European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 02, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 10 columns William f. Buckley or. Friday june 2,1989 can we get More from Gorbachev openings at a recent affair there was conversation that throws Nice Light on a tangled question. 1. An experienced foreign affairs analyst a former ambassador to a major ally stood up and asked the following question if you were Gorbachev and you had it in mind to wreck the Western Alliance How would you behave differently from How he has behaved his conventional military strength is 25 percent greater than it was a year ago inf notwithstanding the German political scene is in chaos the unite states much relieved by the Diminu Tion of cold War pressure has More or less Given up on Nicaragua has been relatively Unen aged in Namibia and Angola ski is More or less in limbo. What would you have done different if you had been he Bent on conquering the world 2. A respondent acknowledged that the soviet Union is every bit the Mili tary menace it was a year ago no disputing the Point and that West Germany is now without effective nuclear deterrent weapons. However he said there is one thing the questioner can t cause to go away and that is Glas nost. I Erc Stroika is not really important mostly because it in t happening. The restructure Bizalion of the soviet sys tem can t be done without a revolution or a generation s application. There arc Loo Many layers to Peel away. But glasnost that is most definitely Hap pening and if the whole detente phase were a ruse Gorbachev would have an almost impossible time restoring the kind of internal discipline needed to quiet the dissent. We arc after All talking about a soviet Union in which in several cases in the recent elections dissidents were elected to office. 3. At the reception following the meeting a Wise old Bird Streetwise in Commerce and in politics approached me. About that question having to do with the sincerity of Gorbachev Here is another Way to put it. Suppose that Gorbachev were a secret agent of the Pope having travelled to Damascus somewhere along the line. So Here he finds himself Boss of the soviet Union. But if he is to christianize his nation he needs to proceed with utmost care. The army is there squat and ugly. The Kab is there Al Leon Daniel Ultra harpl1ners club ways Wilh at least half a mind of its own. The surrounding bureaucracy in the Kremlin is very much there and since Gorbachev does t treat them As Stalin did. They Don t fear him As Sla Lin was feared. Suppose Hal were the underlying reality How else would Gorbachev have acted than he has done lie has moved in the direction of disarmament even if he has not Dis armed. He has encouraged the growth of a critical class. He has inspired Confidence in Western rulers. How to understand his actions on that Hypoth Esis now my third Friend docs not be Lieve that Gorbachev is a secret Chris Tian but he makes the Point that if Wear engaged in imposing hypotheses to explain the behaviour of Gorbachev one might As Well take the Ultra Benefi cent position As the Ultra conspiratorial position since neither is  question necessarily arises since we do not know what arc his motives except to the extent that he objectively forces us to acknowledge that Only one set of inferences can be drawn from specific policies no one who i against glasnost would encourage Glas Nosthe must act prudently. Now to act prudently is to do More merely than to build up a mighty deterrent and maintain it in perfect shape to discourage military adventurism. That we certainly need and that we Are not getting in the absence of effective theater weapons in Europe and acc cd up research and trials of our strategic defense initiative Star wars. We Are laggard on that front and we face a Concrete problem in Europe Given the  of Hel Mut Kohl on the modernizing of the remaining nuclear missiles in West  prudence is also a matter of of Portum zing. Whatever is going on in the mind of Gorbachev much More than is evident should be going on in our own minds. For instance there is the matter of Cuba we arc singularly equipped to bring the full Force of our propaganda machine on the cuban Moscow Paradox. If Gorbachev truly believes in glasnost. Why docs he subsidize continued terrorism of free expression in Cuba what is he willing to do in Eastern Europe if we in turn Promise not to attempt to recruit East Ern Europe into nato is the Brezhnev doctrine truly dead or is the re treat from Afghanistan nothing More than an unprofitable collision with a major and intractable Force it is refreshing to keep asking our selves the question what in addition to a modern deterrence the sine qua non can we do to take advantage of such openings As Gorbachev has Given us Universal press Syndicate Waff makes a $300,000 phone Call of Hud taxpayers stiffed by former Interior Secretary James Wall Are astonished by the sheer effrontery of the conservative ideologue who got caught milking the Federal Cash  remember Wall the Bald Guy who was always sticking his fool in his Mouth the Zany zealot who held big government in Utler contempt Watt fought environmentalist to open up for Pri Valc Enterprise massive areas of Federal land and off Shore regions to Oil. Natural Gas and Coal exploration. He once characterized members of a departmental advisory panel As a Black a woman. Two jews and a  told an audience in 1981, i Don l use the words democrats and republicans it s liberals and americans a casualty of his own Loose Tongue Walt left Interi or in 1983 to become a consultant eventually moving from Washington Back Home to Wyoming. He was a member of the Board of the pal club the television ministry whose founder evangelist Jim Bak scr resigned in a sex scandal in March 1987. Watt was the last remaining Bakker loyalist to resign from the bound of pal an acronym for Praise the lord Bui which critics charged should have blood for pass the  wait bounced Back into the headlines last week when in was disclosed Hal he pocketed $300,000 from developers to intercede on i hair behalf Wilh inc depart Mcnol of housing and Urban development for a Grant to build a Low income housing pro Cal in Maryland. For Hal kind of loot All Wall avid Cully had to Dowas Telephone his old pal in inc Cabinet Hud score Lary Samuel Pierce. Pierce known As is Lenl Sam would seem to have Little in common Wilh the voluble Watt except conservative political ideology. They served shoulder to shoulder in Ronald Reagan s Cabinet in whal the president used to like to Call his crusade against waste fraud and abuse in government. Developer Judith Siegol who came up with the $300,000 for Wall to lobby Pierce on behalf of a pro Eccl previously rejected by Hud Tysl Ifird before a House subcommittee last week that or. Wall can get phone Calls returned at Hud. I can  As for Pierce that of her Stalwart in the conserva Tives War on big Gocr mint he told the subcommittee he was betrayed by subordinates who made Gran awards in a $225 million housing subsidy program for political reasons and without his knowledge. Of hrs besides Watt who intervened for big Money or became developers themselves included Nixon administration Alloney general John Mitchell former Republican a unlucky gov. Louie Nunn and various former Reagan administration Hud officials. Some of those officials had been charged with the Mission at Hud of trying to kill the very program for the poor they later . Tom Lantos d-calif., chairman of the House Gocr mint operations subcommittee on housing told Pierce you made a decision or people in your office made inc decision Hal if you can l Fermi name the program Ihnn milk  Pierce denied this but his former executive As Sislane Deborah Gore Dean told the Wall Street journal i would have to say we ran in in a political  in Jwj profits International the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in noway in he considered As rep rescaling the views of the stars and stripes or the United slates government