European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 14, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Nuclear weapon " stories abound about the scr by s gentler qualities to the consternation of Spunt a pals he once bolted from his lir Nouanp a furore to Comfort a motorcycle policeman injured in a cr.--,h on a Viil to the a Rani ids he retrieved the fio War dropped by a woman caught Iri the Pathol in ent Omarie level Cret cent . He remarked and i thought they weren t even to show their lar.e--, " but he does not Sutler insult gladly Whin then re a his t is bold Riby Anil Fordiv my informed at one Hinh that a of hip Pentagon s Peri or i dad been Lor inde 1" suppose hint i i Flop Mille when Eye tary of slate Haig rushed to the while House press alter Reagan War shot to announce that i am in charge Weinberger ilt.ii.1ly ii Mindi d j that others were old in in the lint of succession and. Lor thai matter control of the it nation room itself rested with Tho Secretary of defense he s had other cont Oblations. Most less known p Job Lily. Weinberger supported sending Tho marines into Lebanon Tor the evacuation of the Palestine liberation organization by he opposed its subsequent peace keeping assignment As pushed by the state depart ment on Behall of a lebanese government in chaos. When hundreds of Young marines were subsequently killed in the infamous car bombing of 1983, Weinberger dutifully bit his Tongue about the decision to put them there in the lust place Weinberger is verbally polite to Congress but he Weinberger testifying on the Federal budget. Hayn to cooperate directly with it. I vim with t1"? Odds tacked squarely against him. On where to Cut his annual a Dol proposals Cven in the last two years with the Hnat on to Ron in the deficit i stonewalled Penta Qon p calling Lor inn a of upward of in ppr cont Only alter non an struck com irises with Tho Republican Senate. Tach time Beluie Reagan Steppp in rep pc need his by digit proposals As Bare Bones de spite a Biji i ii nine spate of stones at out in or Iii i u prices paid for spare air plane parts coffeepots and Ivor Muneis. And deep divisions within the a in Tat a itself about Tho vulnerability and value of Iti is like the my mis Ilo and the Star wars prot rare repeatedly he has suit vesled that anyone who would dare Cut a would Redan apr Riali orial Security that Allie up d �.-,n t sit particularly Well with Many among the 535 men and women of Congress who be Lieve they might have an idea or two themselves about spending one third of the National budget since the Constitution says they should several democratic senators have suggested Wein Berger should resign. Or said minority Leader Robert c. Byrd . In june has lost a great Deal of Byrd said the Senate s decision this year to support the building of 50 my missiles saving half of a program that was in deep deep trouble was in spite of. Rather than because of or. Reagan himself supported that Compromise just As he agreed with Republican leaders to hold Overall de sense spending to current Levels plus an adjustment for inflation next year. But Weinberger virtually ignored Rea Gan s Blessing of that formula when he told the Ameri can legion in tale August that judged by Congress action you would be forgiven Lor assuming the soviets had declared peace and we cannot afford a Zero growth defense budget again in 1987 and 1988 As we will have in 1986." he said. None of us want to return to our emaciated status of the 1970s, with Low readiness Low morale and above All soviet aggression. America is the last great Hope of the free in fact Congress has Given the Secretary 95 percent of what he has sought Over the last four budget years virtually doubling military outlays into the $300 billion per year Range. That hardly sounds like a disarmament program but Wein Berger has spared Tew. Even colleagues at the White House from the assertion that the extra Nickel Means the difference Between strength and weakness. Early in the administration then budget director David a Stockman alarmed at projections of massive deficits into the next decade pressed Weinberger to lower his defense budget by $27 billion Over three years. Weinberger showed up at the White House with of lion papers Lor Reagan one 1h.1 plan acted try other top presidential Ord is including cd Vin Moppse. Was by a mocking cartoon of a rather anaemic loot ing Soldier while the of Pagan plan a. To matured a Booty looking Guy thai would a ii a Hautio quiver Reagan ordered Herti to split the Diller Enre. Telp clively a Victory Lor Weinberger when Wein Pryer to take he of. Lew of the pie l a -.1.11., in dip med 111 " l " i i i Emch to lil air Weinburger. .1" i. A iieiieriti.il-, a .1 i a. I Fri ,1. Ill i Dirp Tor 111 c i we a ii id Al Ilhard 1069 in where he ule he had in. Bit also had Are Flarry Gold n had him to Washington in the i or Iai Trade commissioned the not --,o-Fon-, bureaus of Dii Iii Lilion ind can Silv r Prole inn Nin Iii Seq Nutly made him director of the office of Emi i and big Del Antl then of health. T and it flare. Where Woin Beutjer bolstered his reputation As Cap the Kotc a nickname first earned in California As a fearsome budget Culler in 197j, Weinberger resigned to oin the Bechtel corporation As vice president and special counsel where he earned annually in salary alone he was t entirely thrilled when Reagan called five years Laler and neither wore the service chiefs and defense contractors who knew of his penchant for Economy. But Cap the knife quickly dispelled their fears alter several weeks of briefings. The Man who had Long viewed Churchill As the Savior of civilization was con Vinced there had been a tremendous deterioration in the military balance Between the allies and the soviets and that the global catchword of the 70s. Had become but a synonym for appeasement. Detente with the soviets meant expansion of their military offensive says for us it meant a decline " Weinberger s response was to spread new Money across the military spectrum on troops on ammunition stores on new planes and ships on new strategic weapons. As for Why the nation needed a new missile or nerve Gas or anti satellite weapons his answer was the same because the soviets have around Capitol Hill people joked that Weinberger never met a weapons system he did t like. Until August that was virtually True. He finally cancelled one the sol. York air defense gun of not Worth the already $1.8 billion had been spent on it even though critics including conservative rep. Denny Smith a Ore. Had Long assailed it As a Turkey. The United states Weinberger says is far safer now than live years ago. We have gained a very great Deal of military strength. But we can t quit pc -,4a". -. A cathar Weinberger work 13 to 14 hour a Day tunning hit Domain the Pentagon. Bm4, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 15
