European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday August 24, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3coup leaders possessed nuclear codes from wire reports Kennebunkport Maine a the United states was never under any threat of a nuclear attack even though leaders of an unsuccessful coup in the soviet Union gained Possession of secret codes for unleashing that nations nuclear Arsenal president Bush said Friday. Bush was responding to a published report that the hard line communists who Lead the coup took Possession of a briefcase that contained the codes while soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev was being held prisoner. The report appeared in fridays editions of the Washington Post which attributed it to Vladimir Lysenko a Deputy in the russian parliament and a member of the delegation that flew wednesday evening to meet Gorbachev and return with him to Moscow. A there were no actions that were picked up by anybody that sent any signals of concern on that in terms of movement or things that you would associate with any concern for a nuclear threat of any kind a Bush said. A so we did not know  the Post also said that during the soviet presidents hours under siege he dictated a last will and testament onto videocassette tapes and asked his guards to sneak the film to the outside world. A Only those guards who brought food to him were allowed inside his room a Lysenko said. A that might be How he got the tapes out. He said they were Cut up into strips and sent out. Gorbachev said that even he did not know where All the tapes  like hotcakes Gorby dolls line shelves of doll City . In Orange calif., on thursday. Sales of the cloth and plastic likeness of soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev have a skyrocketed since he was ousted and returned to Power this week. Store manager Dale Noble estimates sales of nearly 1,000 of the dolls that Cost $16.99  can celebrate with alaskan Salmon Anchorage Alaska up Alaska offered to give the soviet Union millions of pounds of surplus Salmon and the soviets jumped at the offer thursday preparing to Send boats to pick up 6 million pounds of free Pink Salmon the governors office said. Gov. Walter Hickel offered the fish to celebrate the Victory Over the coup that briefly toppled soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev a and to dispose of excess Pink Salmon that the Domestic Market was unable to handle anyway. Alaskan fishermen were to Start net Ting Salmon Friday in Prince William sound for russian plates and keep fishing until they had caught Between 5 million and 6 million pounds said Eric Reh Mann spokesman for the governor. Processors were to Start Canning the fish immediately. The soviets were sending ships across the Bering sea to pick up the Salmon after determining that cargo flights Cost too much. The Salmon will go to cities in the soviet far East. All of the fish will be Given to the soviets free. The fishermen and the processors will be paid but the exact financial arrangements were still being worked out. Rehmann said the governor was asking corporate donors to help pay. Hickel sent a fax to soviet ambassador Viktor Komp Levtov that said a on behalf of the state of Alaska 1 would like to offer several million fresh Salmon As a gift to the soviet people to celebrate the Victory of democracy. A a we be talked to the state department the russian embassy the Commerce department and we be had a go ahead on that basis a Hickel said. Government leaders of the Chukoski and Magadan regions in the soviet far East across the Bering sea from Alaska were a a ecstatic about the offer said John Manly another spokesman for the governor. However a substantial amount of unprocessed surplus Pink Salmon also was to be dumped at sea Rehmann said. A a we be found ourselves with 10, 12, maybe 15 million pounds of Pink Salmon in Prince William sound which we will not be Able to process a Hickel said. A we came up with the idea a Why not give them to the soviet people not for resale but just for humanitarian  soviet Hammer and sickle Flag yields to White Blue and red thousands of muscovites converge on red Square accompanied by a huge russian Flag. By the new York times Moscow a the Hammer and sickle went the Way of the Junta As russian Republic president Boris n. Yeltsin restored the White Blue and red Banner of pre revolutionary Russia As the republics official Flag. Across the City Large and Small versions of the new Flag fluttered above the demonstrations As a potent repudiation of the seven decades of communism. A huge Roar went up As Yeltsin told a crowd numbering tens of thousands that the new Emblem had been approved thursday by the russian parliament. It was raised thursday Over the republics parliament Headquarters amid the barricades and jubilant crowds of the successful three Day Vigil against the coup. In the last few years various republics and nationalities have taken special pleasure in rebuffing local versions of the soviet Flag and raising up other beloved emblems of their National identities. The new russian Flag was brought to Moscow initially by Peter the great who according to some historians copied the colors from the dutch Flag and used them for the Banner of his merchant Navy. It became the official Flag of the russian Empire Early in the 18th Century. A similar Flag with a double headed Black Eagle on the upper Field of White was the Ensign of the Raissian american co., which flew it Over Alaska. The doubleheader Eagle was adopted by the czars to assert their links with the byzantine Empire. The czars Emblem was a Gold Flag emblazoned with each czars individually drawn double headed Eagle. Under soviet Power the russian federation flew the red Flag with Hammer and sickle but with a Blue strip Down the left Border. During thursdays demonstrations that Flag continued to Fly Over Yeltsin a offices inside the Kremlin evidently because no one had yet thought to replace it. The White Blue and red Flag had become the most popular Flag of political insurgents within Russia marshalling demonstrators in protest rallies outside the Kremlin. Protesters who marched on the Kremlin on thursday to celebrate the defeat of the coup carried a big sign addressed to president Mikhail s. Gorbachev that read a Mikhail done to forget under which Flag you were