European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 02, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday. October 2, 1989 the stars and stripes historian likens present to 1939 warns current times Are As Complex by Ron Jensen staff writer Paris the world in 1989 is becoming As com plex and As Uncertain As it was in 1939 when events led to War an Oxford University scholar told historians studying the Start of world War ii. And Robert o Neill said it is the historian s role to assure that the events today lend to a less threatening Climax. O Neill chichi la professor of the history of War at Oxford spoke saturday at the concluding session of an International conference at the american University of Paris. And a soviet historian said he hoped future re searchers would not find Blank spots when searching for the soviet Side of events. Participants at the Confer ence which marked the 50th anniversary of the Start of the War repeatedly complained about the Lack of soviet information. O Neill told fellow scholars from 13 countries that education is the major aim of the study of history. All of us teach in an area of High demand and most of our students Are not spending time with us simply to gain a meal ticket he said. These students Are on their Way to becoming diplomats business and opinion leaders and educators. It s our task to give these Young people assistance in coping with the complexities they face in the world in the next century1." the face of Eastern Europe is changing and the emerging individual voices will present a Challenge to future leaders he said. Nato too will not be around forever he said. I m not calling for preservation of world order As it has been structured in the last 40 years. Change must come o Neill said. When that change comes the events of 1939 will be a Good guide. There were nine major actors wielding world War i the beginning influence in the world 50 years ago he said referring to Germany Italy France Britain the soviet Union Poland the United states Japan and All of Britain s colonies. No country knew who could be trusted so alliances were tenuous he said. Furthermore while the leaders were Brilliant an capable they faced an incredibly difficult task he said. I Hope we can keep that perspective in the minds of our students he said. If they perceive the problems of 1939 As the result of idiotic leadership then those problems May arise again with even More catastrophic results in a nuclear age. He said. In another talk. Vladimir Constantin Volkov director of the Institute of slavonic and Balkan studies in mos cow said soviet historians have a very difficult task i overcoming the stereotype of the past in which soviet discussions of history were tempered by politics. I think that what is essential Here in doing this task is to avoid the temptation of going from one extreme to another from one single minded Ness to another sin Gle minded Ness he said. Soviet documents on the pact Between Stalin an Hitler should be looked at objectively Volkov said. He offered some arguments for the pact saying the soviet leadership at that time probably had no other alternative than the signature on the non aggression pact of 1939." there were Many unknowns in the equation the soviets were trying to solve at that time he said. There was lots to think about he continued say ing his explanation for the pact was an attempt to understand not an attempt to  he agreed with o Neill that the world is going through great change. Movements such As Solidarity i Poland will attract future historians. He concluded by saying that he hoped future historians will find soviet records open and available. Last in u series Arafat arrives for talks with Japan leaders Tokyo a Palestine liberation organization chairman Yasser Arafat arrived sunday for his first visit to Japan As a guest of the government. During his four Day stay Arafat will meet with prime minister Toshiki Kaifu former prime minister Sosuke Uno for eign minister Taro Nakayama. And leaders of the governing Liberal democratic party and the five main opposition parties. The japanese government s invitation to Arafat was the first to a Plo Leader since the organization was created in 1964. Officials have said the government invited Arafat As chairman of the Plo not As president of the self proclaimed state of Palestine. Therefore it s not an official visit said a foreign ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity. Japan s Kyodo news service in a Dis Patch from Tunis Tunisia on saturday quoted Arafat As saying he will urge Japan to recognize the state of Palestine like the United states and other Western industrialized countries Japan holds that Palestine has yet to meet generally accepted International criteria for statehood. Arafat visited Japan in october 1981 at the invitation of the Arab japanese parliamentarian league. Foreign ministry officials said the government invitation was Given to show Japan s approval of Arafat s Calls for a peaceful solution to the Mideast crisis. Australian protester arrested a demonstrator is Sei cd sunday during the second Day of protests at a u5.-aus Ralian communications facility. His arrest Al the top secret nursing or desert site in Southern Australia brought the weekend arrest total to More than 400. Demonstrators smashed through the Gates saturday and some were sprayed with the chemical Mace when they tried again to Cut heir Way through the Fence sunday. Protesters maintain the facility is a is. Spy  soviet mentalist Dies in Effort to Stop freight train Moscow a one of the soviet Union s growing number of psychic heal ers and mentalists tested his Powers Stop Ping bicycles automobiles and Street cars. He thought he was ready for something bigger so he stepped in front of a freight Tram. It did t work. The daily Sovie Skaya Rossiya on Sun Day said investigators looking into e. Frank cps seemingly inexplicable Deci Sion to jump in front of a train near the Southern City of Astrakhan found the answer in the briefcase the dead Man lefty the Side of the track. First i stopped a bicycle cars and a Streetcar Frank cd wrote to himself i notes that the investigators found. Now i m going to Stop a  Frankel apparently Felt that he had found a Universal secret of psychic biological Power and that his Effort to halt a train would be the ultimate test of his Powers according to the notes. Only in extraordinary conditions of a direct threat to my organism will All my re serves be called into action he wrote. In the last several months the soviet Union suddenly has become awash with mentalists and self proclaimed psychics who arc appearing on state run television drawing huge crowds and receiving thou Sands of letters with appeals for help. Perhaps the most popular former Tele vision journalist Alan Chumak of mos cow appears daily on the morning to news and variety program "120 min  he claims that his mental Energy can help people Over the television and that even if they arc not in front of the to he can energize a Glass of water if they leave it there. Frank cd also had been proclaimed by local television in Astrakhan a City at the Mouth of the Volga River 800 Miles Southeast of Moscow As a healer who had managed to help some people the report said. The Engineer of the train saw Frencl dressed in a White shirt walking along the Railroad tracks a Long distance ahead of the train. But Only at the last minute did the mentalist drop his briefcase and step onto the tracks with his arms raised his head lowered and his body Tensed. Emergency braking did t help tragedy occurred the newspaper said. It did not say what Day Frank cd was killed or provide other details