European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes monday january 30,1989 Cia probes Contra use of funds by Doyle Mcmanus los Angeles times Washington the Central intelligence Agency investigating allegations of financial improprieties by Nicaragua rebel leaders has begun an audit of the contras use of secret Cia political funds . And Contra officials said. Among the main targets of the inquiry is Contra chieftain Adolfo Calero who has been a major beneficiary of the Agency s Covert funding program since 1981, the officials said. Calero s rivals within the rebel movement have charged privately that he has diverted official funds to accounts under his personal control but no evidence of such actions have been made Public. Calero denied those charges last week As he has in the past. I Don t manage the political fund he said. However the audit is directed at the Contra movement As a whole not Only at Calero the officials said. The Cia investigation could become an Issue in the continuing debate Over . Policy in Nicaragua. Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii news update scientists Back Home Moscow a a nuclear powered soviet icebreaker has returned from a North pole res Cue with researchers who had been stranded on a Drifting ice Floe North of Greenland Tass reported. The official soviet news Agency said the Rossiya arrived at Murmansk a Northern port after breaking through the ice and picking up the scientists. The ice Floe that the soviet research station North pole 28" was located on had become caught in a warm current and began thawing then Drifting southward. The Rossiya had been sent Jan. 15 to try to pick up the re searchers but initially failed inthe attempt. The Polar scientists had been on the ice station for almost 10 months Tass said. The news Agency did not say How Many scientists were aboard the station which was Ina isolated area. Eagle scout Mons Belgium an eighth Grade rat shape american High school received the Eagle scout award the highest recognition for boy scouts in a ceremony sunday. Gregory d. Mumpower 13, has Benin scouting for three years. To earn the award he worked on a drug drive inthe shape military Community. Mumpower and other scout volunteers set up collection centers for out dated prescription and non prescription drugs at military housing areas and local shopping centers in the Community. The drugs were then Given to medical officials at the army Hospital at shape for proper and Safe disposal. Mumpower also a member of order of the Arrow the highest recognition for boy scout campers serves As an instructor for troop 125. He is the son of master sgt. Paul a Ddrucilla Mumpower. To earn the Eagle scout award a Boyscout must fulfil requirements in the areas of leadership service and outdoor skills. This includes at least 21 Merit badges and an average 100 hours on Community project. Has told members of Congress that he i reviewing the policy and May propose a new . Diplomatic initiative before seeking additional military funding for the contras. The rebels receive two kinds of Aid from the United states Covert political funding from the Cia which a Contra Leader said amounted to $4.8 million per year and a separate humanitarian Aid program administered by the Agency for International development. Congress halted military Aid to the contras in1987. The Cia audit covering Only these Cret political fund that supports the re Bels organizational and political work throughout Central America is focusing on the contras use of funds for their leaders travel one source said. Cia spokesman Bill Baker refused to confirm or deny reports of the audit. But Contra spokesman Bosco mat Amoros confirmed the audit was underway. Aristides Sanchez another rebel Leader said the contras had nine accountants of their own to Monitor every expenditure of . Aid. He said that .auditors inspected the books monthly at rebel Headquarters in Miami. The contras have been bitterly divided for several months Over issues of both Power and strategy. The most moderate of the Contra leaders Alfredo Cesar has been urging the rebels to be More aggressive in seeking negotiations with the marxist led sandinista regime in Man Agua. Calero who is one of the most conservative contras has been More Skepi Cal of such negotiations. In recent months . And Contra officials said the dispute has spilled Over into internal arguments Over who controls the Cia provided political  among the contras has prompted some friction Between Testate department which has largely sup ported Cesar and the Cia which hastened to Back Calero according to . And rebel officials. I Don t think the Agency intended to target Calero when this audit began but that s where the problems Are to be found a Well informed congressional Adolfo Calero at Miami hearings aide said. Iran Contra scandal last year. A file on the irs agents joining forces with Fri in commodities probe paper says Chicago a the internal Rev Enue service has teamed up with the Fri in an investigation of illegal trading at the nation s two largest commodities exchanges a newspaper reported saturday. A squad of 15 irs agents will look for possible income tax fraud including the skimming of profits and concealment of income the Chicago Tribune reported. Citing unidentified sources the news paper said the agents had joined the Fri in examining documents obtained by Federal subpoenas. One investigator said some subjects of the inquiry face a dilemma in filling out 1988 Federal tax returns the newspaper reported. They must decide whether to record possibly illegal earnings that were documented by undercover operatives who investigated the exchanges or face charges of income tax evasion the source told the Tribune. The Chicago mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade were targeted by a two year Federal investigation in which Fri agents posed As traders and secretly tape recorded conversations on the trading floor. The Fri and . Attorney Anton Valukas office refused again Friday to confirm or deny that the investigation was under Way. But published reports say some 200subpoenas to appear before a grand jury have been served on More than 200prominent brokers traders and trading firms. Some witnesses Are expected to cooperate broadening the scope of the investigation. So savings fee still option top Bush officials maintain Washington not the Whitehouse chief of staff John h. Sununu and Treasury Secretary Nicholas  said saturday that imposing a fee on savings accounts is still an option to help resolve a crisis in the nation s Sav Ings and loan institutions. Their remarks contrasted with com ments by White House officials that the administration had abandoned the idea after it provoked a hostile response i Congress the banking Industry and among some Consumers. Sununu said he wanted to rebut earlier administration statements. He said the unidentified officials who had Bee quoted in earlier reports were speaking without authorization. The latest development underscore the Lack of coordination on a major policy question that had provided the biggest bump in what was otherwise praised As a Well managed first week of the Bush administration. Brady in a separate interview agree that the idea was alive and Well. As an option it will be presented he said of the annual fee of 25 cents that customers would be charged for every $100 of insured deposits. But he conceded it might get shot  raising the premiums that Banks an savings institutions pay will also be considered Brady said. Keeping the fee As an option raises the possibility that Bush can be accused by his political rivals of attempting to raise revenues through a tax disguised As a fee or user charge. Brady Sununu the comments by Sununu and Brad appeared to dispel speculation that the new administration was divided Over How to fulfil the president s Promise to reduce the Federal deficit without raising taxes. The administration has been Strug gling to find a Way to come up with the Money to bail out hundreds of trouble savings and loan institutions. Brady said wednesday that the fee was one of several options under consideration at the Treasury department later when Brady said the president would be asked to consider the fee there was a Strong negative reaction. The depositor approach was instantly interpreted As a tax and thus a violation of Bush s Campaign Promise of no new taxes. The White House seemed to re treat from the proposal when press Secre tary Marlin Fitzwater said it seemed Tobe a trial  saturday s remarks by the Whitehouse and the Treasury appear to under Cut the notion of the trial  unions share of labor Force edges Down Washington a labor unions represented a slightly smaller share of the nation s work Force in 1988 even though the total number of Union members in creased the government reported. The labor department said last week the number of americans be longing to labor unions Rose by 100,000 to 17 million last year but the Overall work Force grew faster. Union members continued last year to earn More than non Union workers. Full time workers who belonged to unions had median weekly earnings of $480 compared with $356 for non Union members the department reported. It said 16.8 percent of the 101 Mil lion wage and salary employees in the United states last year were Union members Down from 17 per cent in 1987 and 18 percent in 1985. The labor department attributed the Rise in Union membership to Black workers. In fact there were slight de creases in the number of Whites and hispanics belonging to unions last year. Membership among Black workers Rose from 2.44 Mil lion in 1987 to 2.55 million last year the labor department said