European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday August 26, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3 coup in the . Recognition of Baltic forecast Cheney sees move As basically a question of formality Washington a the United states will recognize the Independence of the Baltic states in a a relatively Short period of time Quot Secretary of defense Dick Cheney predicted sunday. A i think that is basically a question of formality at this Point a Cheney said. But Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii offered a different View saying that Quot we never ceased to recognize them a meanwhile Arkady Maslennikov a spokesman for the supreme soviet said that he foresaw a some kind of orderly divorce or separation for the restive soviet republics. Maslennikov appeared on Abc s meet the. Press with Cheney. The dutch foreign ministry said sunday that european Community foreign ministers would meet this week to decide whether the 12 dec members should recognize the republics Independence. British prime Minster John major said foreign office representative Douglas Hogg will travel to the Baltic for meetings with leaders of Lithuania Latvia and Estonia in coming Days. Scandinavian countries and West Germany also moved toward establishing Diplo Matic ties with the republics. Said Cheney a i suspect it will be a relatively Short period of time until there will be recognition of the Independence of the Baltic republics Quot by the United states. A there Are still a number of mechanical problems that need to be sorted out. But i think it s just a matter of time a he said. The United states has never recognized the annexation of the republics by the soviet Union during world War ii but has slopped Short of exchanging diplomatic  sunday however. Baker sought to minimize the significance of any new move toward official recognition. Appearing on Abc s this week with David Brinkley Baker noted that the three republics have representatives in Washington and that their flags Fly in the corridor of the state department. Baker said he shares president Bush soft stated View that the three republics should be granted Independence from the soviet Union a sooner rather than  Maslennikov said he expected soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev to Issue some kind of clarification on the republics status when he reports to a special session of the supreme soviet the country a parliament today. Asked whether he foresaw sending troops into the republics he replied a no. I done to think it is  on related issues Cheney had High Praise for russian president Boris Yeltsin but expressed doubts As to How far the United states can go with economic assistance. A the United states clearly has an interest in helping the forces of political Reform inside the soviet Union Quot he said. A the events of the last week have cleared away a lot of the political underbrush in terms of our ability to do that but we Are still Well Short of a set of circumstances economically we Here we can do More than we already  still Cheney said. A i think if there Are major humanitarian needs in the soviet Union this Winter we probably would be prepared to  meanwhile National Security adviser Brent Seow Croft said the United Stales still regards Gorbachev As the Man in charge. But scowcroft talking to reporters in Kennebunk port Maine also said that a it would not be unusual if there were further instability Quot inside the soviet Union. Gorbachev made tape to show he was healthy Washington a with the help of a son in Law president Mikhail Gorbachev secretly made a Home videotape while under guard at his crimean vacation Home seeking to inform the soviet people of the coup attempt Abc reported sunday. Gorbachev taped the message a denying he was in ill health a on the second night of his Captivity. This was after he convinced coup participants that the family had retired for the night the network said. A i must say at once that there has been a deception of the people and that on the basis of this deception this lie there has been an anti constitutional coup a he said. In the tape the soviet president refuted statements by his former vice president Gennady Kanayev that he was ill and unable to carry out his duties. A the vice president is referring to my ill health and my inability As a result of my poor health to fulfil my duties As the president of the . But 1 am completely Well a he said. It Wasny to immediately Clear How Gorbachev believed his message could be gotten through to the soviet people. Abc reported that Gorbachev taped the message with the help of a son in Law in a secluded Section of his vacation Home. The network said Gorbachev recorded the messages four separate times on one tape and then broke it into parts keeping one on his person for his return to Moscow. The other copies were Given to Gorbachev a personal Secretary an aide and his doctor the report said. Gorbachev said on the tape that actions by the eight member state emergency committee that led the coup had forced him to make the statement. He said former government officials who had come to the Crimea unannounced demanded to see him at 5 . Aug. 18. Coinciding with their arrival Gorbachev said he discovered All communications to and from the House had been disrupted. He said the telephones had been Cut off and the television was no longer working. Gorbachev seemed especially angry at Kanayev s participation in the coup repeatedly naming him in the message. A everything that has been said by Comrade Kanayev and made Public in the documents of this committee All of this is an outright lie against the people Quot he said. Gorbachev continued a therefore the decision regarding Yana Yevu a taking on duties of the president and All other decisions made consequently Are All illegal and  Gorbachev said that he had spoken with Kanayev earlier that Day and that the vice president had asked him at what time he planned to return to Moscow on aug. 19 so he could meet him at the Airport. Gorbachev noted that he had been scheduled to sign the Union treaty with the six republics on aug. 19. Abc did not say How it had obtained a copy of the tape which began with footage apparently taken earlier in the Day of Gorbachev a granddaughter Ballet dancing. The report said the coup leaders or military personnel never found any of the tapes and that the message was never broadcast after the coup unravelled. However Abc did say the message was scheduled to be aired on soviet television sunday night. Lil Gorbachev responds in a secretly made videotape to claims that he was sick. Abc said the tape was made by Gorbachev a soviet president Mikhail made by coup leaders that he was sick. Slig said the tape son in Law while the soviet president was held captive in the  soviet officers reportedly knew of coup Dresden Germany apr All High ranking soviet officers based in East Germany were aware that last a week coup attempt in their Homeland was forthcoming a newspaper reported sunday. The Dresden based Morgen Post am sonntag also said that activity started 10 weeks ago to determine which officers would support the coup planners. Last weeks coup attempt by conservative soviet hard liners to unseat soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev sent a Shock wave around the world. Gorbachev was saved and the coup attempt Defeated because one of his strongest critics russian president Boris Yeltsin stood up to the hard liners. Quoting soviet col. Vladimir i. Rudenko Morgen Posl am sonntag said that every Eastern German based officer who was a member of the communist party was questioned about his ideology before the coup attempt. More than 80 percent of the soviet military officer corps is in the party the newspaper quoted Rudenko As saying. Of the officers questioned a those who clearly supported Gorbachev or Yeltsin were relieved of their posts a the newspaper quoted Rudenko As saying. Rudenko is the chief of a division staff in the soviet army a West group the newspaper said. It said that in Rudenkou a unit �?o17 of 253 officers were removed from their jobs Rudenko also told the newspaper that during the coup orders were Given that restricted soldiers from leaving their bases because of tears that mass desertion would occur the newspaper said. Soviet and German officials confirmed last week that the West group still has 273, my troops based in Eastern Germany. One of the main concerns of the germans and other Western nations was How those troops might have been used by the coup plotters