European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 4, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vietnam suspending Mia efforts fir at f of i i. The stars  see Story Page 2 authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces ,. Vol.47,no. 108 thursday August 4, 1988 it 1t 35 doily and sunday d 8693 a Reagan vetoes defense Bill says partisan politics is bucking the tide for ski Washington a president Reagan wednesday vetoed a $299.5 billion defense authorization Bill for the new budget year saying it would return the United states to the course of weakness and accommodation of the 1970s." Reagan announced his decision during an appear Ance in the White House briefing room. Vice president George Bush and leading republicans had urged Rea Gan to disapprove the legislation. The Bill essentially would have authorized the spending Levels the administration sought but it sought to rearrange defense spending priorities. Administration officials complained that the legislation contained language that would have tied the presi Dent s hands on future arms control negotiations with the soviet Union. Defense Secretary Frank c. Carlucci had supported the Bill however. Reagan made the announcement after entering the briefing room with a copy of the huge Bill in his hands. I have just now vetoed the defense authorization Bill in the Oval office Reagan said. I think my reasons for this action can be plainly stated and  the Bill would signal Basic change in the direction of our National defense he said. A change away from strength and proven Success and Back toward weakness and accommodation of the 1970s." citing Progress that he said is being made in East West relations and in settling regional conflicts the president said Over time the defense Bill that i have just vetoed would have placed in jeopardy All of these diplomatic and strategic  it would endanger Progress in arms negotiations by giving away All of our. Leverage without getting single thing in return from the soviets he said. He said the Bill if it became Law would also cripple the very concept of a space shield against nuclear attack his Star wars or strategic defense initiative program and i will not abide  they say this Bill would take the stars out of Sta wars he said. With my veto today i am putting Back the to initiative in  Reagan disavowed political motives saying i can be patient no longer. Congress needs to get to work and come Back with a Bill i can sign. These Are issues of National Security and they must remain above partisan  the partisan politics is on the other Side he  have taken it upon themselves to change where the spending is going to take  we know there is a partisan position in which there Are a great Many there who just Don t want ski at All he said. Well i think they Are bucking the  Reagan also said that the separate defense appropriations Bill the Bill that contains the actual Money continued on Page 24 Battle stress blamed in Iran Jet Downing by Norman Blackcap military writer Washington Pentagon investigators believe human error caused by Battle stress led to the . Missile attack on an iranian jetliner last month Over the persian Gulf defense officials said wednesday. The investigators said the ship s computerized radar and tracking equipment were apparently operating properly. The officials who demanded Anonym Ity said the military investigators As signed were advancing the theory that crewmen aboard the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes under stress fro their first combat action had misinterpreted the radar data presented by the ship s Aegis defense system. The Captain of the ship was told that the iranian Airliner was descending to Ward the Vincennes and flying at a relatively High rate of Speed that it had been classified As hostile an official said. A review of computerized tapes take from the Vincennes combat information Center indicates however that the ship s radar system did not display data see Jet on Back Page Greece says if will close hell Nikon a Athens Greece a the greek government announced wednesday it will close the . Air Force s hellenic Kon a when a defense agreement be tween Greece and the United states expires dec. 31. Official spokesman Sotiris Kostopoulos told a news briefing that one of the decisions reached by the greek govern ment is the abolition of hell Nikon air  hell Nikon is one of four major Mili tary installations the United states oper ates in Greece. It is adjacent to Athen International Airport about 10 Miles from the City. The . Embassy declined comment on the announcement. State department officials in Washington said they were unable to verify Kostopoulos statement and declined to answer questions from the stars an stripes. Officials at the Pentagon also declined comment on the greek move. The Call to close hell Nikon conflicted with a background briefing Given tues Day by a ranking greek government offi Cial who asked for anonymity. The offi Cial said the air base would either be closed or stay As it is ruling out its trans Fer or merging with another . Facility on the Island of Crete. Negotiations for a new defense an cooperation agreement to replace the existing Accord Are under Way with the see Greece on Back Page soviets free German Pilot Frankfurt West Germany a Mathias rust the Young West Ger Man Pilot whose Landing in red Square triggered a soviet military shake up arrived in Frankfurt late wednesday after being freed from a soviet prison earlier in the  Airport spokesman said the Lufthansa jetliner carrying rust landed in Frankfurt at 9 24  soviet news Agency Tass ear Lier reported that rust has just taken a flight from Moscow to the Fri Federal Republic of Germany a spokesman for the West German embassy confirmed that rust washboard a Lufthansa Jet that left mos cow s Sheremetyev Airport shortly after 8  embassy spokesman who demanded anonymity said rust was taken directly to the Airport from be for Tovo prison where he had Bee held since his flight in May 1987. Tass said the presidium of the supreme soviet the country s highest executive body decreed earlier in the Day that the 20-year-old rust be freed from further serving his term and expelled from the soviet  Tass said rust s release after hav ing served just Over a Quarter of four year sentence demonstrated the soviet Union s  there was no further explanation for the Early  quoted rust As saying i realize that i have committed serious criminal offences and the fact that the presidium file a Mathias rust in 1987 of the .s.r. Supreme soviet freedmen from punishment before i served my term is an act of  i think this also attests to the Overall improvement of relations be tween our two countries rust was quoted As  May 28, 1987, rust then 19, see Pilot on Back Page Magazine