European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes monday. November 24.1986 William Buckley soviets have own Chance for Stellar hour1 in Vienna a week ago a Public member of the . Delegation o inc conference on Security and co operation in Europe the thing bom in Helsinki in 1975 and usually called the Helsinki conference approached a member of inc soviet delegation Wilh a envelope in his hand. He addressed him would you be so kind As to deliver this letter to or. Shevardnadze the soviet foreign minister who a week earlier had addressed the conference. I am not a mailman was the reply. Steven Umyn inc Public member is a lawyer in Washington in the firm of Edward Bennett Williams. He is one of 15 distinguished americans selected As Public members a list that includes Robert Bernstein Michael Novak Bayard Rustin and Morris Abram. In that Case he responded would you accept this letter which is a copy of the letter i have written to the foreign minister since he has left Vienna and Youdon t undertake to give him my letter How shall 1 get the original whim by mail was the Curt answer. So Umin sent off the letter by registered mail but neither he nor the head of the delegation. Warren Zim Merman has received an acknowledgement. Now All of this is of extra perfunctory interest. What is going on in Vienna is one of those meetings designed to inquire into the Progress of the Helsinki accords one of Whoie baskets Basket three is designed to secure elementary rights 10 the subjects of All 35 sign ers of the Helsinki agreement. The first Post Helsinki meeting was in Belgrade the second in Madrid it lasted three Yea Sand this one will end who knows when though the last item on the Agenda is to set the Date for the fourth meeting. Now the scene at Vienna is Best visualized As a kind of world s fair of human beings who Are suffering from one or another complaint As the result primarily of soviet policies. Mostly they Are human beings from Israel the United states and Western european countries who wish to be reunited with i hair families who Are detained in inc soviet Union and notwithstanding the Clear language of Basket three arc denied permits to emigrate. Some of these Folk mount demonstrations outside the meeting Hall some accost soviet delegates coming in and going out. Some Send letters or attempt to deliver them. It is an electric situation. One woman suddenly asked austrian president Kurt Waldheim for an audience. On ascertaining that the Postulat was jewish Waldheim instantly admitted her and let her speak for a full 45 minutes. The big event was the speech by Shevardnadze. He was in Fine form a Man of enormous forensic skill. He went on at great length devoting himself primarily to George will gosh 1 just hate to gee human right violations. Thales better expressing the awful disappointment by the peace Lov ing Folk at the Kremlin Over president Reagan s pulling out of the Reykjavik meeting in december. Just the info what might have happened Fie told the delegates from 35 countries. The West said the foreign minister has a historic Opportunity to bring about a Stellar hour by going Back to the Reykjavik principles and simply putting them into effect. Umin s letter suggested another Stellar hour this one completely under the control of soviet authorities. The Ordinary american citizen wants to be Lieve you he wrote. The question i raise to you is this How can i believe. When in the Halls of the Vienna meeting i am confronted daily by the members of families living in the United slates who with tears in their eyes ask for nothing More than reunification with their moved ones living in the soviet Union your speech advises us that major legislation and administrative measures Are at present being adopted in your country to fur ther develop International contacts and resolve the humanitarian spirit pro lems relating to family re unification and mixed marriages an american Cit Izen must ask How Long can divided family Mem Bers be asked to wait for the implementation of your words we Are compelled to affirm with you hat a maximum of positive results can be achieved with a minimum of Lime we Are compelled to join with you in saying that. No Chance should be missed today. Mankind is already losing too much."1 Umin s eloquent Call for a Stellar hour effected by a pen stroke from Mikhail Gorbachev authorizing the emigration of families with foreign lies in t Likely to bring anybody Home. But what is remarkable is that the soviet Union apparently now considers inquiries into the Fate or soviet citizens properly the business of International assemblies which is the principal accomplishment of the Helsinki arrangements. W untied so or is Sci administration should acknowledge mistakes if As is said there is nothing like a calamity to Lake your mind off your Trou Bles inc Reagan administration can con sole itself with this thought about the mishandling of the aftermath of its Iran misadventure no one is talking about the deficit any More. The misadventure now has the familiar attribute of Washington s consuming obsessions the result of each attempt to put the Mailer to rest is a growth in the number of probing questions about it a presidential speech and news con Ference have been devoted to it and All they have accomplished is to put the pre Lidenton the Edge of a precipice. He seems defensive evasive ill at ease in Short the one thing he of All leaders Darnol seem out of character. We May be about to Sec realized the potential volatility of Public opinion that has been fixed on an intensely personal affection for a president s personality. Today the nation s mind is ambivalent unformed Toft Wax ready to receive fresh imprints. Horace Busby notes that 20 percent of those who voted nov. 4 did so in eight states Alabama Alaska California Florida Idaho Illinois new York and Pennsylvania that elected four democratic and four Republican Gover nors while in each Case choosing a . Senator from the opposing party. Another clue to the country s mood is this of the 13 new senators nine have served in the. House one has served there and in a Cabinet office and three others have been governors. The Electo rate is in no mood for Amateur Bour in Washington. It craves competence. The iranian episode radiates incompetence in its substance execution and apologia. This after the Nicholas Dani Loff spy Swap and Iceland Summit episodes has encouraged this judgment the aide in dose Contact with president Reagan today Are the least distinguished such group to serve any president in the postwar period. The nation s disposition regarding Reagan May be quite changeable not be cause the nation it unusually volatile but because of the nature of Reagan relationship with the nation. After the loss of cop control of the Senate Bis people deflected the suggestion that he is a lame Duck arguing that no one enjoy ing such High Job approval rating and a personal popularity unrivalled since Dwight Eisenhower can be lame. But the botching of Iran policy will Lake a toll on Job approval. Evermore important his personal popularity will decline perhaps precipitously unless he and his administration quickly put an end to the truculent be sophistry score settling among rivals trying to keep their skins clean and grudging Over Law Yered explanations. Reagan s hold on the country s affection rests to a remarkable degree on his reputation As a politician of Clear principles clearly spoken. The average citizen meaning the Only slightly attentive citizen values Reagan As a Leader precisely because we need not Lis ten closely to him lest we be tricked by him. Clarity and consistency important to any president Are especially so to this one because those qualities rather than say a reputation for expertise form a unusually Large part of the foundation on which approval of him rests. What caused scalding criticism of the president from Tome usually sympathetic persons during the Daniloff and Iceland affairs was the word Nean whatever we choose abuse of language the Swap was no Swap the Summit nol a Summit. Similar intellectual corruption has seeped into administration statements about Iran evasive statements that have been Loo Clever by half concerning who . Officials Are dealing with in Iran and Why. It it impossible to prove but hard a doubt that there was a connection this year Between the passage of sweeping lax Reform and the sudden surge of concern about Deaver ism the Washington based Law yer lobbyist influence Industry. Evidence of bad judgment and bad Fai in Al the Center of government May soon mix in the Public mind with a Niagara of evidence of corruption at the symbolic Center of the private sector Wall Street the Public is Apt to remade uneasy by a sense of enveloping Mal practice in important institutions. To insulate itself from this the administration needs to try Candor which Means acknowledging serious mis takes. It May be too late Tor that after the president i news conference. The administration also needs an infusion of Talent which Means for starters a new National Security adviser