European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday May 12, 1992 the stars and stripes c Page 5laser project zapped from ski budget Washington a the a Ray laser the death beam weapon that gave president Reagan a 1983 strategic defense initiative its a Star wars nickname is officially dead after years of research and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. A Ray lasers powered by Hydrogen bomb explosions in space that would Flash intense beams of Light across hundreds of Miles were envisioned by their promoters As the ultimate weapon against a soviet nuclear missile attack. No a Ray laser weapon Ever was produced nor was its feasibility Ever established. The once secret project began heading toward extinction in the late 1980s. The ski organization the Pentagon Agency that runs the program has informed Congress that it will request no Money for research on the a Ray laser and related projects in 1993. Other less exotic ski work will continue. The ski office made no announcement of its decision to drop support for what it Calls a nuclear directed Energy weapons but an official confirmed that the defense departments $5 million investment this year was the last one  probably the end of ski investment in it a said maj. Carolyn Channave a in th1 stars Ani St hit s spokeswoman for the ski organization. The organization has spent s131 million on nuclear directed Energy since ski was created in 1985, according to its records. Most of the Money came from the Energy department whose Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California was working on the a Ray laser years before ski was created. The Energy department said that it spent $1.69 billion on nuclear directed Energy Between 1985 and 1992, but that it could not provide a figure for the a Ray laser alone because the sum is classified. The Peak year for . Investment in nuclear directed Energy weapons was 1987, when the Energy de Arment spent $317 million. It fell to $90.7 million in 991 and $67 million this year. In 1990, the Congress ended nuclear directed Energy financing As a separate item in the Energy departments budget but the department continued the work on a smaller scale by using general research funds. Even with Sdit a decision to drop the project the Energy department apparently will continue pursuing it but with no intention of developing it into an ski weapon. In Congi a a its 1993 budget request to Congress the department said a a greatly reduced a Ray laser program would be aimed at avoiding a technological surprised a an apparent reference to potential advances by russian scientists. Joanna Stancil of the Energy department said no officials were available to discuss the implications of the Pentagon a decision to end support for the a Ray laser. The Basic idea of the a Ray laser was to use the enormously destructive Energy released in a Hydrogen bomb explosion to drive intense beams of Light at soviet ballistic missiles. The a Ray laser itself was seen As operating from a a Battle station in space or from a submarine and would be popped into space in times of crisis. In his Book tellers War author William j. Broad wrote that the physicist Edward Teller oversold the a Ray lasers potential to the White House in the Early 1980s. Teller also claimed that the lasers potential could be proved by the end of the 1980s. Broad cited a december 1984 letter from Teller then director emeritus at the Livermore lab to presidential arms control adviser Paul Nitzsc. Teller wrote that a single a Ray laser weapon a could potentially shoot Down the entire soviet land based missile Force a a claim that never came close to being substantiated. 10 years ago May 12,1982 a a British warship fired on an Argentine vessel carrying supplies and possibly troops in Falkland sound a narrow stretch of water separating the two main islands in the disputed South Atlantic Colony. The defense ministry said an explosion was heard but there was no evidence that the vessel was hit. 20 years ago May 12,1972 a an army lieutenant colonel was killed and 13 people were injured when three bombs went off in rapid succession in the v corps Headquarters compound in Frankfurt Germany. 30 years ago May 12,1962 a the laotian defense ministry announced that its crumbling forces were withdrawing from Thouei Sai the last loyalist stronghold left in Northwestern Laos. An official communique said the troops were withdrawing toward the South. 40 years ago May 12,1952 a in Essen West Germany 30,000 communists rioted against the nation s impending military and political Alliance with the free world. One demonstrator was killed and scores were wounded by bullets or clubs when police attempted to break up the crowd. Police said the communists began the shooting. Worl 3 war50 years ago today 12 may1.9 .4 .2 Germany presses an a attack on the Crimea s kerch Peninsula on the Southern soviet front in preparation for a full scale summer offensive aimed at the caucasus Oil Fields the soviets renew an Effort to trap German troops near Kharkov. In Burma japanese troops Cross the Salween River and Advance toward Kingtung near the Eastern Border with China Mikhail s. Gorbachev congratulates graduate Anthony j. Prenni at Emory University commencement in Atlanta on monday. Gorbachev role in history hailed called Man who revitalized . Source 2194 Das of War. W h. Smith a ,�?~,1  inc. World almanac Book of world in t i b so Quot books corp. 1981 from wire reports United nations hundreds of . Staff officials and diplomats welcomed Mikhail Gorbachev a return to the world body monday hailing him As the Man who revived the United nations by ending the cold War. The throng packed into the Entrance of . Headquarters applauded when the former soviet president arrived for a meeting and lunch with Secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali. Gorbachev smiled and waved but did not make any Public comments As he entered hand in hand with his wife Raisa. Said Veteran . Arms control negotiator Max Kampelman a president Gorbachev a role in history will be major As having contributed to the strengthening of the United nations to the new joint efforts within the United nations to make it More determined to fulfil its  Gorbachev is in new York As a private citizen for three Days of meetings with diplomats and business leaders to drum up support for a new private think tank that he has headed since resigning the presidency in december. Earlier monday Gorbachev speaking at Emory universe tvs a graduation ceremony in Atlanta said that the worlds future lies in the hands of a global citizens educated to put world ecological health and Energy problems first on their agendas. In his commencement address Gorbachev said the selfishness of 20th-Century leaders has created world problems such As hunger pollution crime overpopulated cities and tensions Over Energy resources. A but we All live on the same Earth. It is our common Home a he said. A we must All give thought to its preservation. While we fight and quarrel with one another cracks Are appearing in its Walls and maybe even in its foundation. A but How is the a global citizens to emerge a Gorbachev said. A whence do we arrive at an ethic of the common Good like Many others i put my Hope in the educated younger generation. You Are Freer of stereotypes and More receptive to new ideas. From your ranks will emerge the formulators of policy in the 21st Century. A i Welcome among you future presidents and  Gorbachev warned of new problems in the world that Are the result of a a fatalism caused by a sense of powerlessness in the face of rapid political and technological changes. A fortunately the present generation of leaders of the great Powers had the Wisdom to overcome the logic of fatalism a said Gorbachev. A consequently they succeeded in preventing a slide into nuclear catastrophe they managed to end the cold War and halt the arms race. A but we Are still far from stability in the world. We have evaded a major War but As it appears Are sinking into a chaos of conflicts of a different