European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Nil playoff forecast sports i Ages 2 the St ars and stripes Hutkof Alzeo  publication for the a vhf to vol 47, no,250 saturday december 24, 19sb d 8693 a Reagan defends . Actions says Public warning would have stopped air traffic from staff and wire reports Washington president Reagan Friday said All precautions were taken after a threat preceding pan am right 103 s crash and thai a Public warning would have shut Down global air traffic. Asked if he had knowledge that a bomb had caused the plane to explode Reagan said none of this is Stab  see list of victims on Page 3. We re Stilt trying to find put Rea Gan old reporters a tier offering Condo Lences to families of crash victims As he left he White House for a two week holi Day vacation in California. Reagan was queried about reports . Diplomats were warned about a pos sible terrorist attack against a pan am Light from Frankfurt West Germany. All the precautions that could be taken were taken with regard to warning the airline and All Reagan responded referring to warnings by the state department and the Federal aviation administration to pan am and police authorities but not to the general Public. If you Stop to think about it. Such a Public statement with nothing but a Tele phone Call to go on would literally have closed Down All the air traffic in the world Reagan said. Flight 103, originating in Frankfurt with a change of planes at London s Heathrow Airport crashed in Scotland on wednesday killing All 258 people aboard and More than 20 in the ground. It was bound for new York. The president asked the nation to say a special prayer this Christmas for the victims and their loved ones. A warning of a terrorist bomb plot against a pan am flight leaving Frank Furt during the two weeks before Christmas apparently was posted at Only one . Installation overseas. The Anonymous threat made dec. 5 to the . Embassy in Finland was passed on to the . Intelligence Community including the defense Intelli gence Agency the stale department said Friday but Only the . Embassy in continued on Back Page san Handy Mcclaln Slaff Wriler the images that remain the most vivid from 1988 arc not All pleasant ones. A crippled italian Jet hurtles toward a crowd of spectators at a weekend air show at Ramstein a. West. Germany aug. 28. An explosion and resulting fireball leave 70 dead and hundreds injured. At least eight survivors remained hospitalized Friday with severe bums.  later on dec. 8, an air Force a-10. Attack plane on its Way to a Low level training Cher cow crashes into an apartment building in Remscheid. West Germany. Sis people arc killed including the 34 year old american Pilot at the aircraft s controls. Charred wreckage litters the streets evoking memories for those left homeless by the Allied bombs thai fell during world War ii. The two crashes although unrelated and involving the air forces of different nations have led to increased Calls from a Broad Cross Section of the West German  for stricter limits if not an outright. Ban on nato Low level lying and. Other military a look Back at training exercises held on and above West German soil "  ".-. In Many ways that brass tools Campaign for a less visible and less intrusive military presence in West Germany has been inc Central theme of i9b8 through out the rest of Europe As Well. The , military its officers pilots and fool soldiers is in the midst of a very trying Lime . In addition to the crashes cited above there were roughly 60 other serious accidents involving aircraft from nato countries in the year ended pet. 31. Also eight . F-16s crashed in Europe during the fiscal year that ended sept. 30, while another f-16 Accident in Spain on dec. 5 claimed the life of maj. Gen. . Harp commander of the i6th air Force. All has not been quiet on the wound ,.euro Pean critics this year have stepped up criticism against american and nato ground based exercises. On the positive Side of 1988 y headlines nuclear arms negotiators for the United Stales and soviet Union took what both sides arc Bitting As a giant step toward world peace by agreeing to a treaty calling Forsee memories on Back Page