European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                . Ambassador in  a Job Well done by de Reavis staff writer on the Wall of Vernon Walters embassy office is a framed newspaper column that appeared in the International Herald Tribune on sept. 12, 1989. In it columnist Flora Lewis criticizes the ambassador to Germany for his open declarations that the Berlin Wall soon would fall and the country would become a United nation. Walters talk the column claimed hampered chances Tor real Reform in the communist system of East German but the ambassadors lonely voice proved prophetic. And Lewis has since called Walters to offer an apology. Quot it s the first and last time a journalist has i apologized to me Quot said Walters who is leaving his Post next month others have noted Walters vision. On a recent German talk show Wolfgang Schauble German minister of the Interior said Walters was the first 1 person he met to say the Wall was coming Down within two or three years and unification was imminent. Quot i was amazed at his assessment. The most optimistic of us in the government thought maybe the Wall would be Down by the year 2000,&Quot Schauble said. Walters 74, said his opinions had nothing to do with the gift of prophecy but with political analysis. Quot to me Afghanistan was the key Quot he said in a recent interview Quot when the soviets left Afghanistan it was Clear that the Brezhnev doctrine was no longer in effect. That is the red army would not March in to prop up regimes unpopular with its own people. A in Afghanistan it Wasny to a question of sending troops in. They were there and they left. That was a pretty Clear indicator to me that the doctrine was no longer in effect and it was Clear to me that the people would soon find out As they did in Poland when they put 500,00 people in the  Walters retirement As . Ambassador to Germany is being called the end of an Era bythe German Media. His departure is not Only the end of a personal and Brilliant career but also the end of a unique period of history Quot i m leaving Germany after spending 2vf> of the most extraordinary years of my life Quot Walters said in his embassy office. During his tenure in Bonn the Berlin Wall fell leading to the unification of East and West Germany. A War was fought in the persian Gulf Region and hostages were freed from Lebanon the latest being Edward Tracy released aug 11. Quot it s been an extraordinary time and it s time to leave while they re saying they want you to stay. Don t wait until they say when is the so7and-so going a Quot in addition i feel that i be had a lot of Luck in my life. I got through four wars and the world has totally changed since i  Quot i Walters who Speaks eight languages recalled that when president Bush called him to go to Germany he said a emr president German is my. Worst foreign language next to russian,11 Bush told him Germany is where the action is going to be. Congress nominated Walters for the position on Jan. 6,1989. Walters fluent in French portuguese Spanish italian,.German, dutch and russian said he began learning German and being interested in the country at the age of 12 thanks to the former German emperor Quot i  of famous men Quot he recalled. In his collection were the signatures of Georges Clemenceau the Premier of France from 1906-09 and 1917-20, and David Lloyd George British prime minister from 1916-22. He wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm ii of Prussia who was in exile in the dutch town of doom. Quot a marshal at the court wrote in a form letter that unfortunately the Kaiser does not As matter of principle give out autographs. But in handwriting he advised me to write the Kaiser . Walters wrote asking Why the Kaiser s regime had such a bad reputation in All the history books. Quot the Kaiser sent me a Book with a More favourable View and i wanted to read it. So i Learned  Walters Learned More about the German mentality As a Young Man shortly after the War while accompanying . Diplomat William Averell Harriman to the City of Essen. 7 feel that in be had a lot of Luck in my life. I got through four wars and the world has totally changed since i  Vernon waiters . Ambassador to Germany Vernon Walters sits behind Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower during an inspection tour in Dornheim Germany in february 1951. Quot we visited a couple living in the cellar of a bombed out building Quot. Walters recalled. Quot it was clean and neat and they were very  As they left Walters asked Harriman if he thought they would live Long enough to see the germans rebuild their cities Harriman pointed out that the couple had put Flowers on their table a a anyone who thinks of Flowers in the midst of such desolation will rebuild the country in record time Harriman told Walters. Walters is known As a zealous car Driver. He whips off to Paris and other Distant Sites on weekends. When time allows he takes longer sojourns such As his drive to Leningrad and Estonia on the Baltic last year a All in his 1980 Chevrolet. A when curious soviets asked him How his car held up with More than 100,000 Miles on it Walters said he told them Quot this is an american built car that show Quot born in new York City on Jan. 3, 1917, Walters lived there until 1923 when he went to Europe with his parents. He remained in Europe for More than 10 years attending St. Louis Gonzaga school in Paris and Ston Hurst College in great Britain. Walters who has never married served in the . Army from 1941 to 1976 when he retired with the rank of lieutenant general. In the course of his military career he served As special aide and interpreter to a number of . General officers senior diplomats and presidents. Following Tours in Italy Brazil Vietnam and France during which time he also served As special aide and interpreter for presidents Turman Eisenhower and Nixon on their foreign travels Walters was named Deputy director of the Cia in 1972. The 4vf> years in which he served the Agency included a five month period As acting director. From 1976 to 1981, he was a consultant lecturer and author. Walters memoirs silent missions were published in 1978. His other writings include Sunset at Saigon and the mighty and the Meek. He has also written Many articles and Book reviews. T he said he had four More books in the pipeline. One is a novel about Vietnam. Another is about All the pets he s had in his life. Walters is a fan of felines he currently has two cats yet another Book might cover his four years As ambassador at Large a including his tasks in various foreign countries such As getting people out of jail preventing the peace corps from being expelled or keeping an ambassador from being declared Persona non grata. A fourth Book May detail his four years at the United nations. During the Reagan administration Walters first served As senior adviser to Secretary of state Alexander Haig then later was nominated by president Reagan to serve As ambassador at Large a position he held from july 1981 to May 1985. In this capacity he travelled to More than 108 countries covering 1.5 million Miles As the Reagan administrations chief diplomatic trouble shooter. From May 1985 until his current ambassador ship Walters was . Permanent representative to the United nations. A he is also the recipient of Many honors including the distinguished service medal two Oak Leaf Cluster legion of Merit Oak Leaf Cluster the Bronze Star the air medal the distinguished intelligence medal and Many Campaign medals. A he has been decorated by the governments of France Italy Brazil Vietnam Spain Portugal Morocco and Peru. Walters is looking Forward to a vacation in Eastern Europe after a Hail and Farewell on sept. 9, when he v-1i Welcome his successor Robert m. Kimmitt. Is amps Gus Schuettler Vernon Walters chats with soldiers of the 4th in 67th army regt before their departure from Rhein main a for saudi Arabia his views on Germany by de Reavis staff writer a the United states will have less influence in unified Germany and that is How it should be according to the top american official in the country. Departing . Ambassador Vernon Walters said German sovereignty and the sizable reduction of . Forces in Germany will automatically Lead to less influence on the German government. Quot its Good that we re losing our influence because it Means our relations Are becoming normalized with Germany As they Are with other countries Quot said Walters who has announced his resignation from the Job he took in january 1989. Walters said germans have complained Over the years that their nation has been singled put for special treatment by the allies. Various restrictions such As limiting the size of their army have been imposed upon the country. Quot now i think its important they done to self singular ize themselves Quot he said. He does t think for example that other european countries will allow Germany to join a european defense organization if it claims the German Constitution prohibits it from sending troops to conflicts outside its Borders. Quot so i think they la have to play the role of a fully Sovereign  . Military presence and nato remain necessary for Europe despite German unification and the other changes taking place on the continent he said. Walters called nato the indispensable Anchor to keeping the . Forces in Europe. When the soviet Union favored unification Only if Germany left nato Walters told the germans that the United states would probably not keep troops in their nation under any organization except nato. Walters compared the situation to a football game. He said if your team is is leading 20-0 at halftime you Don t change the team or the strategy. He also said he did no to think any big changes Are in store for nato beyond the drastic cuts. The United states has to maintain a credible Force in Germany and a credible Force is not a tiny Force. He said 150,000 troops about half of the number of . Forces now in Germany would be a proper number. Quot the key Factor for the future is what kind of a russian state Are we going to be faced with when All this hoopla there is Over. I can t Tell you what kind of government is going to emerge there Quot he said. Quot if it s a parliamentary democracy i think we can All go  but Walters said he thought the Chance of the soviet Union opting for a parliamentary Dena Cracy was slim and that the West had to be prepared for All eventualities. A As an example Walters cited the year 1918 when the German army Defeated the russians. Quot Lenin and Trotsky were forced to turn Over the Ukraine to the germans Quot he said. Quot on the Day when world War i ended German soldiers were standing in Rostov and on the Don about 2,000 Miles from Berlin. Quot within three years of that total collapse of the russian army the red army arose from the ruins reconquered All of the soviet Union All the Way to. Vladivostok and became the strongest army in Europe for the next 70  during his tenure in Bonn wallers emphasized the . Military presence wherever he went in Germany. He did it he said because germans often forget the sacrifice . Service members make by being Here and their role in bringing about unification. He said he arrived Here amid an atmosphere of constant complaints by the germans about Low flying aircraft and queries about when bases were going to be evacuated. Quot and there was a perception that All danger from the East had vanished and they could just coast on alone with the local militia. It was Clear to me that we had not yet reached that stage Quot he said Walters said since the administration of president Reagan the . Spent about $300 billion a year on defense which is about the size of the German National budget. Quot the Cost of troops Here is about $90 billion a year that s More than the German defense budget. We Speed about $40 billion for our troops in Japan and Korea Quot Page 14 a the stars and stripes monday. August 19, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15