz assistant Secretary of state for East asian and Pacific affairs had been scheduled to meet with foreign minister Nguyen co Thach. But when Thach informed Washington on aug. 23 that be had to travel to Moscow Armitage and Wolfowitz cancelled their plans to Fly to Hanoi. State department officials said tuesday that Childress accompanied by Ann Mills Griffiths executive director of the league of families of american prisoners and missing in Southeast Asia was surprised to find that the vietnamese officials were ready even at the secondary level to Dis cuss All aspects of the Issue. This was the first time that we had a totally non polemical discussion with the vietnamese a state department official said. They did not raise any preconditions for in previous meetings Hanoi had indicated that Progress on the missing in action Issue would depend on whether the United states would improve relations with Vietnam or Grant it Aid. A total of 1,820 americans missing in Vietnam Are carried on one of two Rolls those who were at one time listed As prison ers of War or missing in action and those who were believed to have been Kiuei in action but whose bodies have not been re covered. According to state department officials the United states suggested a three pan approach first the release of any prisoners or at least Resolution of the Issue of live prisoners second an intensification of Viet namese efforts to recover the remains of americans and third surveys and excavations in areas where the United states believes remains May be found. The thrust of the american plan a state department official said was for joint american vietnamese efforts with Ameri can teams being allowed to observe the vietnamese efforts and to Aid id the search. The vietnamese in their plan put the stress on increased vietnamese efforts and showed Little enthusiasm for joint teams. The most contentious Issue deals with the vietnamese turning Over remains. In mid August Hanoi turned Over the remains of 26 americans. Altogether Vietnam has re turned the remains of 99 men. Navy test surged attack submarines by Norman Black Washington a the Navy in a test of readiness that also served As a warning to the soviet Union successfully surged almost half of its Fleet of attack submarines out of port in 24 hours earlier this year according to congressional testimony. The exercise involving 44 attack submarines based in the Atlantic pushed the subs to High Alert status and sent them scrambling to sea fully armed. The exercise demonstrated that we can do the same thing As the soviets in scrambling submarines to sea during periods of tension Adro. James d. Watkins the chief of naval operations told a House panel this Spring. No Dale was Given for the exercise which was disclosed by Watkins and Navy Secretary John f. Lehman during closed door testimony March 5 before the defense subcommittee of the House appropriations committee. According to the transcript Watkins was asked by rep Les Aucoin d-ore., to compare the surge capability of the soviet Union and United states. The term refers to the ability to Send ships and submarines to the comparative safety of sea in response to an unexpected increase in tensions. Watkins said we have watched them surge their a sons ballistic missile sub marines and sons attack subs Many times and they Are quite Good at it he said. Within a matter of 24 to 48 hours they can surge their sons out of port and the a sons As Well. Whip Worth evidence mainly a Cums anfia Washington not Federal Law enforcement officials say the Case against Jerry a. Whitworth. One of four Navy men accused of participating in a soviet spy ring is based largely on circumstantial evidence and will be the most complicated to explain to a jury. The officials agree with defense lawyers that the government has provided no conclusive evidence to the Public so far of Whitworth s guilt. Information disclosed by prosecutors has shown that the evidence against the other defendants was exceptionally Strong. From what i be seen or what s been disclosed in other places their Case is purely circumstantial and greatly overblown James Larson one of the defense lawyers said tuesday. While prosecutors say that evidence made Public has been less convincing than in the other cases they say that Whitworth s trial will involve Strong though largely Indi rect evidence that he provided secret Navy documents to John a. Walker jr., who has been accused of forming the spy ring to pass secret documents to the soviet Union for financial gain. He and his son Michael a Navy Yeoman also charged in the Case have also pleaded not guilty. Arthur j. Walker John Walker s brother was convicted of espionage last month and is awaiting sentence. Joseph p. Russoniello the us. Attorney handling the Case against Whitworth said that a circumstantial Case could sometimes be stronger than a Case in which there was evidence or testimony establishing a direct tie Between the defendant and a crime. He said he was confident of the strength of the Case against Whitworth. I would t say that circumstantial evidence makes a Case More difficult Russoniello said. It May take More pieces of the Puzzle in order to recreate the picture but it is no less credible a method nor is the evidence any less Larson said that the evidence in Whitworth s Case was weak however. It s a pretty complicated web of circumstantial evidence and there Are a lot of holes in it he said. They Are going to have to ask the jury to make some very big defense lawyers arc expected to repeat their criticism of the evidence at a bail hearing set for thursday in san Francisco where Whitworth was arrested. Russoniello said Whitworth s trial which is scheduled to begin in november would take Between six weeks and two months an indication he said of its complexity. John Walker s trial is expected to last Only a week or two. The evidence against the father and son like that against Arthur Walker has been described by prosecutors As airtight a lot of it has been disclosed. According to the Fri its agents watched As John Walker drove to a secluded site in Rural Maryland last May and left a paper bag containing secret Navy documents and a letter to a soviet Contact. A soviet Diplomat was seen nearby but was not arrested the Bureau has said. Arthur Walker a retired Navy lieutenant commander who was working for a military contractor at the time of his arrest confessed to passing classified documents to his brother and portions of the confession were read at his trial last month. Defense lawyers before Walker s trial had sought to suppress the confession. Naval investigators said they found nearly is pounds of classified military papers near the bunk of Michael Walker a Yeoman aboard the aircraft Carrier Nimitz. In letters to his father he described the documents the Bureau said. While his lawyers have sought to suppress statements that Whitworth made to the Fri shortly before his arrest they said that the comments were not a confession. In discussing tie Case prosecutors Point to several pieces of evidence against Whitworth including hand written notes they say were found in a search of Walker s Home in Virginia. The notes Bear Whitworth s fingerprints and appear to contain classified information about Navy communications they said
