European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes thursday january 25,1990 news updates Bolles murder Case Phoenix a a former plumber convicted then cleared in the murder of a newspaper re Porter was ordered tuesday to stand trial again More than 13 years after the fatal car bombing. Maricopa county Superior court judge Thomas Otoole s order came Dunn a preliminary hearing for James Robison. Who was convicted with two 9thcr men in the slaying of investigative reporter Don Bolles of the Arizona Republic. Robison s 1977 conviction and that of Max Dunlap were Over turned in 1980 by the Arizona supreme court but state attorney general Bob Corbin reopened the Case several months ago and filed anew murder charge against Rob Ison last november. Dunlap and the third Man who remains in prison pending Appeal were not charged again. Bolles. 47, died 11 Days after a Remote controlled bomb attached to his car exploded june 2, 1976. At a Phoenix hotel. The motive has remained murky. China sanctions Canberra Australia a the government tuesday said it is easing its total suspension of visits by Cabinet ministers to China and will approve them on a Casc by Case basis. Foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans said after a Cabinet meeting that the policy shift docs not signal return to business As usual after the bloody chinese crack Down on the pro democracy move ment in june. Modernizing forces to be toughest task by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiser Lautem Bureau Span Dahlem a West Ger Many in an Era of declining military by ducts the toughest task will be keeping the forces adequately equipped says the air Force s top acquisition official. The Challenge is to maintain the inventory of equipment while pursuing modernization and maintaining troop readiness said John j. Welch jr., assist ant Secretary of the air Force for acquisition. Welch said that the budget crunch will mean that potential enemies will be an Al Zed less by the numbers of weapons and troops but by their military capability. Do i see modernization continuing absolutely Welch said. We will have in place continued modernization regardless of the budget level. We can t be Static. As we balance the modernization accounts we have also got to keep a ready  changes in the air Force acquisition program spurred by the defense management review Are expected to con tribute to an anticipated cumulative savings of nearly $ 11 billion for the service by 1995. That s More spendable Money in terms of military capability Welch said. He believes that decisions on keep ing certain equip ment in the air Welch Force s inventory should be based on its continuing value not just Cost. One example of older aircraft that still is useful is the f-4 phantom ii he said. It is used along with the f-16 Jet fighter by the 52nd tac fighter Wing at Spang expected for future Dahlum for its wild weasel Mission of finding and destroying surface to air threats. The air Force has a total of three wings worldwide with the wild weasel Mission. We try to think of them As venerable machines rather than old machines Welch said of the is. You can t throw value  further upgrades Are in store for the single engine f-16 Jet fighter an air plane that has proved to be a successful invest ment for the air Force Welch said. One proposed upgrade would improve the f 16 s air to ground capability. That plane s got a lot of life in it Welch said. We believe the Airframe is the right answer to modernize close air  he estimated that the air Force has bought 10 times More f-l6s than Origi Nally anticipated. Well All be sitting Here rocking watching them go Over a Long time from now. Good air plane Welch said. Ran Confra figure gets probation germans turn Over go accused of rampage Laupheim West Germany is West German authorities have turned Over to the army a Soldier arrested for allegedly haying caused $98,000 Worth of damage during a rampage through four Laupheim businesses. The Soldier a specialist assigned in Baum older allegedly destroyed display windows personal computers Tel eco piers and clothes at an insurance office a fashion boutique an office equipment store and a driving school a Neu Ulm military Community spokeswoman said. He was arrested when a local police patrol saw him at one of the businesses at 1 36 . Tuesday. The Soldier was in Laupheim 10 Miles South of Ulm to participate in the Centurion shield 90 military exercise. The criminal investigation come is probing the Case. Americans collect for needy polish City Schwabish Hall West Ger Many residents of the Small . Mil itary sub Community at Schwa Bisch Hall have wrapped up a clothing drive to help needy residents of the bavarian town s polish sister City. Army Community services volunteers turned Over a Van Load of Winter clothing to Schwa Bisch Hall officials on tuesday military Community spokesman Fand it Treen Maraoui said. The City As a whole has collected Sev eral trailer loads of clothes and plans to truck the donated clothing to Vamose Poland where it will be distributed to residents in the impoverished City of60,000 inhabitants Southeast of Warsaw. Schwa Bisch Hall residents also have donated about $13.000 to Vamose to buy food for residents Maraoui said. Washington a Iran Contra figure Richard Secord on wednesday was sentenced to two years of probation for concealing from congressional investigators the fact that he paid for a $13,800 Security system at Oliver North s Home. Secord enlisted by North to  the nicaraguan rebels and assist the Reagan administration s secret arms shipments to Iran has already suffered enough in the scandal said . District court judge Aubrey Robinson. It is my judgment that there has been punishment in this Case Robinson told the retired air Force major general. Secord s lawyer Thomas Green told the judge that his client s life has been in tatters since october 1985 when one of the air planes in North s Aid net work was shot Down Over Nicaragua while carrying supplies for the rebels. The crash which took place in the last Days of a congressional ban on military Aid to the contras led to the exposure of the secret Supply network overseen Bynorth a National Security Council aide from his offices in the old executive of fice building next to the White House. Iran Contra prosecutor Reid Cingar ten contended that Secord should be treated More harshly than North and for Mer National Security adviser Robert Mcfarland who also were sentenced to probation in the affair. I deeply regret not being More can did with congressional investigators about the Enterprise and North Secord told the judge. If i could Correct this i certainly would. 1 will regret it for the rest of my  the Enterprise was the Maze of off Shore companies and Swiss Bank accounts in the Iran Contra scandal from which Money was withdrawn by Secord to pay for North s Home Security system. Win Garton told the judge that Secord unlike North and Mcfarland had the Benefit of personal Legal counsel before making his false statement to congressional investigators which occurred in1987 after the Iran Centra scandal had come into Public View. North was convicted of three crimes including aiding and abetting an obstruction of Congress in 1986 in connection with a shipment of Hawk missiles to Iran in november 1985. Mcfarlane pleaded guilty to four counts of withholding information from Congress in connection with inquiries about whether secret assistance was going to the contras. Win Garton also urged judge Robin son to consider the fact that North and Mcfarland committed their crimes in the c9ntcxt of their feeling that they had a higher  North and Mcfarlane were cases of misguided patriotism said Weingar ten but we think Secord has no such  the Best that can be said of Secord s false statement is that he was motivated by the embarrassment of having paid for North s Home Security system said the prosecutor. The worst that can be said is that hews trying to avoid the consequences of providing benefits to North said win Garton. This is the stuff of routine felonies he  is the fifth person sentenced in the Iran Contra affair. No one has been Given any jail time. Robinson could have sentenced Secord to up to five years in prison and finest Otaling $250,000. . To extradite War criminal suspect los Angeles a a retired grocery clerk charged with nazi War crimes was ordered extradited to West Germany after waiving his right to a hearing. He just wants to get it Over with attorney Ronald g. Parker said of Bruno Karl Blach s decision. The 70-year-old Blach imprisoned since october has been accused by West German authorities of murdering three concentration Camp inmates during a forced March Between nazi Camps in 1945. Blach maintains his innocence. He was to be flown immediately lowest Germany for trial authorities said. Blach becomes Only the fourth alleged nazi War criminal to be extradited from the United states since 1973 when the . Government began searching out such people said Murray Stein senior counsel with the . Department of jus Tice. Parker said he believed Blach could have fought extradition on technical grounds and won but he said Blach knew other Legal efforts would follow. Blach a native of Czechoslovakia and a permanent resident of the United states with a West German passport lived in suburban la Habra until his arrest in october. Blach who entered the United states in 1956, was ordered deported in 1987, but an Appeal is still pending. During an emotional deportation hearing a concentration Camp survivor identified Blach As the nazi guard who used a machine gun to kill an elderly polish jew who faltered during the forced March Between the Winder Neu Dorf concentration Camp in Germany to the Mau Hausen Camp in Austria. Parker said that unlike three War criminals who were extradited and convicted Blach was not in a position of Power during the War. He was at most a private first class he said. W. German defense panel visits Neucom Stuttgart West Germany is the West German parliament s de sense committee visited the Headquarters of the . European come on wednes Day for a Day of briefings and discussions with the command staff. Command spokesman maj. David Compton said committee members and command officials planned to talk about topics of Mutual  he declined to elaborate. He said the visit was prompted by an invitation from the command s Deputy commander in chief air Force Gen. James p.  command greeted the 25 Mem Bers of the committee chaired by Alfred Biehle with a military band and color guard when they arrived at about 10 . Bichle is a member of Bavaria sch Ristiano social Union party. The other four political parties in parliament also have representatives on the committee