European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes wednesday april 30,1986 William Buckley French motive in denying overflight still a mystery e soviet Union inno a Mioli for ,.,the Sovie paused Long enough from drop Ping toys loaded with explosives by Parachute to afghan children to denounce the criminal action of the United states in bombing military installations in Libya congested with soviet made military hardware. This denunciation by the soviet Union of american criminal action was followed by a terse rescission of a Date Between soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze and Secre tary of state George Shultz at which the two gentlemen were scheduled to discuss an Agenda for a Summit meet ing Between or. Reagan and or. Gorbachev. As is always the Case always the Case the soviet Union left much of the world including Many american opinion makers with the impression that can celing a diplomatic engagement designed to enhance the prospects of peace in our time is an effective rebuke of the United states. It is As if the nazis at Nuernberg had denounced the behaviour of the prosecutors As criminal action going into a Long pout. But the soviet Union we always have with us and it remains to wonder Only Why it is we care what they say or for that matter do always supposing that we maintain a nuclear deterrent. But there Are lesser nations involved this time around causing greater headaches and Princi pal among these is France. There Are reasons for True indignation at what France did. Because France refused us overfly rights our airborne flotilla was required to make a Detour of 1,200 Miles which added a heavy Load to the overhead of the Mission both in a need for airborne refuelling and the special tax on the biological and nervous reserves of our pilots. When human beings go into action flying at Mach u a tract a leve1 dodging torrential anti aircraft fire the difference Between perfect physical condition and fatigue can be the difference Between survival and of our airmen did not survive. It want then a trivial request we made of France. We did t Tell them we wanted to Fly Over France to save the Cost of fuel. At this writing the mystery is who was it exactly who said no Mitterrand Chirac nobody at this Point knows for sure. Under the conservatives in the legislative elections we have the socialist Mitterrand who remains chief of state and commander in chief. But get this if you can Chirac As prime minister appoints the defense minister who is responsible to him. The Rumor has it that Chirac was in favor of granting the . Request Mitterrand opposed that Chirac claimed he had the latent constitutional Power to prevail but found himself incapable of asserting that position under the Clandestine requirements of the Intra a Short history in forces in Europe French approved against Terr wish French approved against Hitler mural debate. It transpires that the United states loosened up on its restrictions governing revelations about terrorist activity directed by khad Afy. What we did concealing our sources to the Best of our ability was to approach the French and give them Concrete evidence of what it was that khad Afy had next in mind to do. Quite simple a group of terrorists had been Given instructions to approach the american embassy in Paris at the High noon of its visa dispensing activity. The terrorists were then to Shower the line of applicants with bombs and Small arms fire killing As Many people As possible. Now Given that american citizens Don t need to apply to american embassies for visas to visit their own country it was Plain that the great majority of the people on whom khad Afy had passed a death sentence would be French. Or. Mitterrand we Are Given to understand was Flora Lewis aware of this at the time he vetoed the american request. What his motives were in declining to cooperate with the United states in a venture designed to protect innocent French As Well As innocent americans we simply cannot know. There Are those who say his pique Over his failure to attract More French voters is somehow vaguely trans formed into a resentment of american voters who in their maturity never dallied with Mitterrand style social ism. But even if in the Days ahead we Clear up the Mitter Rand problem we Are still left with what one might Call for Short the Reston problem. That esteemed pundit is so full of doubts about the forthright action taken by or. Reagan that he is going to go sleepless for As Many hours As those pilots on that Long Long run in Pursuit of that terrible Man who from his cockpit in Tripoli has been orchestrating death for innocent people. Pray for the leaders of Western Europe but do not neglect the leaders of american opinion. C Universal press Syndicate Many French feel criticism by americans unjustified there has been a maximum of Tion a Friendship betrayed the of limelight to h f. _ Fen in me Midi Scroi Aigul i licit the Atlantic rift t to
