European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Gorbachev quits party group Cabinet As ruling a or . Ambassador to the soviet Union Robert Strauss right shakes hands with soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev at the Kremlin on saturday. Moscow apr Mikhail Gorbachev resigned saturday As communist party chief apparently heralding the end to the party that ruled soviet life since 1917 and culminating a stunning Kremlin shakeup since last weeks failed coup. A i can confirm that he has stepped Down As general Secretary and has called for the disbandment of the Central committee a said Igor Malashenko adviser to the press office of the president. Gorbachev later saturday appointed a committee to run the country in place of the discredited Cabinet of ministers. The head of the Cabinet prime minister Valentin Pavlov was one of eight leaders of the three Day coup against Gorbachev and evidence disclosed since the plot failed wednesday indicates nearly All the members of the Cabinet backed the conspiracy. Boris Yeltsin meanwhile continued to flex his muscle Over Kremlin authority on saturday by ordering the seizure of communist party and Kab archives. Jubilant crowds attacked More symbols to communist Rule and ideals while three men killed in Battles against the coup leadership were Given a martyrs funeral in Moscow attended by tens of thousands of mourners a including Yeltsin and Gorbachev wearing red Arm bands. Quot we say goodbye to our heroes our defenders our Savior. Of course we Are not saying goodbye to their names a because their names will become sacred to Russia. Sleep peacefully and let the Earth be soft for you a said Yeltsin who led the resistance to the hard line coup plotters. A this is a difficult Day for us a hard Day but it could have been even worse because the enemies Are already like cockroaches in a bottle trying to eat each other a added Yeltsin standing behind a bulletproof shield. Black bordered photographs of the see party on Page 2military readiness increased by Barton Gellman the Washington Post Washington a during the Moscow coup the . Military took hundreds of quiet Steps around the world to heighten readiness. As Long As the outcome remained in doubt according to military officials they could not ignore the risk that a a. Soviet civil War might spill across International Borders. A or that a consolidated coup might place a More hostile government in command of Moscow a enormous military resources. For three anxious Days some officials said they confronted the possibility that their strategic picture of the world was about to change profoundly. Over the medium and Long term a Pentagon policy official said a fall the suppositions we had about the coup positive evolution that allowed the end of the cold War would have been called into questions by a successful coup. But some officials worried about More immediate threats. A i think its fair to say that in the 22 years in be been a commissioned officer Many of the scenarios started with these kinds of things a breakdown of the political system of the soviet Union some kind of internal instability which led then to regional instability a said one officer whose Job involves Day to Day knowledge of military operations and intelligence. Ultimately it was the Moscow government that concerned military planners. Had the coup succeeded they anticipated a return to cold War policies such As providing weapons and intelligence to . Adversaries. Quot its a great reminder for the military see readiness on Page 2army considers ousting 1,900 majors captains by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington a the army May have to involuntarily separate As Many As 1,900 majors and captains next year to meet reduced troop Levels set by Congress the services personnel officials said. The number could be reduced if Congress approves a voluntary separation plan endorsed by army personnel officials. The army is the largest of the nations military services with about 721,000 soldiers on Active duty said it. Gen. William a Reno chief of staff for army personnel and because of its size the army will lose the most people 186,000 by 1995 to reach the congressional mandated troop strength of 535,000. The service plans to have about 50,000 fewer soldiers by the end of fiscal 1992 and 42,000 less by the end of each of the following years through 1995, Reno said during a recent interview with soldiers radio and television in Washington. Sruv produces and distributes  reports and see army on Page 2they�?Tre off. S4s Yovo Cosoy and paddling hard at the Start of the fourth annual v corps and German american raft race on saturday. The Field was crowded As teams vied to be the first Over the finish line 400 meters away. Sonic 600 people Hud signed up to compete on the wet and wild main River course near Frankfurt Germany