European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday september 10, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 building a new link for Istanbul a new Bridge is under construction alongside the Mouth of the Golden Horn waterway. Istanbul indicated it May keep the old Bridge for pedestrian heavily travelled 74-year-old Galata Bridge at the Turkey on both sides of the bosporus Strait has traffic. Computer virus Rumor spurs warning to of bases Washington Dpi air Force bases across the United Stales have been warned about rumours that a computer virus will strike on Columbus Day . Officials said Friday. The warning was issued by the air Force comm come at Scott fab iii., at the request of the office of special investigations. A Public affairs spokesman for Safe said saturday that his office had not been notified of the warning the aug. 28 warning urged the bases to take Steps to guard against the so called Columbus Day virus that could affect computers that use is Dos operating systems oct. 9. We re warning the military about this said os1 spokesman sgt. Mike Grinnell in Washington. But anybody that uses is Dos systems can be of is Dos is the acronym for Microsoft disk operating system which is loaded into a computer to give instructions that Tell the computer to operate ism Compa Lilc programs. The virus is supposedly set to go offal a certain Lime and perform defined functions As wiping out data files. Com Puter viruses arc hidden commands placed in programs and the viruses can spread to other computers when pro Grams arc swapped. A spokeswoman at Hurlburt Field. Fla., said computer operators at hurl Burl have been told to begin making backup copies of files on floppy disks just in Case. Staff sol. Carl Shogrin in charge of Hurlburt s Small computer technology Center said no classified data would be affected because the disks used for Classi fied work arc different from those that might be struck by the virus. But air Force computer technicians at Scott fab said they can not say whether the virus would affect Only personal computers and main frames or if it would have any Impact on National Rity. What we re dealing with Here is a Rumor that somebody picked off one of those electronic billboards said col. Wayne Corbett director of Public affairs at the communications command. Wedon t even know what the nature of this thing is or if it is for the virus threat Rumor has circulate throughout the computer Community. Grinnell said the Tipoff came last month from a Public broadcasting system show from Harrisburg a. Grinnell said investigators found other sources who confirmed that the Rumor was circulating. The Osi contacted air Force comm come which issued a directive warning bases about the virus threat. Officials at Scott fab said the warn ing was sent to every base with a communications command unit but they did not know How Many bases were involved. Teams to Check nuke plants compliance with rules Washington a Energy Secretary James d. Watkins is sending teams of Federal inspectors to nuclear weapons plants in Tennessee Texas and Ohio to Check compliance with environmental health and safety rules the investigations Are part of a broader Effort by Watkins to identify potentially debilitating problems at the 17 major weapons plants owned by the depart ment and to try to reassure Congress that flaws arc being corrected. The department was embarrassed earlier this sum Mer by a Surprise Fri raid on the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons Plant in Colorado. The Fri checked out allegations of improper and illegal handling of wastes at the site. The criminal investigation has gone to a grand jury but no charges Haw resulted. The plants earmarked for special investigations arc Plant near Dayton Ohio which produces detonators and other components for nuclear weapons. In announcing the inspections Watkins did not say whether any safety violations were suspected at any of the three weapons plants. He also gave no specific Date for the Start of the inspections expected to begin later this month but said they would take place Over a five week period. Inspectors from the occupational safety and health administration will participate in the assessments and officials from the states involved will be invited to observe he said. In july. Watkins sent groups of Federal inspectors to a nuclear facility in West Valley n.y., and a uranium processing Center at Fernald Ohio. Results of those environmental and safely investigations have not been disclosed. Watkins said special inspections of All 18 major fed eral nuclear weapons facilities would be completed by june 30. New doubts about the department s commitment to safely were raised Friday by environmentalists and arms control experts who questioned Walkins Deci Sion to restart an aging nuclear weapons reactor in South Carolina before All safety issues arc settled. Watkins announced thursday that the Savannah River reactor near Aikin s.c., would begin Low Power testing late next summer and would enter production by year s end. The reactor bus been shut Down for More than a year for safety reasons. The department is studying the environmental Impact of a Savannah River restart but it has refused to Promise to Complete the work before firing up the reactor. David Albright senior staff scientist at the federation of american scientists contended in a Telephone interview Friday that Watkins appeared to have caved in to pressure from the defense department to get the reactor running As soon As possible. The facility is the Only source of tritium a perishable Gas needed to make nuclear warheads
