European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday december 12, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 5 Tower under most thorough Check by he Washington pos Washington the final decision on inc nomination of John o. Tower Comer Republican senator from Texas As Secretary of defense is being held up while inc Phi conducts an exhaustive background investigation that one knowledgeable official called the most thorough the Fri has Ever  transition offic iils for the incoming Bush administration said the final Deci Sion will probably not be made unlit after the Fri completes its investigation which could Lake another two weeks or longer. As of saturday no information has been turned up Ihal would prevent the Tower nomination. Officials said. The investigation has involved inter views with Tower s former wife former colleagues in inc Senate and associates in his defense consulting business plus an examination of his personal and past Campaign finances. One focus of the inquiry is Tower s relationships with several defense con tractors that have paid him consulting fees Over inc past few years. They in clude Rockwell International and Ltd major contractors  bib bomber Tower supported As a senator. The Rockwell contract paid Tower s consulting firm $120,000 a Yew and the Ltd contract paid $96,000 a year. Tower also receive about $100,000 a year from a firm headed by Donald Hicks former undersecretary of defense Tor research and engineering and has other consulting contracts with defense contractors Martin Marietta tax Iron and British aerospace. Appointment of longtime Bush supporter John Tower held up by Fri probe. Transition officials said Tower s nomination has been held up in pan because of efforts to fill the rest of a Pentagon management Tram and the Large number of questions that have been raised from Tower s Long career under procedures established by the transition Cam All allegations have to be checked out including some old reports about Tower s drinking and relationships with women. Tower could not be reached for com ment but Richard Billmore an associate in his consulting firm said Tower viewed the extensive background Check As an absolutely necessary part of the process of rebuilding Public Confidence in the defense  he added that Tower had voluntarily furnished the Fri with extensive data on All his personal and political finances. One official said Hal some other lop hush appointees Are offended and taken Aback Al the personal nature of the Fri s inquiries. New detailed questions have been added to the background form that each potential appointee has to answer. They include whether the person has used marijuana since the age of is. Has paid Back student Loans or received any psychiatric or psychological treat ment excluding marriage counselling. Bush has approved the rigorous new background investigation procedures according to officials. Tower was interviewed twice by Fri agents last week and can anticipate fur ther and what one source termed confrontational interviews on any remain ing questions. For example sources said Fri agents arc asking associates of Tower whether his social and drinking habits might impair i capacity to function in a senior Cabinet Post. Tower also has been Busy Over inc past few years making speeches arranged by inc Cosby speakers Bureau Here. Joe Cosby Lead of the company said Fri agents visited him last week wanting to know  Cosby said Tower makes about 30 speeches a year and that few have been for less Ihan $ 15,000. He said Tower was forced to cancel a $50,000, speech in Japan last month to meet with Bush Al the White House. Report claims North in soviet tank plot Washington Al j former . Nali Oit Al Security aide Oliver North and inc late Ami ram Nir had planned to acquire a highly sophisticated soviet tank in Syria and ship it to the United Stales a published report said saturday. . News and world report quoting unnamed intelligence sources and referring to North s still secret notebooks said the agreement called for Israel to Send an arabic speaking arms expert with a fake syrian passport into Hal country with the help of unnamed polish confederates the target of the expedition was an advanced version of he soviet Unionyt-72 High tech Battle Lank the Magazine said in its washing Ion whispers column. The plan in which he tank would be shipped to the United Stales via a circuitous  was aborted because of Dis closure of inc Iran Centra affair in november 1986, inc Maga inc said. Nir a former israeli  official. Died nov. 30 in a plane crash in Mexico. Authorities arrest More than 500 in 3-Sfafe anti a Orfin profess by the associated press. Police arrested More than 500 people Al anti Abor Tion protests saturday in California Texas and Ohio As demonstrators Sang hymns and Christmas carols Drew hecklers and forced authorities to drag them into  400 protesters were arrested outside planned parenthood clinics in the Northern California communities of Concord and Fairfield police said. Police in Austin Texas arrested 85 people during a demonstration outside the ladies Center clinic where abortions arc performed. Mosi of the protesters went Limp forcing officers to carry them into three vans and a bus a process thai look More than three hours in a Chilly rain. In Columbus Ohio police arrested 52 anti abortion activists As they attempted to barricade the Entrance la the founders clinic near downtown. The anti abortion protesters were associated with operation Rescue a group thai has organized such demonstrations nationwide and with particular Impact in Atlanta during and since the democratic National convention in july. Terri Conklin a director of the project Rescue spin off group in Ohio said trained Counselor were at the Columbus protest to advise any women seeking Abor Lions logo to pregnancy distress centers where if they decided against abortion they would be provided with baby clothes and furniture. Columbus police said most of those arrested were charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and taken to the county jail. About half of inc protes ters passively resisted arc so by refusing to walk and had to be carried to a police Van. \. Kelly Connelly of. Operation Rescue said about 320 anti abortion participants Drew about 75 pro Choice protesters in Concord. Police it. Bob Burns said 184 people there were cited for trespassing on private property and released. They were making a lot of noise and kind of har passing the rescuers " said Burns. But police said none of the counter demonstrators were arrested. Fairfield police said 21s people were arrested proc Essed and released at a similar demonstration involving close to 400 people Al a planned parenthood clime there. Ohio tavern Blaze kills 3, destroys 2-Story building Middletown Ohio a a fire that began in the Kitchen of a Lavem destroyed a two Story building saturday night killing i rec people and injuring one authorities said. All of the 20 City firefighters on duly plus several off duty personnel battled the Blaze at the Baltimore inn which was reported around 7 . And brought under control iwo hours later. The victims identities were not immediately known but All of the dead were believed to have been employees of the tavern located near the downtown area. One Man injured in the fire was taken to Middletown regional Hospital where a nursing supervisor said he was in fair condition. The tavern occupied the Bottom floor of the building and an apartment occupied the second floor but it was not known immediately if anyone was living in the apartment. Firefighters efforts in battling he Blaze were complicated by thick smoke which was pouring from the building when they arrived a fire department spokesman  re using an awful lot of air cylinders he said. Middletown is a City of about 45,000 North of Cincinnati. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec. 12,1948 the United states demanded that ror Nania recall two of its top ranking diplomats after inc romanian government accused two american diplomats of espionage and demanded they leave Romania. 30 years ago today. Dec. 12, 1958 two former members of a religious cult were identified As the men who dynamited the sect s Headquarters in California killing nine persons. 20 years ago foday. Dec. 12, 1968 president elect Richard Nixon announced the appointment of Robert Mayo a Chicago banker As his budget director. 10 years ago foday. Dec. 12, 1978 masked gunmen handcuffed 10 employees at a Lufthansa airlines hangar at new York s Kennedy International Airport and led with $5 million