European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes tuesday March 7,1989 news briefs pilots continue to keep Eastern airlines crippled Miami a pilots honouring machinists picket lines kept Eastern airlines crippled Mon Day even on the Carrier s lop priority Northeast shuttle but a court order kept a sympathy strike from throwing rail commuters into chaos. You can t Fly without pilots Eastern spokesman Robin Matyll said at a morning news briefing. It s an hour by hour evaluation. Most of Eastern s 3,600 pilots and 4,800 Light attendants honoured the strike by the airline s 8,500 mechanics baggage handlers and ground Crew. The strike in us third Day began Over Eastern s demand for contract concessions and escalated a 17-month Battle at the nation s seventh largest airline. Strongest solar flare in 5 years detected Boulder Colo. Up the strongest solar flare in five years erupted on the face oath Sun monday disrupting communications on Earth. They also were expected to set off a Brilliant show of the Northern lights Early wednes Day. The flare affected coast guard navigation systems Short wave radio signals and was expected to also affect Earth bound and satellite communications through wednesday. The display of Northern lights also called the Aurora Hor Calis should be evident about 6 . Wednesday in the Northern third of the unite states v /. Wii bomb defused at vye Brucken Cavern Zweir Brocken. West Germany a 220 Pound world War ii bomb discovered monday at  was defused by air Force explosives experts and was to be. Destroyed at nearby  a. The air dropped fragmentation bomb was Dis covered about 1 3d . By German contract work enduring construction on a new commissary said Community spokesman Herbert bar Barich. The bomb was found in an isolated part of the Cavern close to inc Fence bar Barich said. The bomb was about 220 feet from the nearest building and no one was evacuated he said. A three member explosive ordnance disposal team from the air base arrived Al 2 30 . And had the bomb defused by 5 . The bomb was to be taken to the air base monday evening. Failure of electronic part Means More shuttle delay Cape canaveral Fla. A failure of an electronic part forced Nasa on monday to postpone for at least two Days saturday planned launch of space shuttle discovery liftoff was delayed at least until next Mon Day space Agency spokesman Lisa Malone said. She said a firm launch Dale would not be set until wednesday after a new part has been int stalled on the shuttle and checked but. The failed system is vital because it separates the Booster rockets and fuel Lank from the spacer ship in  said thunderstorms predicted for overnight could keep technicians from working on the pad causing additional delay. The postponement is the fourth for the Dis covery launch since an original target Dale of fcb 18. Witness tells of North role in plane pact with Secord Washington a an air Force Retiree Tali find monday on How Oliver North and Richard Secord decided that one of Secord s companies should get title to inc aircraft being used to secretly Supply the con tras. Richard Gadd testified at North s trial thai i objected somewhat strenuously when Secord one of North s co defendants in the Iran Contra Case summoned him to a meeting in january 19s6 at a Mclean va., restaurant. Secord announced that he had changed his mind and that one of Secord s Compa Nies would get title to inc aircraft rather than a company Gadd controlled. After Gadd complained Secord called North aside the two spoke briefly returned to the table and Secord told me that is How it would be. Colonel North seemed to agree.". The c-7 Caribou aircraft had been purchased with funds generated by Accord s secret resupply operation to the contras. Eventually the Contra leadership Felt the plane belonged to them related Gadd who described How Soccoro and North held another discussion about ownership during a plane trip to Central America. North agreed once again that the planes belonged to one of Accord s companies Udall corp., and that the contras did not exercise total control Gadd said. Gadd who retired from the air Force in 1982 As a  colonel also described North s involvement in other details of the Contra resupply operation. Gadd said a crewmen Ian Crawford described what went wrong  went right with an Airdrop of military supplies to the contras in Southern Nicara Guan near the Costa rican Border in april 1986. Gadd also said that he billed one of Secord s Compa Nies Lake resources $392,000 for construction of an Airstrip in Costa Rica thai was designed to help Supply the contras on the Southern front in Nicaragua Gadd said North enlisted him to help build the airs trip for secret military Supply missions to the Nicann Guan contras while Congress had banned . Aid to the rebels. Among the 12 criminal charges against North arc four counts of lying to Congress by denying his involvement in the Contra resin apply operation. Bush from Page 1 audience. I stand by him because he is uniquely qualified As the right Man to take charge of the  he said going to get it off my Chest. I m getting sick and tired of some of the rumours and the innuendo that arc used against this decent  -. Earlier monday while House press Secretary mar Gin Fitz Walcer reiterated that administration officials arc nol searching for a substitute nominee and plan to carry the Tower tight Alt the Way to a Senate floor Vole. We Aren t thinking of fall Back positions he told reporters. We re supporting the candidacy of senator  ".".a.,.-/. Of. " " Tower said sunday that his excessive drinking in the past docs not indicate any Long term problem and that he would Welcome the Chance to defend his Nomi nation on inc Senate floor. " v appearing on the lbs to program face the nation Tower said he would not ask that his Nomi nation be withdrawn arguing that the dispute Over his selection has escalated beyond consideration of his  former senator repealed his pledge to Stop drinking if confirmed As defense Secretary and he accused his detractors of hypocrisy. Tower Sou Hho deflect the most common criticism against him by drawing a distinction Between the past heavy drinking he has acknowledged and an alcohol abuse problem that would disqualify him from sensitive military positions "1 still have n sip of wine now and  Tower responded when asked whether he had stopped drinking since pledging a week ago to do  confirmed by the Senate. Once confirmed i will give it up altogether the chairman of the Senate armed services com Mittee sen. Sam Nunn Dargaj. Has said Tower would fail to qualify fora sensitive military position because of his history of drinking. Tower denied that saying i would be disqualified if you could prove alcohol dependency or chronic Alco holism. In the final analysis it is a decision to be made by the command ing officer that should be based on hard evidence. In my particular instance the presi Dent of the United slates is the commanding officer. The fact is i am nol alcohol dependent he added. Soviet Union from Page 1 enough. The1 soviet Union has enormous stocks of Chemi Cal weapons threatening Europe we therefore Call on the soviets to join us to accelerate the destruction of their enormous stockpile of these frightening weapons in Bonn Chancellor Helmut. Kohl said i Welcome this intention to explore ways for the Early removal of chemical weapons from the Federal  Shevardnadze countered a nato proposal to retire at least 25,000 Warsaw pact tanks then reduce Armor Artil Lery and personnel carriers on both sides by 5-10 percent with a three phase plan for Radical cuts. The foreign minister s arms reduction program went far beyond nato s by adding missiles combat aircraft and soldiers in the soviet second phase 500,000 men on each Side would be demobilized. As Shevardnadze explained it the soviet plan s progression would be first phase two to three years eliminate the imbalance in troops and arms cutting 10 percent to 15 per cent from the current lowest numbers. Second also two lol rec years reduce forces by another 25 percent and withdraw Battlefield nuclear weapons to a Safe distance from the line of Contact Between the military alliances. That would make much of West Germany along with East Germany arid Czechoslovakia a nuclear free one third convert remaining forces to a strictly defensive  the reductions arc made she Varnad a said negotiations should be conducted on eliminating tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. His proposal conflicts with the 40-year-old , policy of deterring the soviets with a mix of weaponry molding Battlefield nuclear arms which have a maximum Range of 300  december Gorbachev announced a unilateral withdrawal of six soviet tank divisions and 50,000 men from Eastern Europe and said soviet forces in Europe and Asia would be reduced by 500,000. Trains from Page 1 Don investigators found signs that the Driver of one passenger train tried to Stop at a red signal before his train struck another London bound train. Gordon Pellillo general manager of British rail s Southern Region said Sun Day that Driver David Morgan made a severe Brake application Long before his train passed the red signal. Morgan was one of 94 people injured when his train travelling from Little Hampton to London hit a train travelling from Horsham to the capital police said monday that 31 people remained hospitalized 10 in serious condition. Six cars rolled Down a 60-foot embankment after the crash and several came 10 rest in the Yards of Homes. Authorities said the Horsham train was crossing from a slow track onto the main line when it was struck from be Hind near Purley station on London s Southern outskirts. Morgan has told us that the signal at the end of inc platform at Purley station was red yet he went through it pet ill said. He has nol been Able to offer any explanation for that Morgan was hospitalized with two broken legs Pellitt said. The safety of our signalling system docs obviously depend on Drivers Stop Ping Al red lights he said we Nave quite a lol of evidence that a severe Brake application was made prior to the collision and Long before the signal pc title said. He did not detail the evidence. The possibility of Driver error is not uppermost in my mind at the moment though it is obviously a main area of inquiry he said. Pettitt said the train s braking so slim was being examined. He said there was no evidence of sabotage and the signalling equipment Al Purley appeared to be working properly. Three i Rains crashed near a Busy South London Junction during Rush hour dec 12, killing 35 people. Railway officials believe a malfunctioning signal caused that crash