European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday augusl21, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 3 a photo escaped is. Hostage Charles guis bugs his wife Fiona in London wednesday. Iranian offer to Jelp free captives rejected by . Washington a the speaker of Iran s parliament says his country does not condone hostage taking and would like to help arrange a Swap to free foreign Cap Tives in Lebanon but the slate department thursday rejected an Deal. State department spokeswoman Phyl Lis Oakley said the offer confirms that Iran has a great Deal of influence Over those holding eight americans and should use this influence to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages in Lebanon. The iranian speaker Hashemi Rassan Jani told abcs today program redid nol have absolute Power Loar Range a Swap. But he said i think i can be of some  a Sfanjani considered a possible Suc Cessor to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho Meini said wednesday that for such a Swap to occur the United states would have to exert pressure on Israel and Kuwait to release shiite moslem prisoners. The three countries have said they oppose what they describe As dealing with terrorists. But Israel has in the past offered to release shiite prisoners to gain the Freedom of captured servicemen in Lebanon and the United states last Yea engaged in what is widely viewed As an arms for hostages Deal with Iran. Oakley read a statement that said our response to or. A Sfanjani is no deals. No release of. Military equip ment. No pressure on Israel to release prisoners no pressure on Kuwait to re lease prisoners. The United state swill not make concessions to terrorists nor will we ask other countries to do  a Sfanjani denied that the govern ment of Iran controls the groups holding 24 foreigners hostage in Lebanon. He disavowed any iranian involvement in the kidnapping or escape of Charles Glass the former Abc news correspondent held in Lebanon for two months until he fled his captors this week. Others disputed Cia Man s Story on Iran arms Sale Washington a Cia coup tar terrorism chief Duane Clarridge in to not Contra testimony released thurs Day Sluck to his Story thai he did t know at the time there were weapons in a 1985 shipment to Iran. His assertions Drew Sharp questioning of his memory from panel members. In. William Cohen a Maine told the witness on practically every single major event that we have been consid ering you have virtually no memory at All and whenever a question is directed toward you you indicate Well it maybe i just can t recall " Clarridge s testimony Given in private on aug. Of was released by the Cong res is onaran Contra commit ties Afler sensitive portions were blacked out. In the face of documentary evidence and the testimony of others that cables on the subject were sent to him he Testi fied hat he did t know in late 1935 that a secret air cargo from Israel to Iran contained Hawk missiles not Oil drilling equipment according to transcripts of his sworn testimony. Parridge a Veteran of Cia operation sin Europe and Central America said thai while he later suspected that weapons were involved he did not know at the Lime. He said this was True even though the person who asked him to facilitate the shipment through Portugal Marine it. Col. Oliver North and the agent he assigned to do the Job both knew weapons were going to be on the flight. That is the Way it was Cla Nidga said. According to the declassified version of his testimony several committee members severely questioned Clarridge s Lack of specific memory and recall on Many key issues. At the Lime of the shipment Clarridge was head of the spy Agency s european operations. The transcript indicated he has been contradicted by the testimony of other agents also Given in secret. He testified previously that he believed at the Lime that the shipment consisted Only of Oil drilling equipment. Other . Officials have testified under oath that an agent in Portugal sent Clarridge a Cable telling him the cargo consisted of Hawk missiles not Drill bits or other Oil Field equipment. The commit ties said in june that he Cable could not be found in Clarridge s personal files. The Issue is sensitive because the Cia assisted in the shipment which was routed through Portugal without the presidential authorization that would be required if a Covert weapons Transfer was involved. Rear adm. John Poindexter presi Dent Reagan s former National Security adviser testified that Reagan had signed papers authorizing the Covert arms ship ment retroactively. Poindexter said he ripped up that document East november and caused it to be burned. He hoped to save Reagan pol Iii Cal embarrassment in the aftershock of Public disclosure of secret . Arms shipments to Iran and the diversion of some of the proceeds to Nicaragua s Contra rebels fighting Nicaragua s leftist government. He said he did so because in describe the transaction Only in terms of an arms for hostages Swap. At the time some Reagan administration officials were preparing a misleading chronology giving their version of Iran Contra events. Congress was told those officials including the late Cia director William Casey also believed the ship ment consisted Only of Oil drilling equip ment. Former White House chief of staff Donald Regan testified that a cover Story had been crafted where the shipment would be described As Oil Field equip ment should knowledge of in Ever be come Public. He said both he and the president knew weapons were involved. The Early arms shipment marked the beginning of a secret network established by North then a staff official of the National Security Council to sell arms to Iran and Loaid the contras. Claudge As chief of the Cia Central american task Force from 1981 to 1984,managed Early . Support for the con tras. He ii named in several documents made Public by the committees. Former Fri director William Webster who replaced Casey As director of the Cia has begun an internal review of the involvement of Cia operatives in the Iran Contra affair and May ask out Side counsel for advice on How to proceed. Us a was in the right mood to help old mama Des Moines Iowa a a Farmer who agreed to give up his Dairy Herd under a Federal buyout program slowed through red tape at the . Department of agriculture to save a beloved 15 year old Eow from Slaughter. We have a heart after All said Mike masters Ono the us a which reversed an earlier decision and agreed to exempt the grading stiff jointed old co from its Dairy termination program. For Fanner Arlo Van Veldhuizen the decision to let him keep old mama came As a Surprise although he will have to sterilize her to ensure she cannot further contribute to the nation s Dairy surplus. The old cow it s not going to do her any Good but it s better than having her killed Van Veldhuizen said in a Telephone interview wednesday. Van Veldhuizen a Dairy Farmer for 25 years had signed an agreement to Slaughter old mama and his 26 other cows in return for $47,000 from the us a. The Deal was part of a $2 billion buyout program designed to reduce the nation s milk surplus. The Farmer said he reluctantly signed the agreement because of leg problems he developed milking cows. He said he later tried to save old mama because he wanted to see her die of old age rather than be sent to an auction barn for certain Slaughter. She s useless to anyone but me he said. She does t give any milk and she s never going to again. It s j ust like a pet a cat or a dog that s  he turned to his congressmen for help but Ellen Huntoon an aide to sen. Tom Harkin a Iowa said the us a insisted it could l make any exceptions. Van Veldhuizen who farms near Hull in Western Iowa was notified of the rare us a reversal by rep. Fred Grandy a Iowa. It s a conflict with our policy but we re almost Atixhe cad of the Dairy termination program said Masterson an assistant to acting us a undersecretary Richard Goldberg. More than 1.5 million head including calves were designated for Slaughter under the program which gave Farmers less than two weeks to Complete disposing of their animals. If this were the first Day of the program i sup pose that in would set a precedent Masterson said. The Congress was quite specific As to the two categories of disposal for Slaughter or a import. They were quite determined that this was going to be rigid program and we tried to operate it that  Masterson said old mama is the Only former milk producing cow that has won a us a reprieve although the Agency has received a Boatload full of requests from Farmers who wanted to keep animals As Peis. We did make exceptions before for some 4-h students who had heifers Masterson said. We Veblen a Lille Bil Liberal on