European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 14, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7guerrillas attack . Base in Peru by the los Angeles times Washington a the administration has reported the first combat involving american personnel in the stepped up andean drug War saying that . Agents and pilots helped beat Back a Midnight attack by communist shining path guerrillas on an anti drug base in Peru. In providing details of a fierce 85-minute firefight administration officials stressed thursday that the Battle at the Santa Lucia base in the upper Hua Llaga Valley should be viewed As a a Cost of doing business As the United states seeks to boost its count Marcot is Effort overseas. Although the american and peruvian defenders suffered no casualties the armed attack april 7 on their newly fortified joint Headquarters underscored a particularly sensitive aspect of the administration pledge to crack Down on drugs at their source. . Officials have sought for months in their Public statements to prepare Congress and the Public for the Prospect that its drug War might Well Nemesh american agents in combat overseas. The assault on Santa Lucia provided the first glimpse of the kind of hostilities that some have predicted will become More common. In a planned a a emergency response to the attack . Civilian pilots flying us in Huey gunships raked the attackers with m-60 machine gun fire according to accounts of . Officials. At the same time other americans including agents of the drug enforcement administration took up positions inside the base and returned Auto Matic weapons fire against what officials now believe was a Well armed unit of the maoist shining path guerrillas. Peasants who live in the area later reported that a truck carried away guerrillas killed or wounded in the attack. But officials could not confirm whether a masked . Drug agent guards a machine gun equipped Huey helicopter during a recent operation in Peru. A there had been any casualties in the guerrilla unit whose size was estimated at Between 35 and 50. Among the defenders the estimated 15 americans were a Small minority compared to the 120 peruvians stationed at the base. A Dea spokesman Frank Shults stressed that the americans had a in every instance followed the peruvian commanders orders. The americans on the scene included both Dea agents and civilian pilots employed by a state department contractor National air transport inc., to Fly anti drug missions overseas. The three Huey that flew sorties against the attackers Are state department aircraft on loan to Peru. The Surprise assault marked the first time that the maoist guerrillas who Are believed to provide Protection to drug traffickers have risked an attack on the base. With the upper Hua Llaga Valley now believed to produce about half the worlds Supply of raw coca the Santa Lucia base is the principal jumping off place for missions aimed at eradicating the crops or destroying the nearby laboratories that convert them into  defense reportedly rejected by the los Angeles times Washington a in what would be a major setback for sen. Alan Cranston d-calif., Senate ethics committee investigators apparently have rejected one of his key counter arguments to charges that he intervened improperly with Federal regulators on behalf of the failed Lincoln savings amp loan. According to one source who was questioned at length by the committee Senate investigators do not accept Cranston a Contention that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by him and four other senators because two top Federal regulators have said they took no action in response to the groups inquiries. That argument has been a Central part of Cranston a defense in the Senate ethics committee investigation into charges that he and the four others a Sens. Donald Riegel a Mich. Dennis Deconcini a Ariz. John Glenn a Ohio and John Mccain a Ariz. A intervened on Lincoln a behalf while receiving Large Campaign donations from financier Charles h. Keating jr., owner of the Irvine calif., Thrift. The five senators have been accused of bringing so much political pressure to Bear on the Federal Home loan Bank Board that it caused a two year delay in the Federal governments decision to seize the ailing savings and loan. By the time Lincoln was seized in april 1989, its losses had mounted to More than $2 billion. The other senators have relied upon that argument to a much lesser extent than Cranston. But their cases also could be affected by the committees judgment of whether the senators lobbying had a Impact on the decision making of the Federal regulators. The Senate ethics committee which has been investigating the charges against the five senators since last november currently is interviewing a wide Range of witnesses. The political futures of All five senators May hinge on the judgment of the Senate ethics committee investigation. Cranston a popularity in California has slumped since the probe began even though he has defended himself vigorously to the committee As Well As to his constituents. In a letter to the Senate ethics committee last nov. 16, shortly after the panel opened its probe Cranston emphasized that two former chairmen of the Federal Home loan Bank Board Edwin j. Gray and m. Danny Wall have said that their decision making was unaffected by any of the pleas that the five senators made on behalf of Lincoln. He has since reiterated that Point Many times in speeches and press conferences. But a committee witness who declined to be identified said the questions posed by the investigators clearly indicated that they do not accept Cranston a View that no action was taken As a result of the intervention. Moreover the source said investigators do not appear to agree that there is no Case to be made against the senators if in fact. Gray and Wall declined to act on their requests. Tuna spokesman blasts canner a announcement san Diego apr the . Tuna fleets chief spokesman blasted thursdays announcement by the nations largest tuna canner that it would Stop buying or Selling fish captured along with dolphins calling it a devastating. A a there a no other Fleet in the world that will be More damaged by this action than the american tuna Fleet a said August Felando president of the san Lego based american tuna boat association. Felando was reacting to the announcement in Washington by . Heinz co., owner of starkest seafood co., that it would use Only a Dolphin free tuna. Bumble Bee seafood inc. Of san Diego and Van Kam seafood of St. Louis followed suit saying they too would avoid buying tuna caught with dolphins. The move Drew Praise from environmentalists who have Long sought to protect the Marine mammals from fishing nets. Felando said he did no to know How the Fleet would Deal with the new restrictions. A basically we have now lost our Market. The Eastern Pacific is the most productive area in the world for yellow Fin tuna fishing and its our traditional grounds a he said. The Eastern Pacific is the Only fishery where dolphins swim with tuna. There purse Seine nets Are dropped below schools of dolphins to capture the tuna underneath when a drawstring is pulled to close the net. Drift nets Are set on the water overnight and trap anything a fish Birds and other Marine life that enters the area covered by the net. An estimated 100,000 dolphins die annually in huge nets used to catch schools of tuna. Most of the trapped dolphins die in nets from foreign vessels which Arentt subject to . Regulations or Dolphin kill quotas. Felando said 12,643 dolphins died last year during operations by the 30-Vcssel . Tuna Fleet Well below the annual a Dolphin kill quota of 20,500 set by the Federal government. He said that for the most part the numbers have steadily declined since 1977 As tuna fishermen have improved Dolphin Rescue techniques. However Felando acknowledged that some dolphins always will be killed it current practices continue