European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine by Barry Schweid associated press e sometimes talked about his Job As pick and shovel work and himself As a Gardener images no one would have pinned to the office that Henry Kissinger endowed with Jet set glitter John Foster Dulles with a prophetic Edge and Dean Acheson with aristocratic elegance. Those three earlier secretaries of state Over the past half Century performed naturally on a floodlit stage that George Shultz just As naturally avoids. Unlike them he s never been the source of memorable quotations. Despite his years As a Washington insider he much resembles what in fact he is a Stanford University professor on leave. 1 they be established a chair in my Honor he has said. I told them that when i m through with this Job i la need a  hell be through in january along with the administration he serves but its Twilight is seeing a remarkable splurge of peacemaking in . Diplomacy. Peace May be coming to Angola and southwestern Africa where preliminary agreements May Point to the ultimate withdrawal of up to 50,000 cuban troops. Iran in a startling turnabout has accepted a cease fire in its War with Iraq. Soviet troops Are leaving Afghanistan. Pro soviet Vietnam is accelerating a military withdrawal from cambodia., peace in Central America is More elusive and in the Middle East where Shultz has expended much Effort negotiations Between israelis and arabs seem As Distant As Ever. Shultz s interest in the Mideast predates his appointment As Secretary of state. He is former president of the Bechtel group an International construction and engineering firm that made a Fortune in the Arab world. When president Reagan appointed Shultz in july 1982, his views on the Middle East came under intense congressional scrutiny. Against the apprehensions of some he has emerged As one of Israel s staunchest friends. On a recent visit to Amman Shultz told a group of jordanian journalists that a total israeli withdrawal from the West Bank was not in the cards and neither was a palestinian state. Traditionally diplomats make cooing sounds in such circumstances. Jordanian authorities never permitted the interview to appear in print or on the air. Shultz 67, will leave office without leaving a foreign policy doctrine or historic Milestone associated with his name. Some see his main accomplishment As Secretary of state is keeping a highly conservative administration on a moderate course in dealing with the soviet Union. His approach dovetailed with the Rise to Power in Moscow three years ago of a pragmatic soviet Leader Mikhail s. Gorbachev.  Summit meetings Are now annual occurrences. How much credit belongs to Shultz How much to Gorbachev and How much to Reagan who not so Long ago called the soviet Union an evil Empire it s anybody s guess. But the fact is that the two sides signed a historic treaty last year to abolish All . And soviet intermediate Range nuclear missiles and to Exchange inspectors to ensure the Deal is kept. The Way was cleared in monthly meetings Between Shultz and soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze. Moreover there is a framework in place for the next president Democrat or Republican to make More weapons cutbacks and to reconcile superpower differences around the  so far As his recognition that there s been a fundamental change in the soviet Union he s been a Good influence in toning Down the president said former undersecretary of state George w. Ball otherwise a critic of Shultz especially on the Middle East. Shultz also eased frictions with Congress and strengthened . Ties with nato and with Japan and other asian allies. He s been upfront said rep. Dante Fascell chairman of the House foreign affairs committee. He s Well liked by Congress. We Don t always agree with him. But the judgment on both sides of the aisle is he s a Good Secretary of  did Shultz try hard to talk Reagan out of sending american Tow missiles to the iranians in a futile attempt to free american hostages in Lebanon i wonder if there is More that i could have done Shultz said after the Iran Contra scandal broke. I believe there was. I Don t give myself any pluses on  some on Capitol Hill Are More critical. Rep. Robert g. Toricelli d-n.j., who heard him in closed testimony before the House of foreign affairs committee says Shultz did More than separate himself from White House policies on Iran. He built a Wall Between himself and the White  critics of the president s ambitious and they say fanciful Star wars project wonder if Shultz tried to slow the project Down and have found him ambiguous. I Don t have a Clear picture where he stands on Star wars former . Arms control director Paul Warnke says. I think he Felt this was the president s magnificent obsession and he was t going to do anything about  but Warnke an ardent proponent of arms control gives Shultz High grades for vigorously promoting the missile ban treaty. He definitely had his heart in arms control Warnke says. Similarly former sen. J. William Fulbright who practices Law in Washington and still keeps an Eye on foreign policy trends says that what pleases him most is this move toward conciliation with the  on the other hand Fulbright a former chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee Calls the hard line . Policy in Central America a great  and in the Middle East he says we be always been so completely supportive of Israel there s not much Chance of a  George Ball who held an important state department Post in the Kennedy administration concurs. He faults Shultz for ineptitude in trying to work out a Deal Between Israel and Lebanon in 1982 without consulting Syria and then ignoring president Hafez Assad for years because he did t go along. Fascell credits Shultz with toughness and willingness to Lay his prestige on the line in Central America and the Middle East although you can t say Lebanon was a  there 241 . Servicemen were killed in october 1983 when a Marine command Center was blown up. . Peacekeeping forces which critics said had been foolishly exposed were then withdrawn. The ringing declaration the apocalyptic pronouncement were not Shultz s style. He did t convey the impression that the world s Fate hinged on his Success in persuading foreign leaders to support his policies. But if reporters found the Secretary less than electrifying neither did he play games with them such As hiding behind background and not for attribution rituals in the ancient Washington tradition. He said what he had to say on the record even when it meant admitting the failure of a High stakes Mission. And he persevered. He worked in behalf of jews and other minorities who were prevented from emigrating from the soviet Union. He made a Point of giving human rights a Pride of place on his Agenda in All his sessions with soviet leaders. He arranged meetings with dissidents in Moscow and emigres in Jerusalem to lend symbolic support to their cause. Low key team player that he was much of the time Shultz could dissent sharply and publicly. He bristled at a White House order in 1985 to subject All government officials in sensitive positions to lie Detector tests. Shultz would have none of it personally and threatened to resign unless the order was modified. It was. When Reagan two years ago decided to sell subsidized wheat to the soviet Union Shultz called the sales  having led the opposition within the administration he kept up his criticism after he lost. The soviets he said must be chortling Over paying less for american produced food than american housewives do. There was risk in such self assertion. Shultz told the House and Senate Iran contras investigating committees you must be willing to say goodbye and i  the Secretary of state Friday August 12, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 13