European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 2, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes monday november 2, 19b7 Carl t. Rowan bit of Viet War history repeating itself in Gulf the american people had belter sled themselves psychologically Tor a War with Iran that could include massive terrorism and sabotage. I say this because i Sec a bit of Viet Nam War history repeating itself. When american ships recently blasted an iranian Oil platform in the persian Gulf in retaliation for a missile attack on a  Tanker in the Waters of Kuwait Secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger said we do not seek any further confrontation with Iran but we will be fully prepared 10 meet any escalation of Mili tary action by Iran with stronger coun in measures a few Days later the iranian tired an other missile into a kuwaiti Oil port. That reminded me of feb. 6, 964, when i rot out of my sickbed to attend an emergency session of i Nena tonal Security Council. President John son insisted that the director of the . Information Agency be Here because Johnson and his key advisers had decided to bomb North Vietnam for the first Lime and he wanted the world to under stand Why. We want no wider War Llie presi Dent said. Alt we want to do is bloody their the Viet Cong s noses a Little an teach them to leave their neighbors  so the Security Council approved the fateful decision to have . Plane bomb and so raft Barracks and staging areas hat were being used for the infiltration of Viet Cong personnel into South  a the meeting broke up president Johnson said to me slay Here for a  then when we got a Onva demoment he said you make Damn sure the russians and the whole world know that we want no wider War. Usia did its damnedest to get that message to the world but we got that wider War. We had underestimated the willingness of the Viet Cong like a Des Perate Boxer to fight with a bloody nose. In the persian Gulf conflict we Are a i now underestimating the willingness of millions of iranians to do desperate things in the face of the awesome Mili tary Power of the United slates. Just As we failed to comprehend the determination of to Chi Minn s followers so we Are discounting the Force of islamic fanaticism As fanned to flames by Iran s Ayatollah Khomeini. No this is not a suggestion that the United states and other nations ought to abandon their right to free and peaceful passage in the persian Gulf. It is not suggestion that to avoid War with Iran the United states must abandon Kuwait saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf area leaving potential enemies to gain control of the vast Oil Deposit that Are so crucial to the economic Welt being and military Security of the Wesl and Japan. This is a Call for americans to under stand Hal there Are no easy Cost free solutions to the persian Gulf crisis. When president Reagan agreed to put . Hags on those kuwaiti lankers he took on a no win situation. Failure to retaliate against the missile attack on the Tanker would have left the United states with almost no credibility anywhere. Retaliation was bound to produce another violent assault from Iran. We become Honor bound to retaliate again and then worry about iranian fanatics trying to sabotage Oil pipelines in the Middle East or committing terrorist acts in Europe or even the United Stales. Iran s tankers have been under attack by iraqi forces trying to deny Tehran the Money needed to eventually conquer Iraq. Iranians say thai if their tankers can l sail through the Gulf nobody s ships can sail through. The . Has put itself deep in the Middle of this War with a still deeper involvement to come. The question in t whether there will be a fenian Gulf War Between the United slates and Iran in i Here. The ques Tion is whether the Vietnam hangover is gone to the extent thai americans can find the stomach for another conflict because believe me Bluff and warn ing won t go far with Iran and it rulers who do not hesitate to Send 10-year-Oldboys to death on the Battlefield or ask others to go on suicide missions. President Reagan and the con Gress had better get their act together and then Tel the american people the truth about the prospects of escalated warfare. Tit North Alica syndic. William f. Buckley or. Would Europe really Welcome on inf treaty at the presidential Republican debate in Houston a collision occurred when the subject came up of the forthcoming inf treaty designed to eliminate from the european theater nuclear weapons with a Range in excess of 300 Miles. Vice president George Bush reaffirmed his approval of the treaty by citing the approval of it by european leaders. "1 have just come Back he said from a Isip to Europe where i spent time with the chiefs of government of Italy West Germany great Britain France. And All of those leaders Wel come in treaty Flash to Gen. Alexander Haig. Well he said he had just come Back from a similar trip to Europe he had visited the same leaders and they look on the pro posed treaty with dismay. Gen. Haig lit Lings i inches from George Bush looked him straight in the Eye and vice presi Dent Bush lilting six inches from Alex Ander Haig. Looked him Back straight in the Eye and they both held their ground. Now in such a quandary there is no obvious solution. Or. Bush Don not lie. And in any even he would hardly elect to lie about this should it occur to him to begin lying. The chiefs of government involved Are publicly recorded is approving the proposed treaty on the other hand neither is Alexan Der Haig. Running for president of the United Stales Likely to make something up out of whole cloth. And the observer doing a Little thinking on his own has got to acknowledge that sensible europeans can hardly rejoice Over a treaty that Dis arms them from the capability of return ing a soviet conventional offensive with a touch of nuclear grape shot. Why would europeans be willing to Trade such weapons As cruise and Pershing ii missiles for bombers and submarines let alone strategic weapons fired exclusively at the will Ofa . President one arrives at the conclusion that european leaders Are saying one thing officially to Ronald Reagan something quite different to Al Haig and to others in whom they confide. Why the differ ence because since the reduction of intermediate nuclear forces is perceived to be a step toward disarmament the euro Pean Public inclines to applaud any such development. This need not coincide in any respect with private convictions of Wesley european leaders. So seeking further perspective the questioner addressed Gen. Haig in Houston if it is True that Western Europe will be much weaker after an inf i scaly than it now is Why can t we Counton representatives of the armed forces to make that Point in their testimony be fore Congress Are they intimidated by protocol or by loyalty to the commander in chief or both Haig answered Bolh. The american Public is left with a problem of some Gravity. If indeed most of the Friendly leaders of Western Europe deny the advisability of removing our Pershing from Europe in return for the destruction of the ss-20s, we can under stand that their Domestic political con Cern will prevent us from knowing this. But should t our own military speak up and give their opinion of the question americans will argue that if indeed a general or an Admiral saw the projected situation As truly serious he would reach beyond protocol and communicate his Doubis publicly prepared w pay i reprice of premature retirement in return for doing his duly by his conscience. The trouble with that facile reassurance is thai there Are those who believe Hal loyally transcends objective Analy Sis. When Ai the same affair or. Bush was asked whether he could describe those situations in which he As vice president disagreed with Ronald Reagan As president his reply was simple yes could and no. I won  Here is an Exten Sion of the concept of loyalty that reaches Over to the Point of subordinating one s judgment about National  wonders whether members of the joint chiefs of staff will be guided by the same Hierarchy of fell obligations. There is no Way to know in Advance what Are the ultimate costs of removing the Pershing from Europe and one would consider i.  obligation to be Hal of telling the truth As he saw it. The appropriate gesture would be first to re sign from the army or Navy or air Force and then testify to whal exactly is on one s mind. Not easy to do. The career is forfeited and the Day after tomorrow life becomes lonely. But it is reassuring to think thai we could count on the Loy Alty of our Navy air Force and army admirals and generals sooner than Pecan count on the loyalty of mrs. Thatcher and Mitterrand. Our military wit Nesses would lose a great Deal but they would sleep better and so would Europe