European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Flora  cooperation in Mideast is vital Paris a assorted hints have come from Moscow that the soviets Are willing to Supply intelligence about Iraq. This could of of critical importance. Long and intimate involvement with the iraqi military and police establishments from the top on Down gave Moscow information unavailable anywhere else. It is a reflection of the astonishing still quite incomplete shift in . Relations that Washington reacted coolly. There Are some valid reasons for caution. For one thing there has been an energetic Kab Campaign for nearly a year to prettily a deservedly ugly image at Home and abroad. Quot they want to convince us that not even the Kab is still our enemy but they Are still very Busy in the .,&Quot a retired Cia official said. So it Isnit Clear whether the open hints Are just part of a Public relations Campaign or meant More seriously than such on the record statements might suggest. Last week Vladimir Kryuchkov the pkg by a chairman received an associated press delegation and said a i am convinced that we could really Tell each other the Cia something valuable a now Gen. Mikhail Moiseyev chief of the soviet general staff tells american newsmen that he is giving details about soviet made weapons used by the iraqis to the  Embassy but admits that the Cia already has most of them. Neither be nor Kryuchkov indicated if there were any terms for the proffered help but they complained that Washington Hasni to signalled much interest. Washington a View is that there is still a Long Way to go before the United states is ready to Exchange secrets As it does with its allies. But it is ready to receive what is provided though with some scepticism through Normal diplomatic contacts preferably through americans Moscow embassy rather than in Leaky Washington. A distinction needs to be made Between military hardware and political operational intelligence. The former in t hard to get from observation and regional sources and its use is Only in Case of War. But political intelligence could be decisive in preventing War which requires real change in Baghdad. Talk about a a negotiating with Saddam Hussein is an illusion. His threats to fight a to the last drop of blood a that a this will be the Mother of wars a that he a Viu destroy the whole Region show How much he cares about the Fate of his county. Nor should the United states wish to Leon Daniel rows operation desert shield devastate Iraq. Its benighted people Are victims not the perpetrators of the crisis. A apart from humane common sense it would be geopolitical stupidity similar to the mistake of indulging Saddam after the Iran Iraq War. The objective in the first place to prevent any ambitious tyrant from controlling Over half the worlds Oil remains valid and there would be no improvement if Iran or Syria succeeded because Saddam is made to fall. Outsiders cannot heal what ails the Arab states but they can make sure they done to unwittingly create new monsters with lopsided support. The consequences of War Are incalculable and every Effort should be made to avoid it. One Way is to Back off a Victory Saddam would be sure to exploit. A Long surprising article in the London newspaper the Independent this month linked to the anniversary of world War ii a Battle of Britain showed where that reasoning leads. Terry Coleman the writer went through the archives of British diplomacy from 1940 and condemns Winston Churchill for refusing to probe hitlers secret peace offers. He cites a message through the British embassy in Stockholm saying a the fihrer feels responsible for the future of the White race and would be willing to Settle for a two economic units a Continental Europe which is Germany a and the British Empire and  that would have brought a hellish peace a for a Short time. The other Way to avoid War is to get rid of Saddam. It is what the embargo is really about and he knows it. Talk of finding him an a escape Hatch or a saving face because his current demands Are limited is the kind of talk Coleman Cra Venly thinks Churchill should have entertained in 1940. This time the world has organized against aggression from the Start and its determination should inspire iraqis to save themselves. That is where the soviets come in. Saddam has foiled Many coup attempts with brutal aftermath but the incentive to try again is much greater now and growing. Moscow knows a lot about who is who in the entourage and what might be possible. It has its own Good reasons for wanting the crisis to end without a fight. Washington should encourage the soviets to pass along useful information test what they Are willing to provide and assure that Confidence will be repeated. There is too much to lose without giving it a try. Saddam did no to give us time to get used to the idea of such cooperation but its vital. C new York time revisions make Bible clearer easier to read a Hawk eyed old copy editor on a Good newspaper could teach a thing or two to the latest revisionists of the Bible. If it ainu to broke says an ancient Rule for editing copy done to fix it. But even the most curmudgeonly of editors might tip his Green Eye Shade in admiration of some of the changes in the bibles latest translation for use in major protestant churches. It is called the new revised Standard version and was introduced and dedicated at an ecumenical service in new York City last week. Credit the revisionists with eliminating some ambiguous phrasing. In the old version psalms 50 9 reads a i will accept no Bull from your House a the new translation avoids any possibility of misunderstanding by changing that to a i will not accept a Bull from your  the new version also got rid of some colloquial terms that could have confuse readers. A once i received a stoning a 2 corinthians 11 25, re placed a once i was  the revisionists were conscientious in trying to demonstrate their sensitivity to racial issues. A i am very dark but comely a from the song of Solomon 1 5, was changed to a i am Black and  sponsors of the new Bible Hope it eventually will replace the revised Standard version the protestant mainstay since it was published in 1952, although there have been More than 50 other translations since then. The new translation eliminates archaic thees and thous As Welt As Many male entered terms but it does not tamper with the masculine idiom for god. God remains Quot our father and Jesus is a the son of  but Matthew 4 4, a Man does not live by bread alone a becomes a one does not live by bread  Christian feminists claim the new version does not go far enough. Fundamentalists who oppose the changes continue to embrace As their Standard text the King James version of 1611, which Many evangelicals regard As the inspired word of god. Professor Bruce Metzger of Princeton theological Seminary said the 30-member translation committee he headed tried to be Quot As literal As possible in sticking to ancient hebrew and greek texts while making the new version understandable in English. The various translations of the Bible Trace their origins to the King James version whose eloquent phrasing is part of the heritage of All English speaking people. Even that Noble document was criticized when it first appeared. A London cleric snorted that it Quot sounds like yesterdays  with such criticism in mind the latest translators say they resisted the temptation to introduce words or phases that merely reflect current moods. Rather Metzger said the committee tried to use a simple enduring words and expressions that stand in the great tradition of the King James Bible and its  such a lofty goal could bring a faint smile even to the Mug of an ornery old copy editor. United press International