European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Paga 10columns the stars and stripes thursday May 8, 1986 William Safire it should be no Surprise russians act like russians european Neutra lists moral disarmament activists were in Tor a rude Shock last week in Llic Wake of the world s worst nuclear Accident the acted like the . The world s professional innocents wander Why the soviet government did nol come Forward immediately with the truth about the. Disaster warning neighbouring nations or headed their Way. They strike a. Pow of horror Ai a closed society s suppression or news us if the russians were disposed a reveal casualties Broutt curl warnings and cd pipe inc re nines new leaders to uncontrolled internal criticism. What did europeans expect did the Moscow would react the Way americans Dit in the no casually Accident no three mile Island opening flood Gates of information or thai the russians a uld launch a tormented Public Jiro be of soviet science As us did or Nasa after our shuttle explosion these arc the Saint russians who relentlessly murder tens of thousands of resistant afghans admitting no Cas undies on either Side who shoot Down a civilian Airliner hat strays across their Border and put out the lie that it was in u spy Mission who isolate and torture a dissident in Corky turn would be emigrants into hounded refuse Niks and then complain that anyone protesting these viol latins of human rights is contributing to the world s tension. The Kremlin leadership is rending in character this is the Bruin i Way they Deal with embarrassment. In the Case of a spewing of radiation from i mismanaged nuclear Plum which lest we forget was producing weapons Grade plutonium the russians cannot afford la let a Charm offensive interfere with the harsher requirements of internal control. Hence he traditional hunkering Down and Lushing out. Publicly the Kremlin deflects anger by blaming the Western press for exaggerating the extent of the casual tics privately the dominant faction sees his As the Chance ton urge the last anti Gorbachev element from the politburo by blaming the Accident on ukrainian Leader Vladimir he Cherbitsky. The Cost in lives including future cancer deaths is nothing compared with past soviet purges and wars and will not affect the nature of its leadership the quo lion is will the rain tainted by the explosion at Cherno Byl is in Falls on other nations awaken the West to the. Widening difference in values Between superpowers Only a Veek ago most of the allies were denouncing the United Stales fur lading military action against terrorism Jacques Chirac of France and Helmut Kohl of Germany were making the ease for those of us who think David Broder nuclear bit p
