European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes monday. August 31,1907 columns Carl Rowan Reagan proposal neither ploy nor surrender sek. Edward m. Kennedy d-mass., thinks the Reagan administration s proposal for peace in Nicaragua is a Irick to sucker the Congress into approving More lethal Aid for he Contra rebels of Nicaragua rep Jack Kemp . Thinks the while h Juse is Selling out the contras snatching defeat from the jaws of  we must Hope thai president Reagan s proposal is neither a ploy nor a surrender just the simple recognition that helping Nicaragua to Mirn and murder each Cher does not serve the cause of Freedom or the Security interest of the United states. Perhaps the Iran Contra hearings have taught the president that his on expressed Zeal for overthrowing Nicaragua s sandinista government militarily has done immense damage to his administration and has wounded him More than Nicaragua s president Daniel Ortega. It May be that Reagan has decided that the Opin ions and pressures of the leaders of Costa Rica mexi co Guatemala and other Central and South american countries can be a lot More effective in rescuing Nicaragua from communism than the secret shenanigans of it. Col. Oliver North Soldier of Fortune Eugene Hasenfus and the Enterprise run by then Vic adm. John pot Dexter retired maj. Gen. Richard Secord and businessman Alber Hakim i know. This sounds too Good to be True. I know to does t seem in the card that Al this late Date Reagan would decide that there Are peaceful ways to pull the sandinista Oul of the Bear hug of the soviet Union. But there is Hope. Ortega wants direct talks negotiations Between the United states and Nicaragua. We ought to engage in such talks. We ought not hide be Hind an argument that the Contra must be part of such talks. The sandinista regime May not have the democratic legitimacy of the mayor of Baltimore but it is no less legitimate than the governments of the soviet Union the people s Republic of China South Africa or Tai wan All of whom the United states talks u without rebel party crashers. By what logic does the United Stales Send officials to Geneva or Rush to summits in Reykjavik to talk to leaders of the soviet Union and then say i will not deign to talk to negotiate with a leftist Leader in Nicaragua i guarantee you that every neighbor to the William Buckley peace signs a Sfart South of us sees a big bully arrogance in that stance. And almost to a Man latin leaders see racism in the different approaches to commandante Ortega and Comrade  the difference becomes especially galling when the commandant is viewed As an appendage of the com Rade. I just Don t believe that even the nicaraguans who support Ortega and his band want to be enemies of the untied Stales and pawns of the soviet Union and Cuba. I think that when the United state Fosters and supports a War in which nicaraguans Sec their relatives die and their country fall into economic agony the United Stales deprive nicaraguans of the privilege of political judgment. The contras were not winning before Reagan adopted them. After the diversion of Money from arms sales to Iran they were not winning. After congressional appropriations of hundreds of millions of Dol Lars More the contras will not be winning. The realistic options Are that the United slates will talk to nicaraguans and pull them out of the soviet orbit Wilh displays of Friendship and economic support or the United states will resort to military intervention to Slop the spread of communism in this  let s encourage Reagan to try first the strategy of talk of assistance of Friendship. Nool Amanca synd Kitt is amendment Issue Clear in Macdonald trial the Community of writers and journalists has been slow in meditating on the implications of the lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Macdonald against Joe Mcginniss. Macdonald is the doctor who while in the army murdered his pregnant wife and two children. Joe Mcginniss is the author who wrote a Book about the kill Ings fatal vision. The lawsuit was an act of extraordinary arrogance by a Man sentenced to serve three consecutive life terms. On the other hand if you have the kidney to murder your pregnant wife and daughters in should t Surprise that you can also be playful Wilh the first amendment leaving open the question Why on Earth did the judge let this crazy trial proceed Here is what they argued about in court for six and one half weeks in los Angeles Macdonald before his trial arrange with Mcginniss to write a Book about Maspon Aid whose innocence he loudly proclaimed and Many believed his Story was thai the murders were done by a gang of wild hip pies. Mcginniss began his association with Macdonald thinking him innocent. The contract called for a division of royalties in Exchange for Mcginniss being allowed to listen in on All the Legal conferences Between Macdonald and his lawyers. In the course of a night and Day association they became friends. Bui Little by Lille Jiw Ltd miss came to realize thai his artful Friend was a Homicidal Sociopath. 13 at a an author he was adequately protected. The contract gave Mcginniss a re lease against any future libel claim. The general release was qualified by a hand written clause providing you maintain the essential integrity of my  what then happened is that even though Mcginniss had privately concluded that Macdonald was the Mur Derer he continued to write him encouraging letters. He let him Down so to speak gently until the publication of the Book. The astonishing civil lawsuit Cen ters around the allegation Ihal by writing him those idlers leaving Macdonald Wilh the impression that Mcginniss still thought him innocent Mcginniss had nol maintained the essential integrity promised under the contract. At court. Joseph Wambaugh and i testified both ofus informing Trie judge and the jury Ihal in the world of journalism and Book writing it is never an Obliga Tion of the writer to apprise his subject of exactly what his maturing feelings Are Aboul him. 1 Gaic the jury an example suppose that i undertook to wite a biography of sen. Alan Cranston in the course of which i began to sup Cal that he Cpl a second wife in Florida. Would i in answer to a pointed question by sen. Cranston aim a if i had reached conclusions Aboul his relationship Wilh the lady in Florida respond that yes 1 had concluded that he was a bigamist the writer s regimen is nol so constructed. A successful investigative biographer or journalist is As inscrutable As the silent juror listening wailing for the entire Story to be told before affirming a conclusion. The proposition thai the integrity of a convicted murderer had been paid insufficient service is just to begin with preposterous. If Joe Mcginniss tellers to the Mur Derer were disingenuous thai would be a Mark not Only of journalistic acumen bul also of Charity. Macdonald is a True psychopath and one s scorn of him accordingly diminishes. The proper attitude toward a Man driven by neurotic demons to Mur Der his wife and daughters is one of pity and disgust but that docs not require instant ostracism or another homily. What should Mcginniss have written him Jeff you know you really should t have knifed your wife and daughters. I mean that s not the right thing to  a crazy trial wrote columnist Joe Morgan slim of the los Angeles Herald examiner. From the very beginning in grew Oul of a fundamental misunderstanding of How honest non fiction writ ers  and yet notwithstanding the crushing closing statement bar defense at Torney Daniel Hornslein the jury dead locked and la whole thing May begin again so that the threat continues to hang Over the writing Community that unless a writer instantly communicate to Liis subject his feelings about him he May be engaging in some kind of fraud. Why was the jury divided there is Only one explanation for in that the trial was authorized in the first place. They Tell in England the wonderful Story of professor Joad who having missed the local from Oxford to London was pleased and surprised thai the express train unaccountably stopped. He let himself into a compartment and moments later roaring toward London at 80 Miles per hour the conductor frowned Down at him. Sir he said this train docs i Stop Here i know professor Joad looked up. And i m not in  the jurors obviously concluded thai the very fact that they were there to de cide something suggested thai it was an open question. The opinion expressed id the column and Cir Tooni on ills Page represent Thok of the authors and an in now a to be ten Side Ai  the a twi of the stars and stripes or intr United Slatts government