European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 b the stars and stripes Friday april 3,1992 at a glance my Mem a Black Forest cake. In today a food Section on Page 15, you la learn How to make the perfect piece of this creamy concoction made with a healthy dose of Cherry schnapps. See Story on Page 15. work criticized the  nearly failed provide enough support forces to Back up the combatants in the persian Gulf War according to a congressional study. A Page 4flying Telescope during the persian Gulf War the  a Star warriors nearly sent their $660 million flying Telescope to saudi Arabia to Hunt for scud missiles a Pago 6 1,500-year-old fungus found the world s largest living organism is apparently a 40-acre fungus in Michigan that is about 1,500 years old. A Page 7 Index i  Abby Ann Landers. 19 action line. 16 comics. 19-21 commentary. 13 crossword. 19 faces a no places. 18 letters. 12 Money matters. 17 sports. 22-28 to listings. 27 weather. 11 correction because of a reporting error a car Salesman quoted in the recent series a Wheeling and dealing was mis identified. His name is Eddi Bonilla. Also in the series the size of the staff at the new York Headquarters of Over seas military sales corp. Was misstated. Company officials said about 180 people work at that location. A a a because of a reporting error Leslie Ruth Gray from osterholz elementary High school in Germany was left off a list of students who competed saturday in the european spelling Bee in Heidelberg. Atlantis sails Back Home Cape canaveral Fla. A Atlantis glided through the Dawn thursday and landed in Florida with seven astronauts who had spent More than a week in orbit studying the Earth a atmosphere. The shuttle touched Down at Kennedy space Center at 6 23 a.m., its arrival heralded by the customary twin sonic booms. Commander Charles Boldenjr. Brought the spaceship to a clean Stop on the Concrete runway. Quot Welcome Back to the planet Atlantis. Congratulations on an outstanding flight a Mission controls Sidney Gutierrez told Bolden. More than 150 people gathered at Kennedy a Landing strip to Welcome Atlantis Home including nasal a new chief Daniel s. Goldin about 300 guests including the astronauts families had to watch from eight Miles away because of the wind direction a officials feared shuttle fumes might blow toward the crowd. The sky was hazy at Landing time. Atlantis circled the world 143 times during its nine Day voyage and travelled 3.7 million Miles. The shuttle streaked across Central Florida on its Way to Kennedy passing just North of Tampa and Over Orlando. It was a rare event a shuttles have landed at Kennedy Only eight times before and generally come in from the North. The Mission was to have ended wednesday after eight Days but Nasa added a ninth Day for More experiments a Only the fourth time a shuttle flight has been prolonged for scientific purposes. The six Man one woman Crew began orbiting March 24. The shuttle was launched one Day late because of Hydrogen and oxygen leaks in the engine compartment during fueling. Officials then determined the leaks posed no threat. There were other minor problems. Two of the 13 instruments used in experiments were knocked out because of blown fuses. The environmental research expedition a the first in 46 shuttle flights a was the first of perhaps 10 atmospheric Laboratory missions planned for the next decade. Scientists want to measure Earth a deteriorating Ozone layer and other parts of the atmosphere during an 11-year solar Cycle the period from one Peak solar activity to the next. Scientists were thrilled with the data that was gathered. A a it a difficult to express How elated the whole team is. Its probably been one of nasal a most successful missions a Douglas Torr principal investigator for one of the atmospheric research instruments said wednesday. The astronauts lost their favorite Experiment last thursday when a blown be knocked out an Electron beam gun. The gun had generated 60 artificial auroras in night blues Over the Southern hemisphere and twice sent radio Waves to students equipped with special receivers. Cheney from Page 1 nation. A senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the plans represent a significant change in the number and Structure of the former soviet forces which have been estimated to Range from 2.5 million to 3 million members. The reformed russian military will have a a heavy civilian contingent and a a total size. Between 1.2 and 1.3 million personnel. That a smaller than what we be heard previously a the official said. Grachev emphasized that the rebuilt russian Force a will not have the kind of strike capability. The old soviet military had a the official said. To emphasize the military a defensive nature Grachev said the Force will be a evenly distributed around the Republic a so no neighbor will Feci threatened a and reduce the ability a to go on the offensive on Short notice a the official said. The russians also plan to use a a defensive doctrine As opposed to the kind of offensive capability that has been a hallmark of soviet strategic thinking in the past a the official added. The announcement is a marked change for the russians. They had emphasized putting the armed forces under the umbrella of the Commonwealth of Independent states the Loose federation of former soviet republics that was formed in the Wake of the dissolution of the soviet Union. A a they re clearly embarked now on a course of action establishing their own defense ministry a the official said. Also remarkable was Gracheva a openness the official said. Soviet military officers a have never been precise about the True size of their military nor had there been any indication about Yeltsin a plans since he declared himself defense minister of Russia. Grachev offered no schedule for the reductions but the official said he expected the transformation to take a a couple of years a at least. Some of the changes appear to have been forced on Tje russians by their dire economic problems As Well As the Sharp increase in the number of draft dodgers the official said. In his discussion Grachev did not raise the Issue of strategic nuclear weapons Gotti from Page 1 Gleeson told the jury. Gotti revealed in the role. He dressed in $1,800 designer suits with hand painted silk ties was Host of an annual fourth of july blast with illegal fireworks and walked away three times when the government brought him to trial in 1986, 1987 and 1990. He was As Likely to appear on the front Page of the tabloids As he was in the a venite social club his favored hangout in Little Italy an Andy Warhol painting of Gotti appeared on the cover of time Magazine and the Media dubbed him the a Dapper done or referring to his ability to sned criminal charges the a Teflon  but prosecutors presented a different picture of Gotti a cold blooded killer who had underlings do the dirty work for him. A murder plays a Central role in the business of this Enterprise. It is the Way in which discipline was maintained. Its the Way in which Power was obtained a Gleeson said in his summation. A murder is the heart and soul of this  Gotti and top lieutenant Locascio were charged with murder murder conspiracy illegal gambling loan sharking obstruction of Justice bribery of a Public official and tax fraud. Much of the trials drama entered on the showdown Between Gotti and Grava no. Gottis most trusted aide Cut a Deal to testify against his former mates. Gravano spent nine Days on the witness stand detailing a lifetime of murder and mayhem a much of it ordered by Gotti he said. Fri bugs planted in gottis hangouts a opened a windows into the Gambino family Gravano a opened the door a Gleeson said. The defense presented two different villains Gravano a psychotic killer who admitted to 19 murders and an ambitious prosecutor Al team that would Stop at nothing to convict Gotti. Gravano a knows and believes that he has this valuable product to sell., John gottis head on a Silver Platter a said defense attorney Albert Krieger. Gravano a Stocky Man with slicked Back hair and a Broad Flat face testified under Gotti s withering Glare. In a soft slightly hoarse voice the 47-year-old Man told of taking the mafias solemn oath of silence or  he went on to break it providing a spellbinding narrative of How gottis henchmen shot Castellano and Bilotti. Gravano said he and Gotti watched from a car parked a Block away a Tommy Bilotti squatted Down to look through the window. He was actually watching Paul get  j a few moments later he and Gotti the official said. Those weapons supposedly Are a Cis responsibility. However the senior official said the discussions left the americans with the impression the Cis a will Start to serve a very useful purpose As a transition device and that the remnants of the former soviet military Force a will be Republic based a reflecting the political Structure now emerging. A second official who also spoke privately said the announced moves would amount to a a significant reduction Over the Force the americans feared the russians might be contemplating but it still leaves the Republic of 150 million with a a lethal highly Mobile and sophisticated a but defensive a military  while some of the other states Are also expected to establish Independent forces their total forces Are not expected to amount to several Hundred thousand men. Grachev also told Cheney that russian draftees will have to serve Only 18 months instead of 24, the official said. That is another measure of a reduced military posture since the Cut in time served reduces the number of trained troops available at any Given time. Drove by to see Bilotti a body sprawled on the Street. A we pulled up. I told John he was gone a Gravano said. During the 10-week trial the Federal court jury heard hours of tapes made at gottis twin Headquarters the Bergin Hunt and fish club in Queens and the Ravenitz social club. The tapes prosecutors said showed Gotti talking about the daily business of the Gambino crime family including murder gambling and labor corruption a december 1989 tape captured this Exchange Between Gotti Ana Locascio about a Gambino Soldier who later turned up dead a a he a going to die because he refused to come in when i called. He did no to do nothing else wrong Quot Gotti said. The jurors remained Anonymous and sequestered at an undisclosed hotel throughout the trial because of allegations of jury tampering in other Gotti and Gambino family trials. The trial was the fourth for Gotti in the past six years. A 1986 assault Case was dismissed when the complaining witness declined to identify Gotti. The following year he was acquitted in a Federal racketeering Case. Prosecutors now allege that Gotti approved a $60,000 payoff to a juror to assure his acquittal. Gotti was again found innocent in 1990 of conspiracy and assault in the shooting of a Union official