European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Takes amp is vol. 50, no. 271 350  saturday january 11,1992 d 8693 jobless rate hits 7.1 % Washington a the nations jobless rate shot up to 7.1 percent in december a new High for the recession As nearly 300,000 More americans joined the ranks of the unemployed the government reported Friday. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan in testimony on Capitol Hill a few hours after the numbers were released suggested that monetary policymakers Are ready to Cut interest rates fur ther if needed to rejuvenate the stagnant Economy. A we will continue to Monitor the situation carefully and stand ready to take Steps necessary to Foster sustainable economic expansion a he told a joint hearing of the Senate banking and budget committees. The Rise in november a revised put unemployment at its highest level the jobless rate up from id rate of 6.9 percent since june 1986, the labor department said. The nations jobless now number 8.9 million the worst level since 9 million people went without work in january 1984, the department said. In december alone an additional 290,000 people joined unemployment lines pushing to 2.1 million the number of americans forced out of work since the recession started in july 1990, the government said. The Industrial Northeast and Midwest were Hurt particularly hard last month the report snowed. Illinois rate surged to 9.3 percent up from 8.5 percent in november Ohio s shot to 6.6 percent up from 5.6 percent and Pennsylvania a rate was 7.1 percent fridays report revised the a employ see jobless on Page 2tour made dramatic Progress Bush says president Bush chats with reporters Friday aboard air Force one on the Way Back to the United states from Tokyo. Washington a president Bush returned Home from Japan on Friday boasting of a dramatic Progress that will produce american jobs and improve the ailing Economy. He conceded that a a nobody a. Totally satisfied but promised measurable results from his Trade Mission. A i think that we might have achieved More a Bush acknowledged after stepping off air Force one following a 12-hour flight from Tokyo at the end of a grueling Mission to Asia and Australia. But he said a we faced a turning Point with Japan and when the time came we took a major step  even before he landed there was More bad news from the labor department the unemployment rate in december climbed to 7.1 percent the worst in 5vi years. Nearly 9 million americans now Are out of work including 2.1 million who lost their jobs since the recession began 18 months ago. Despite Bush a Best efforts to put a positive assessment on the trip democrats in Congress and the head of the United Auto workers Union were Quick to Brand it a failure. And it got mixed reviews from the executives who accompanied Bush on his 26,000-mile, 12-Day journey to Australia Singapore South Korea and Japan. In Detroit an irate Chrysler corp. Chairman Lee Iacocca who was on the trip declared a without persistent outside pressure the japanese will not move at All. And Why the hell should they they re winning. In fact they re beating our brains  but Dexter Baker chairman of the National association of manufacturers said a was a result of the presidents trip we be been invited to open up shop in  United Auto workers president Owen Bieber said a it is Clear that All the trip achieved was promises see Bush on Page 2announced troop cuts to hold up Cheney says by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Kreutch Germany a defense budget cuts that president Bush plans to announce in his state of the Union address should not change the size of . Troop cuts already announced defense Secretary Dick Cheney said Friday. A those budget reductions Are consistent with the plan put Forward by the administration a year ago calling for a reduction of about 25 percent in the total size of our Active duty forces a Cheney told Media representatives during a news conference with Christian social Union officials in this bavarian resort. He said the five year defense plan Bush will present on Jan. 28 a envisions a continued significant . Presence in Europe and we will retain significant Forward deployed forces if you will As part of nato. I do not expect the announcement the president will make at the end of the month will affect that Basic  Cheney met before the news conference for several hours with German finance minister Theodor Taigel and other members of the conservative Csc which is one of two minority parties in Chancellor Helmut Kohls government coalition. Party leaders encouraged Cheney to urge . Withdrawal from military facilities in Large metropolitan areas in Germany and suggested the european Community eventually might be entitled to play a permanent role in the . Security Council. The Secretary gave no hints about additional release or retention of military facilities other than to say he expects the army training area at Grafen Der to remain important for . Troops. A i done to have any new announcements to make about the disposition of . Forces on this trip a he said. Cheney said the United states has no apprehensions about Germany a newly assertive foreign policy a recent manifestation of which was Germany a recognition of the breakaway yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia. Bush must decide whether the United states will follow suit he said but added that american and German goals in the matter Are the same a to end the War. Germany a unification in 1990 made it possible for the country to play a larger Seo Cheney on Page 2elvis making a comeback. On a stamp a Page 6