European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday August 17,1987 Abrams defends sending arms on Contra Aid flight fort Myers Fla. A assistant Secretary of stale Elliott Abrams defended his role in authorizing the shipment of weapons on a humanitarian Aid flight to nicaraguan rebels saying inc operation was strictly by inc  the shipment that Abrams mentioned at a news conference Here saturday was made at a Lime when Federal Law prohibited . Officials from helping Contra forces obtain weapons Bui he insisted his actions were Legal. Before a speech to two political action committees he said officials talked to the lawyers and ran it by  Abrams was responding to reports by the Miami Herald and the associated press that his Deputy James Michel authorised in a classified memorandum at Elliott Abrams least two weapons shipments on flights earmarked solely for humanitarian Aid. Abrams said there was Only one weapons shipment and that in was Small. Abrams the Reagan adminis Lvalion s Point Man on Central american policy said the memo is being declassified and would be released monday or tuesday. You have to remember there s a War going on he said. They had people fighting inside Nicaragua and dying. And. When they said look you be got some space on that plane and it s desperately important to get thai stuff in we said that s Tine that s Legal and we ought to do it " special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh is investigating possible wrongdoing in the state department s nicaraguan humanitarian assistance office which arranged the flights. The assistance office slab Lishco after Congress approved j27 million in humanitarian Aid to the contras was in charge of buying and delivering such goods As food and other non lethal sup plies. Robert duckling former director of the assistance office said the weapons were carried on lights in Early 1946 even though a congressional ban on military Aid was in effect from october 1984 to the summer of 1986. Duckling said he reluctantly agreed to carry mixed loads bearing 20 percent military Aid on two flights funded by inc program because inc order came from Abrams office. But Abrams said he approved Only one flight and the split Between humanitarian Aid and weapons was 93-7 percent and not 80-20 As Duemling reported. Abrams said he did not know the con tents of the military shipment. In can t have been much he said. Seven per cent of the cargo of a Small plane would t be Large cargo  asked if any of his superiors were aware of the shipment he said you d have to Check the paper Trail. I Don l know catastrophe Well. App Boio when this Sid Francisco firefighter answered a Call for help he did t find a fire. What be discovered was a real doozy of a door june soft spent nine year old Lillian Zamora had derided to stick Nir cat s head through a Hole in the door All in fun of course. Bui when the game was Over inc cat s head refused to Tolas Ori As easily As it had Fine in and the fur was ready to Fly. But with the help of sonic tools the feline finally was freed. . Sailors recoil show of soviet naval might Anchorage Alaska up a Navy ship thai ventured close to soviet territory in May generated a show of Moscow s military might that thrilled some sailors and unnerved others crewmen of Arkansas said before ending a port Call sunday the confrontation involving the Arkansas the Navy s newest nuclear powered guided missile Cruiser occurred 500 Miles West of Alaska s Aleutian Island Chain in the Bering sea. It was near Petropavlovsk a Sensi live soviet naval base in Lavacha Bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Navy s close approach to the sensitive soviet submarine port and naval base apparently caught the soviets off guard. They responded in Force with planes and ships although no shots were fired. I did t think there was any danger of them shoot ing us a crewman said but there was talk of them ramming  the 11,160-ton ship was neither forced away by inc soviets nor called away by the Navy. The assignment was finished said capt. Harry e. Selfridge who took Over As commanding officer of the Arkansas after its voyage to Kamchatka when the Arkansas left the soviets followed half the distance Back to Alaska s Aleutian Chain crewmen said. They weren t Happy with us being there a crewman said. They dogged us the whole  at the time the soviets issued a Public protest accusing the United slates of Luhning soviet territorial Waters. The United states responded to the May 21 protest by denying the charge and asserting that the Navy ship was in International Waters. Neither government disclosed details of the encounter. Headquarters of the Navy s 3rd Fleet citing state department restrictions also declined to disclose de tails. Bui in interviews with United press International ship s officers and Crew talked about what happened up to a Point. Reluctant Crew members wanted anonymity. It s the topic of conversation consistently self Ridge said. I be heard in Over and Over and Over  a crewman said of the incident i Wai scared to death  i would consider it a  another crewman said. It got the adrenaline flowing. It was the response of the russians that generated the thrill. It was being surrounded thai generated the my thrill. We caught them off guard. It was a Surprise. It was a hell of a carnival  it was a very unique experience said one Man. Who called it one of the highlights of his 15 years in the Navy. It paralleled crossing Gad tvs line of death " several other crewmen also compared the encounter off inc Kamchatka Peninsula to events in the Mediterranean last year when the Navy sailed across libyan Leader Qadhafi s line of death to assert the american Contention that the Gulfo Sidra area is International. In this Case the Arkansas sailed inside a 36-mile zone the soviets claim As their exclusive territory. The United slates recognizes a 3-mile limit As National Waters. Neither Side said How close the Arkansas got. The Arkansas apparently was Welt away from Lite 3 mile limit but deep inside the 36-mile zone. If you accept a Boundary that s been declared Long enough there is a tendency for in to become recognized explained the Captain. We have a right to operate in International  there is no doubt that the actions by the . Warship were Primc Dillard and provocative and they were taken in Clear violation of the Laws and rules of the -s.r. Regarding he regime of soviet territorial Waters Yuri Gremil sikh. A foreign ministry spokes Man said at the time threatening possible serious  before the matter was finished the two countries were at each other s Isih a crewman said. We got some pretty serious a i ten  several crewmen said they were Happy to a Cave not so much because they feared the confrontation might turn violent but because the weather was cold and Nasty they reported occasional Snow and because leaving meant going Home. The Arkansas is equipped Viii anti plane anti ship and unti Stibr Narinch missile la undid is. 5-Inchguns, Tor Pedo tubes and Tomahawk Long Range missile launch ers