European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page to a the stars and stripes thursday August 23, 1990 the hour of decision on Feuser am to shove. Is n i . Apple or for Bushy a the Choc i s running for president bus i with the moment drawing Ever closer for several major policy decisions in the crisis in the Middle East. Will he try to Rescue at least some of the 2,500 americans whom he acknowledged on monday Are hostages in Kuwait How far will he go in using armed Force to prevent two iraqi tankers now under close surveillance by the . Navy from delivering their cargoes what will he do about inc american embassy in Kuwait which has been ordered by Iraq to close on Friday at the moment the conventional Wisdom in Washington says that the president must not let the hostages plight control his Overall policy that he must keep to his dual strategy of deterring an iraqi attack with american troops in saudi Arabia and using the United nations embargo to Force president Saddam Hussein of Iraq to pull out of Kuwait or to come to the bargaining Tabic prepared to yield virtually everything that Washington is seeking. In a speech in Baltimore on monday morning. Bush echoed that View pledging that Quot America will not be intimidated by iraqi threats to the hostages. He seemed to be suggesting that a Long warlike period without much combat not unlike the so called a phony War in Europe in 1939-40, was at hand. But at the same time a belief that War May be imminent is taking hold in Washington. In a syndicated newspaper column Over the weekend former Secretary of slate Henry a. Kissinger advised the administration to Quot Lake car not to Wallow in the wide Domestic and International support it now enjoys Quot because it May prove transitory. He argued that Bush May soon be forced Quot to consider a surgical and progressive destruction of Iraq s military  rep.  , the Wisconsin Democrat who Heads the House armed services committee spoke on television of a the possibility of military action at any time a and an administration policy maker conceded Quot steady As she goes no precipitate action is line for the moment hut it gets hard to maintain As the yellow ribbons multiply and Public pressure to do something mounts Quot. Some experts doubt that a blockade of Iraq can begin to show results in less than six months a a Long time to maintain Public support Ami hold together an International coalition such As the one 1 Insh has assembled. A it is probably too Lale in extract Many of lie hostages in Iraq itself because Lluy haw1 been widely dispersed to act As Shields Lin 2. Mid americans in Kuwait will probably be scattered soon As indicated by the Transfer of 1 ? . Hostages set de in their hotels on monday. Even leaving hat consideration aside though a mass Rescue is a very gift Lault pro spool a rib because of the iraqi troops and anti aircraft missiles now in Kuwait partly because of the number  involved. A senior official said a Rescue would verge on an invasion of Kuwait rather than a raid because die Airfield would Haw to he made secure Ami perhaps the Post for a considerable Lime. A Quot we Aren t talking about helicopter i loads of people but plan loads May be Shi pleads Quot he said. Bath a open desert country smart bombs missiles tanks nun be Gas a that s no opt  the israelis advocate a full scale air assault on iraqi targets now. The United states has ample air Power to mount such an attack but some strategists Here including the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff adm William j. Crowe jr., doubt that american strength has yet reached the Point where the . Force in the Region could withstand the All out War that might Well follow. In addition to endangering the hostages such an action could also Lead to assaults on american embassies in some hard line Arah countries. The use of armed Force to prevent the tankers from reaching port could also set off a shooting War but Washington seems much More disposed at least for now to take a Chance at sea rather than to bomb Baghdad Quot with or without the United nations approval that we re Irving to get Quot a military official said Quot we wiil Stop the tankers because not doing so would make a joke of the blockade. But i think it w Ould take evidence that Saddam was serious v mistreating the hostages to take us to  As to the embassy in Kuwait officials say that Washington will stall All it can but out of reluctance to add its diplomats to the list of hostages will probably pull them out if push comes to show e. Because so Many fewer persons Are involved and because they would be so much easier to gather in one place in operation to Rescue them is considered More feasible. But the american record in such enterprises is not a Good one. In. 1970, for example after five Mouths of planning a . Torce reached a prison Camp at son Fay 20 Miles North of Hanoi Only to find it empty of americans. And a 1980 Effort to Rescue the staff of the . Embassy held hostage in Iran Gary g. Sick of Columbia , in leaped who pondered the hostage question for Mouths on end As a major Iran adviser in the Carter while House sees an augmented role for the United nations which has already dispatched two envoys to Baghdad. He argued that they should a draw Lorca Tulip to Iraq s attention Quot the fourth Geneva convention which requires that persons interned in wartime be kept Well away from military targets in Well marked Neutral ones with their names nationalities and locations made available to the International red Cross. Their use As Shields for Vita targets is expressly forbidden by the convention he said. A a a sick said the United nations should now demand red Cross visits to the for Eigners Kaiui Oiler to provide ships and planes to evacuate them. I he Bush adm stration already seem. To be leaning harder in Jas Phev making on the United nations now More tune ional than in decades because of the passing of the cold w a. But there Are other options too that lie somewhere Between War and Siplo leaped Sci in top of  maty. Among them Are electronic disruption of iraqi Telephone radio and radar communications sabotage of vital iraqi Sites like Power stations by paramilitary unit assisting in or even carrying out an assassination attempt on Saddam or promoting a coup. By their very nature such possibilities Are not discussed in Public. So Washington with the rest of the i country was grasping at straws monday night searching for clues in Bush s speech. Some noticed that he had gone right to the Brink of threatening retaliation for Saddam a hostage taking then held Back and they concluded that he had decided to Slick with diplomacy. J others noticed that the president had a pointedly said that he would hold the iraqis Quot responsible Quot for the safety of the hostages. This was the same warning he addressed to Gen. Manuel Antonio no Riega with regard to american so be men and their families just before  b ing Panama and they concluded mat a Bush was just about at the Point of Ming re Force. And anything on  scale would run the ask of touching of a full scale Conict. Said a retired american Diplomat with extensive experience m the Middle East Quot if either Side attacks its a blood also ended in failure and a similar Mission to Rescue the Crew of the freighter Mayaguez held on an Island off Cambodia led to heavy casualties