European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside sunday and plus magazines and amp tripes authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces Good morning vol. 49, no. 57 sunday june 10, 1990 a a 254 daily and sunday d 8693 a soviets nato fears easing Bush reports Washington apr president Bush said Friday night a a we re making Progress in easing soviet fears about a United Germany in nato. Bush said he and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl agreed that Moscow has a understandable interests in the military future of Europe. Bush and Kohl met for More than two hours Over dinner at the White House to discuss German unification and soviet objections to a new Germany belonging to the .-led nato Alliance. See related Story on Page 9. The meeting their third in three weeks came on the heels of Bush a Summit with soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev who expressed Strong concerns about nato membership for a United Germany. Bush said that Western leaders at a nato Summit in London next month would also explore ways to allay soviet fears. Gorbachev in opposing nato membership for a United Germany has proposed that the new country be a member of both the Warsaw pact and nato or be a member of neither. He also has suggested limits on the size of the German army an idea opposed both by Kohl and Bush. A any singling out and neutralization always Means isolation a Kohl said. A out of the isolation of Germany which we had in the �?T20s, a lot of bad things came about. We want a unified Germany As part of  Bush expressed Confidence that Gorbachev a fears would be Laid to rest. A i think we re making Progress but i can to make a prediction As to How successful totally successful we re going to be a Bush said. Bush returning from an overnight political trip to the Midwest met with Kohl before heading for Camp David his Maryland Retreat for the weekend. Kohl who gave the commencement address at Harvard in see nato on Back Page Kohl and Bush. At White House Farewell ceremony czechs vote democracy into Power Prague Czechoslovakia up a the pro democracy movement civic forum won a Clear majority in Federal parliamentary elections Czechoslovakia a first free elections in 44 years Early projections showed saturday. The West German Survey firm incas conducted exit polls of 12,000 people. The firm projected that the forum and its sister party in Slovakia Public against violence won 52 percent of seats in the 300-seat Federal Assembly which consists of the House of the people and the House of nations. The Christian democratic Union a coalition of three Christian democratic parties was projected to win 12 percent see vote on Back Page Marksman program for civilians has budget cutters up in arms by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a some members of Congress Are blasting away at an army plan to spend $25 million Over the next five years for an 87-year-old program designed to turn civilians into military sharpshooters. Called the civilian marksmanship program it was formed in 1903 in the Wake of the Spanish american War which raised serious concerns about army mobilization training and combat operations. Today the program Sells Loans or donates surplus weapons and ammunition to 1,945 affiliated clubs and sponsors a number of state and regional competitions As Well As the annual four week National matches at Camp Perry Ohio. In 1989 alone the army donated almost 38 million rounds of ammunition sold about 6,000 my Garand rifles and loaned 24,000 other weapons to clubs in the program. But with Congress in a mood to take a meat Cleaver to the defense budget the House armed services committee ordered the general accounting office to Check into the army a civilian marksmanship program to see if the program has outlived its usefulness. The Gao a answer probably. Army officials defend the program calling it a useful recruiting tool As Well As a Way to create a Pool of potential infantrymen who would require less formal marksmanship training in the event of a Quick mobilization. But with attack warning times for a major land War in Europe stretching past six months and plenty of uniformed soldiers available for Low intensity conflicts some lawmakers feel the marksmanship program is a relic from another Era. A was a recruiting tool its a failure a a House armed services committee staffer said noting that Only about 200 of the 165,000 people in the program joined the military last year. A was far As promoting marksmanship the National Rifle association and any number of other civilian organizations seem to be perfectly adept at that task judging from the number of gun owners in this country a the staffer said. The main criticism levelled at the see Marksman on Back Page 2 die in explosions fire on Tanker thsa5ovesin�?T Texas apr a Tanker with More Gallons of crude Oil on Board was Saturn y Plo Sions and fire off the Gulf coast Early said or thing at least two Crew members officials suck was reported near the 853-foot guard Tal Mega Borg but the . Coast Caro  a Ere was apparently no damage to the were j n r As a re continued to bum there to trigger Marge spill.6 ship cd uld be damaged enough out of control and the coast guard Nili a a n ask medium probability potential major late saturday no it had cmdr. Thomas Leveille said guard said the Tanker was burning 57 engine a St of Galveston after an explosion in the rear wac a m a 200-foot Section at the ships As still burning out of control hours later. The Tanker had transferred 70,000 barrels of its 980,000 barrels of crude Oil to the italian Tanker Fra Mura when an explosion ripped through the Borges engine room coast guard capt. Tom Greene said at a news conference in Galveston. The remaining 910,000 barrels equals 38.22 million Gallons of Oil. Of the Crew of about 40, two were dead two were missing and presumed dead and the others were evacuated the coast guard said. Some of the evacuees were injured but not seriously. Shortly before noon flames could be seen shooting hundreds of feet into the air As thick Black smoke curled from the ships aft Section. Two fireboat sprayed jets of water on the flames and two coast guard cutters stood by. The smoke could be seen 40 Miles away. The Tanker did not appear to be listing. Thomas Leveille said a a very very Little amount of Oil had spilled out of the top of the tanks and into the Gulf As the fire heated the Oil and expanded it. The spill is not due to a leak in the ships tanks he said. A your greatest concern is that the fire. Is going to cause structural damage to the Bulkhead Between the pump room and the cargo tanks a Leveille said. A if that were to happen wed have the potential for a fairly Large spill. We done to believe that is going to happen. Greene said authorities immediate fear is that the fire might spread to three cargo tanks near the engine room. Those tanks hold 360,0 30 barrels or roughly 15 million Gallons of Light crude. But Greene said the possibility of the Tanker sinking was slight. A we done to know what caused the spark or the fire or whatever but there were explosions and while our helicopters were on the scene they witnessed another explosion a so its a pretty hot fire a Petty officer George Wilson said earlier in Houston