European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 9, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5 travel paybacks minimal Gao says by the Baltimore Sun Washington a top Bush administration officials took dozens of personal or political trips aboard military aircraft that Cost the taxpayers nearly $775,000, but the government was repaid Only $61,585, the general accounting office reported tuesday. According to the report Cabinet level members of the administration took 35 trips that were purely political or personal in nature. They reimbursed the government at the rate of coach air fare plus $1 a a Small fraction of the True Cost which the Gao put at $774,330. Officials whose travel was examined by government auditors included Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii Treasury Secretary Nicholas f. Brady Energy Secretary James d. Watkins Secretary of housing and Urban development Jack f. Kemp Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan jr., then transportation Secretary Samuel k. Skinner and former White House chief of staff John h. Sununu. With a new hotly political focus on the Issue of government perquisites the in the stars and stripes 10years ago april 9,1982 a president Reagan promoting his development program for the struggling nations of the Caribbean said Cuba is on the Road to Quot serfdom Quot directed by masters in the kremlin.20 year Sago april 9,1972 a the survival of South Vietnam a surrounded 5th div and control of the Northwestern approaches to the capital City of Saigon appeared to be in the balance As communist and Saigon forces positioned themselves for a major Battle. 30years ago april 9,1962 a Havana radio announced that All prisoners in the abortive Bay of pigs invasion had been sentenced to 30 years in prison at hard labor or until they could pay indemnity of $62 million. 40years ago april 9,1952 a a spokesman said the White House had received no information concerning a letter in which Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower reportedly asked for release from his nato command. World War ii 50 years ago today 9 april 19-4 2 Ayat the remaining 12,000 american and 64,000 filipino soldiers on Luzon the Philippines main Island surrender thousands will die in a 70-mile walk to prison that will become known As the a Bataan death  in the Indian Ocean japanese naval planes cause extensive damage to the port at Trincomalee in Eastern Ceylon and sink the Small Briti a Carrier Hermes at sea White House signalled tuesday a new willingness to cooperate with inquiries into presidential travel. Baker took the Lead in political damage control last week after a draft of the Gao report was leaked by announcing that he would Fly commercially on All personal trips in the future. He also promised to reimburse the government $38,453 for 11 personal trips on military aircraft. The Gao says the trips Cost the taxpayers $413,276. The White House followed suit by announcing that the Marine corps has been directed for the first time to tabulate and release the Cost of operating the special helicopter unit that provides the presidential entourage with Short Range travel. The administration has also agreed to cooperate with a House civil service sub. Committee that is seeking a total figure for presidential travel and further information related to the Cost of White House personnel and operations. A a the conversation is better at least a said Robert Hall chief of staff for the subcommittee headed by rep. Paul e. Kanjorski a Penn. Last week the White House refused to Send witnesses to testify at a hearing before Kanjorski a panel contending that the lawmaker was staging a partisan sideshow to draw attention from the House Bank scandal. White House spokesmen also insisted that the travel information was too difficult to cull out of numerous Agency budgets. Meanwhile another Independent audit released tuesday cited More private trips for which Sununu used government vehicles without paying for the use of them. Sununu who was ousted last december As a result of the controversy that began with his travel was forced to reimburse the government monday an additional $4,242.80 for the use of chauffeured cars As Well As military aircraft. His total reimbursement for personal travel on the government Tab some of which Sununu still contends was official business now amounts to $5,439.30, according to figures supplied by the White House and the Gao. Controversy that began nearly a year ago Over Sununu a travel touched off both audits released tuesday. Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii. Says he will Fly commercially. Cars can attain better Gas mileage without big safety risks study says Washington a cars might be made significantly More fuel efficient without greatly increasing safety risks associated with reducing their weight and size a research panel said tuesday. A report by a committee of the private National research Council said that there probably would be a safety Cost in improving fuel Economy but that the Impact might be Small since the improvements would a entail no More than a 0 percent reduction in weight on the  it added that a improved vehicle design and safety technology could offset the safety effects of weight  however the report also said that Al though it is a technically achievable to produce a new car Fleet with an average fuel Economy of Between 34 and 37 Miles per gallon by 2006, it still May not be practical to do so. A potential benefits include the conservation of resources enhanced National Security As Well As environmental payoffs a the report said. A costs could include higher Price tags on new vehicles negative impacts to the automotive Industry and its employees and decreased safety a the report said. Moved to action by the 1973 Oil embargo a Congress in 1975 set standards for average fuel Economy. Currently cars built Ana sold in the United states must achieve an average of 27.5 mpg. For Light trucks the required average is 20.2 mpg. That average is double what it was 17 years ago. But in the aftermath of the Oil scare caused by the persian Gulf War efforts have grown on Capitol Hill to increase standards by As much As 50 percent. Safety has been the Issue with Many Auto and insurance industries contending that improved fuel Economy can be achieved Only by making cars smaller and lighter a and More dangerous. The report acknowledged that in certain crashes a when a car runs into a Telephone pole for example a a weight reduction can potentially reduce  Parks endangered by problems besetting Agency panel finds source 2194 Days of War w h Smith a publishers inc. World almanac Book of world War ii Bison books corp .1901 Washington a the National Park service is so hampered by outside political pressures and internal squabbling that it soon May be unable to protect some of the country a most prize natural resources a special panel concludes. The panel in a report being presented to the Interior department said the Park service faces serious morale problems among its 12,000 employees intense political pressures and Money shortages while having to manage an Ever More Complex Park system. Because of almost constant political pressure from Congress the Parent Interior department and outside interest groups the a ability of the National Park service to achieve the most fundamental aspects of its missions has been compromised a the panels 55-Page study said. The report assembled by a 14-member panel of Park service officials academics and conservationists was commissioned last year after hundreds of employees As Well As outsiders voiced concern about the Agency a leadership and future. The Park service which has an annual budget of $1.4 billion is charged with operating and protecting More than 350 National Parks historic Sites monuments battlefields and other properties. The panel said that although Park service employees Are dedicated some Are poorly trained especially in  areas and the Agency As a whole is suffering from a eroding  Mike Hayden the assistant Interior Secretary who oversees the Park service or d in a statement that efforts Are under Way to address Many of the concerns raised by the panel. He characterized Many of them As a historic problems that have plagued the Agency for decades. Some non government experts familiar with the report however questioned whether the problems can be resolved As Long As it remains under the Interior department. In a separate report Interior department auditors said the Park service faces an estimated $1.8 billion in maintenance needs throughout its Park system. As a result of the backlog some Park roads and employee housing have not been adequately maintained a and some historical Sites had to be closed to visitors until critical repairs could be achieved a said the report by the Interior departments inspector general a office. The Park service has spent about $1 billion on major repair projects in recent  into checks May Trace Money from wire reports Washington the special counsel who is conducting a preliminary inquiry into possible criminal wrongdoing at the House Bank said tuesday that he May examine How lawmakers spent the Money they overdraw from their accounts. The comments from former Federal judge Malcolm r. Wilkey suggested that he intended to pursue a More aggressive investigation than the House ethics committee did. An investigation of How members spent their overdrawn Money could Lead to More serious violations than knowingly writing bad checks. Criminal lawyers have said that House members writing of overdrafts May not be illegal because of the Bank s Sloppy records and its policy of honouring overdrawn checks. But they have suggested that if any Money was use for improper p purposes those who passed such checks May be liable. More than a third of House members have challenged the committees count of their bad checks and the panel considered their appeals tuesday before preparing a Public list of overdrafts