European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 6, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes columns William f. Buckley . Seeking 1 2 truly ignorant washingtonians the business finding 12 jurors in Washington d.c., who never heard it. Col. Oliver North assumes ludicrous proportions something like the obverse Diogenes search for an honest Man. Only what judge Gerhard Gesell and the defendants appear to be looking for is seven truly ignorant washingtonians who will approach the question North guilty innocent with absolutely in formed opinions. In the dark Days world War ii when gasoline was rationed to a couple Gallons per week and rubber tires were non existent the Story was told the Motorist who stopped at a Remote Gas station in Maine counted out his Avail Able coupons and asked for 1 i Gallons Gas. Why so Little the old attendant asked inquisitively. That s All the Cou Pons i what do you mean what s a Coupon exasperated the Cou Pons that entitle you to buy Gas. Hell we be had them since Pearl Pearl Harbor what s that the Motorist stops and slowly a look rapture floods his face. Mister never mind the Gas. Just give me four Brand new somebody ought to ask the question whether anyone in Washington who has no idea who North is has any idea whether it really matters what North did. The business being tried by your Peers which is the governing Rubric in these matters makes you begin to won Der whether there in t a bearing Between finding North s peer and deciding what it is that he is being tried for. He is going to plead a distinction Subtle enough to Breed ambivalence in political philosophers but the court is diligently engaged in searching out Only truly Igno rant washingtonians. In the bad old Days new York mayor Jimmy Walker in the 20s, he went in the opinion the press just one step too far when he appointed a notoriously simple minded crony As a judge in the juvenile court Brooklyn. Accosted the following Day by a reporter about the disrepute ability the appoint ment mayor Walker smiled and an swered that his objective had been to Flora Lewis Troik make sure that Brooklyn juveniles would be tried by their peer. A few years ago i figured in a trial in Washington and Day two the trial we plaintiffs were alleging libel by a racist hate Sheet the attorney for the defense asked for a mistrial the grounds that the Washington times had published a Story about the preceding Day s activity that was prejudicial to the defense. Solemnly each the six jurors was questioned individually by the trial judge. Had they read that morning s Issue the Washington times no. Had they read that morning s Issue the Washington Post no. New York times Usa today Wall Street journal no. Why had they not seen a newspaper that Day answer none the six jurors eve reads a newspaper. When the verdict finally came in a juror explained the reasoning that had guided them in their $ 1 judgment against the defendant. It s just this simple. Both the parties Are pro Reagan and anybody who is pro Reagan is racist so what s the fuss All about the whole idea the juror innocent any knowledge the facts under Conten Tion is to find an unprejudiced evaluator. But the platonic Ideal the unbiased juror presumes a quarrel in which there has t been significant National involvement. To say that mrs. Jones is unbiased in the matter North because she was unaware him notwithstanding that North dominated the news in the press radio and television for about three weeks two Springs ago in t to come up with a Fine mind that missed the entire episode because she was absorbed in Erem tical pursuits chasing butterflies in Uganda worshipping Buddha in India. The probability is that you will come up with a very dumb lady and the notion that Justice is predictably meted out by dumb jurors is taking the business an unbiased jury and running just a Little bit too far with it. Granted the defense Hopes to profit from the business making it difficult to find qualified jurors. And judge be sell is spitting mad because Abc has now broadcast those sections North s Testi Mony Given to Congress that jurors Are supposed not to have seen and has raised the question whether Abc is in contempt court. And the whole country is left wondering really whether under exist ing rules North can get what we think As a fair trial. C Universal press Syndicate danger world weapons Cafa Strophe remains nuclear weapon has been exploded an Miccio Nimori a Vitt o., c Ino r weapon a Bee explode enemy since world War ii. The world knew it had come close to a catastrophe in the 1962 cuban missile crisis. But it never knew How close until the soviet disclosure that 20 nuclear warheads along with their missiles had actually been deployed in Cuba. At a remarkable meeting soviet . And cuban officials in Moscow to Exchange Hindsight the near est we May have come to world War Iii it was revealed that the warheads were ready to be mounted their carriers in a matter a few hours. If they had been used it would have been against american cities not military installations leaving 20american Hiroshima. Nikita Khrushchev s son Sergei then a rocket Engi Neer said soviet forces in Cuba had no orders from Moscow where his father was in charge to use the missiles even in the event an american invasion air but course orders could have Bee Given at any moment. The crisis was resolved after then president Kennedy ordered a naval blockade to intercept further soviet ships instead an air strike which was considered. Khrushchev ordered a soviet ship to go Home. The United states promised not to invade Cuba and secretly to withdraw its missiles from Turkey in return for withdrawal the soviet missiles. But the Moscow meeting showed there were Many miscalculations misunderstandings and intelligence failures before the Accord was reached. The soviets had 40,000 troops in Cuba not 10,000 As the United states thought and Only some 20 inter Continental missiles aimed at the United states from soviet soil not 75 As the United states estimated. Now there Are 50,000 nuclear warheads deployed around the world. The soviet-. Treaty removing intermediate Range missiles from Europe reduced the arsenals some 4 percent. East West tension has eased amazingly in the last couple years. That Moscow session sharing old secrets is an example. But it cannot be said that the danger catastrophe has disappeared. There is better monitoring now much better communications Between adversaries and Many More atomic munitions. There is still a Long Way to go before the capacity to blow up the world is brought to match the improved political climate. President Bush said he wanted an Overall strategic review before resuming Start negotiations 50 percent cuts in Long Range missiles begun in the Rea Gan administration. That is sensible if it does t Lead to a stall. As Many have pointed out the need is to improve Confidence in stable deterrence. Just cutting number weapons won t necessarily achieve that. Talks about the Cuba crisis showed again How Dif Ferent the perception threat can be from each Side. Even if the hardware information is Correct intentions and motives can be drastically misconstrued. That is the argument for hardware constraints most Likely to deprive either Side advantage by Surprise at tack and therefore to increase Assurance that neither would try. Brent scowcroft the new National Security adviser has come out for a shift to single warhead missiles instead More heavy giants in effect less bang for a Buck to invert John Foster Dulles s phrase. When both sides have about equal numbers weapons As targets the risk attacking is greater than any gain that might be expected. But that Means building new missiles when the de sense budget needs to be capped and it will take time. Meanwhile the political momentum for enhanced Security through arms control must not be lost. The new climate is already bringing impressive benefits in other areas especially in winding Down regional wars. There Are interim ways to meet the needs main Taining balance while both the United states and mos cow reconsider their aberrant Force structures. Some require agreements and some National decisions. The main remaining obstacles in the Start talks Are Reagan s vision . Space based missile defences and sea launched cruise missiles slams. There should be room for a Trade off these issues As suggested last year by Sidney Drell a Stanford physicist and Thomas h. Johnson director the West Point science research Laboratory. The United states could agree to abide by the anti ballistic missile treaty for a decade and the soviets could agree to a limited number slow moving slams which the United states says can t be verified. The lessons the Cuba crisis review can help guide policy makers to foresee the Pitfalls that Lead to confrontation and should Spur the Bush administration. They Are a reminder that the task has Only begun. C new York times
