Major failures of command, intelligence and policy contributed to the vulnerability of Marine defenses in Beirut, according to a special Pentagon commission that investigated the October 23 truck bombing of the Marine compound that killed 241 Americans. The commission assigned direct blame for the inadequate security at the compound and the concentration of troops in one building to two Marine commanders in Beirut. The panel criticized the upper chain of command for failing to provide effective supervision.
Terrorism was likened to war by the Pentagon commission that investigated the truck bombing of the Marine compound in Beirut. Its report said the Marine unit “was not trained, organized, staffed or supported to deal effectively with the terrorist threat in Lebanon.” Moreover, the panel concluded that the United States armed forces are ill-equipped to combat terrorism.
The Arabs of Israel are aliens in their own land. As an Arab minority in a country threatened by an Arab majority in the region, they are the objects of suspicion, surveillance and official discrimination.
Yuri V. Andropov was absent again when the Soviet leadership assembled for the opening of the winter session of the Supreme Soviet, the nominal legislature. However, several developments during the day, including a television news show, reinforced indications that he remained the pre-eminent Soviet leader.
The Soviet leader has chastised Soviet citizens for creating economic bottlenecks, making extensive planning errors and failing to meet such longstanding targets as increased output of consumer goods. The unusually strong criticisms were contained in an address read in Mr. Andropov’s name.
The Soviet mission to the U.N. has the largest delegation and, by common consent, is one of the most successful. Over the years, Moscow has made adept use of the world body and is regarded by many as the single most powerful and influential member. In contrast, Moscow was weak and isolated in the first decade or so of the United Nations’ existence.
Three female anti-nuclear protesters broke into the U.S. Air Force base at Greenham Common, England, where cruise missiles are to be deployed, and scrawled slogans on classified documents and unfurled a peace banner from the control tower, the women said. In London, a Defense Ministry spokesman said three women were arrested at the base Tuesday night and released on bail, but he refused to give details. The women said they cut through the fence, raced across the airfield and climbed a fire escape into the control tower, where they remained for some time before turning themselves in.
The Polish Communist Party is planning a special national party conference in March to consider sweeping economic, social and foreign policy moves, Polish sources reported. It would be the first such gathering of party members since the beginning of 19 months of martial law that ended last July. During that period, an estimated 800,000 party activists turned in their membership cards, dropping party ranks to about 2.3 million out of a population of about 36 million. About 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference.
Extraordinary security measures apparently foiled plans by Afghani resistance fighters to stage a dramatic assault on the Soviet-occupied capital of Kabul this week, Western diplomats said in Pakistan. No major incidents were reported in Kabul and its outskirts Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the diplomats said. The Soviet-backed government of Babrak Karmal, however, put on a show of its own with thousands of demonstrators marching past the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to protest the U.S. invasion of Grenada, they said.
Pope John Paul II called today for a just solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Addressing 30,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Pope Paul VI Auditorium for his weekly general audience, he also cited the war between Iraq and Iran, the Lebanese conflict and the civil war in El Salvador.
A Philippine Airlines technician came out of hiding to testify in Manila that opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr. was not shot by the killer named by the military. Ramon Balang, 28, a ground engineer, told a special five-member commission that the alleged assassin, Rolando Galman, “was just standing there, smiling” when Aquino was gunned down at Manila airport August 21. “I do not think Galman had the opportunity to shoot Aquino,” Balang said. “His position and manner… made it difficult for him to shoot Aquino… He did not have a chance to fire a gun, I think.” The military has insisted that Galman, who was slain by soldiers immediately after the assassination, was a hired gunman and a Communist guerrilla leader.
Japanese Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe said he will consult with Western European nations about a possible easing of sanctions imposed on the Soviet Union after the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. “Japan and the Soviet Union are neighboring countries and it is very important for Japan’s diplomacy to maintain stable relations between the two countries,” Abe told a parliamentary committee. He said he would like Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko, who was last in Japan in 1976, to visit Tokyo.
A South Korean court fined an executive $11.3 million — the largest fine in that nation’s history — and sentenced former Transportation Minister Yoon Ja Joong, 54, to seven years in a bribery case. Yoon also was fined $102,000, the amount he allegedly received from the executive, Kim Chul Ho, in return for government favors. Kim, 44, chairman of the Myungsung Group that owns leisure properties, was sentenced to 15 years and fined $11.3 million for bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion and raising funds through falsified bank deposit certificates. Nineteen other defendants, including 10 former government officials, received terms from eight months to three years.
American troops will join South Korean units in a joint military exercise intended to symbolize President Reagan’s pledge to bolster American forces in Korea, the Defense Department said today. The exercise, named TEAM SPIRIT ’84, will involve the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force and will begin about February 1. In addition to troops already stationed in Korea, others will be flown in for the exercise to practice reinforcing South Korea, the Pentagon said. The exercise will also allow the American and South Korean forces to practice a new defensive doctrine, called “air-land battle,” that places greater emphasis on maneuvering for swift counterattacks, according to Pentagon officials. About 147,000 South Koreans and 60,000 Americans will take part, the statement said.
Thailand and Malaysia have begun major coordinated military assaults on Communist guerrillas based along their common border, a Thai military officer said today. About 2,000 Thai troops supported by artillery and helicopter gunships Tuesday surrounded three villages in Yala province, 525 miles south of Bangkok, the officer said. Malaysian troops conducted attacks from their side of the border to trap the insurgents, he said. He said the area is suspected to be the base of the 12th regiment of the Communist Party of Malaysia, with some 200 guerrillas operating from the base.
Nearly 150 million Africans could face famine in 1984 because of drought and other catastrophes, the head of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Africa said today. “The prediction is that the critical situation will get worse,” the commission’s executive secretary, Adebayo Adedeji, said at a news conference. The Nigerian economist said Africa’s economy expanded an average of only 0.2 percent in 1983, partly because of drought that resulted in some of the worst harvests in years. He listed the following countries as being threatened with famine in 1984: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
South African soldiers are battling Angolan troops as well as Namibian nationalist guerrillas in the latest South African strike into southern Angola, both sides say. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, which reflects Government policy, said today that the Angolans were providing sanctuary for the guerrillas instead of staying out of the way, as in the past. The broadcast editorial said that Angolan forces “have actually begun their own strikes against isolated South African units.”
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola said Tuesday in Luanda, the capital, that South African troops were attacking his forces, not seeking out guerrillas fighting for the independence of neighboring South-West Africa, also known as Namibia, as South Africa says. Mr. dos Santos said the South African forces were operating as deep as 120 miles inside Angola. In Washington, reports of direct clashes between Angolan and South African troops prompted the State Department to declare its concern Tuesday and call for acceptance of South Africa’s offer to withdraw from southern Angola on January 31.
The fatal explosion that devastated a 16-block area of Buffalo, New York Tuesday night was caused by propane stored illegally in a warehouse, fire officials said today. The blast killed 6 people, including 5 firefighters, and injured more than 70 others. “It has been determined that it was propane, and that the tank was illegal,” Fire Commissioner Fred D. Langdon said. “Two of the employees said they dropped the tank from the forklift and knocked the top off.” The two employees, who fled the building moments before the explosion and shouted a warning, were hospitalized in serious condition with extensive burns. They worked for the Chimera Radiator Company, according to the authorities. The company, which repairs automobile radiators, did not have a permit to store flammable chemicals at the warehouse, the Fire Commissioner said.
George McGovern would withdraw the marines from Lebanon and take a tougher stand toward Israel on its settlement policy if elected President. In an interview, Mr. McGovern said he favored slashing military spending, a one-year moratorium on missile deployment in Western Europe and elimination of the MX missile and the B-1 bomber.
President Reagan is in Los Angeles for the Christmas Holiday.
A moratorium on the acquisition of National Park Service land is being ended by William P. Clark, the new Interior Secretary. He said he had asked for $150 million for purchasing park land, as well as wetlands and land for wildlife refuges. The request, he said, has been approved by President Reagan.
Automatic cost-of-living increases allowed to federal employees who receive Government pensions exceeding a certain amount, such as $10,000 a year, would be substantially reduced under a budget proposal being prepared by the Reagan Administration. The proposal is designed to control the cost of the Civil Service Retirement System, which, with outlays of $20.8 billion last year, was the federal government’s fourth biggest benefit program.
Nearly 40% of the schools that teach health professions could be barred from a $246-million federal student loan program because they have not met the Reagan Administration’s tougher loan-collection standard. The Health and Human Services Department said it has placed 123 of the nation’s 310 accredited schools in the program on probation and ordered them to meet the standard by January 1 or be suspended. The program provides money directly to the schools on a 9-1 matching basis. Under the new standard, adopted in June, schools are supposed to lower their delinquency rates to 5% of all dollars owed.
FBI Director William H. Webster has transferred the head of the FBI’s Washington field office to Portland, Oregon, for discussing with a reporter the bureau’s plan to use lie detector tests in investigating how President Reagan’s campaign aides obtained documents from the Carter White House during the 1980 presidential race, the Washington Post said. Theodore M. Gardner, head of the 450-agent Washington office, will be replaced by Norman A. Zigrossi, who now heads the FBI’s San Diego office, the newspaper said.
Riverside General Hospital officials said today that they had reluctantly delayed plans to discharge Elizabeth Bouvia, a paralyzed, 26-year-old woman who says she wants to die, because they can find no one willing to accept her. The State Court of Appeal for the Fourth District gave the go-ahead later for the hospital to discharge Mrs. Bouvia. The court said it would not consider a petition from her lawyers that sought to block the discharge and to halt force-feeding of her, according to a deputy court clerk, Helen Bradberry. As a result, a standoff continued in the fight over the fate of Mrs. Bouvia, who refuses to leave the hospital and is being fed against her will. At a news conference today, Dr. Habeeb Bacchus, the acting medical director, asserted that Mrs. Bouvia had a “diabolical” hunger for notoriety and did not really want to die.
A federal judge in Chicago ordered Eastern Airlines to reinstate with back pay and benefits transsexual pilot Karen F. Ulane, who was fired in 1981 by the airline after her 1980 sex-change operation. U.S. District Judge John F. Grady said the airline violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it refused to reassign Ulane. Ulane, 41, worked as a pilot for Eastern for 12 years after flying combat transport missions in Vietnam. The airline said it will appeal.
Tooth decay rates among American children have dropped sharply due primarily to fluoridated water and protective sealants that can be painted directly onto teeth, a four-year study shows. Harry Bohannan, director of the National Preventive Dentistry Demonstration Program, said the study examined 30,000 children from 5 to 14 years old in 10 communities across the country. “There is far less dental decay in the young people of this country today than even 10 years ago,” he said.
The Hyatt Corp. has sued the designers and builders of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City for $4 million in a lawsuit that contends they were negligent in the construction of the hotel skywalks, which collapsed and killed 114 persons July 17, 1981. Hyatt Corp. named 11 firms and one individual in the suit. Meanwhile, a survivor of the tragedy — Sally Firestone, who was left a quadriplegic — agreed to a $2.25-million reduction in the $15million judgment awarded her by a jury. Prosecutors have completed their investigation of the incident without finding enough evidence to file criminal charges.
An estimated 10,000 people in California were asked to evacuate their homes tonight after a gas company supplier mistakenly pumped hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas byproduct, into a natural gas pipeline, a utility spokesman said. Residents of Buellton, Santa Ynez, Ballard and Los Olivas were warned by the authorities to extinguish pilot lights on natural gas appliances and leave their homes, said Steve Baer, spokesman for the Southern California Gas Company. The utility advised residents to find other accommodations for the night at the expense of the company. The incident occurred about 5 P.M. as Exxon Corporation workers fired up a natural gas processing plant in Las Flores Canyon, along the Pacific Coast about 25 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. The plant is about eight miles west of President Reagan’s ranch complex.
The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith announced a high school curriculum using the works of writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, comedian Lenny Bruce and others to teach about the Nazi Holocaust, which killed millions of Jews. The curriculum, “The Holocaust and Genocide: A Search for Conscience,” was developed and tested over six years under the auspices of the New Jersey Department of Education and the Anti-Defamation League. The curriculum is in use throughout New Jersey and is being made available nationally.
Long- distance telephone service was disrupted between the Midwest and the East Coast for about five hours today after a major cable was severed. Teletype communications in much of Michigan were also knocked out when a contractor using a backhoe near Bremen, Indiana, severed the cable at 2:04 P.M., central standard time, said Mike Pruyn, a spokesman for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. About 43,000 circuits were affected. All were working again by 7:14 P.M., Mr. Pruyn said.
The actress Jodie Foster was charged by the state police today with possessing a small amount of cocaine at Logan International Airport last week, a spokesman for the District Attorney said. Notice of the misdemeanor complaint was sent to the actress in California, said David Rodman, a spokesman for Newman Flanagan, the Suffolk County District Attorney. Customs officials stopped Miss Foster at the airport December 19 and found her carrying a small amount of a white substance. They said she admitted the substance was cocaine and paid a $100 fine.
Ling-Ling, America’s female giant panda, has nearly recovered from a kidney infection that veterinarians feared would kill her just two weeks ago, National Zoo officials said in Washington. Zoo spokeswoman Leslie Hornig said Ling-Ling’s prospects for a complete recovery “look good, although she is still slightly anemic.” LingLing and her male companion, Hsing-Hsing, were given to the United States by the People’s Republic of China in 1972 during a visit by President Richard M. Nixon.
Long-distance care of elderly relatives has become a part of the lives of growing numbers of Americans. The main reason for the trend is increasing life expectancy.
Storms flung snow, sleet, freezing rain and tornadoes around the country, raising to more than 380 the number of deaths attributed to severe weather and crippling some cities with traffic tie-ups.
72nd Davis Cup: Australia beats Sweden in Melbourne (3-2).
Free-agent outfielder Warren Cromartie signs a reported 3-year, $2.5 million contract to play for Japan’s Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. The 30-year-old Cromartie, who hit .278 for the Expos last season, is the best American player to jump to Japan while still in his prime.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1263.21 (-0.50).
Born:
Sinorice Moss, NFL wide receiver (NFL Champions, Super Bowl 42, 2007; New York Giants), brother of NFL receiver Santana Moss, in Miami, Florida.
Steve Vallos, NFL guard (Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos), in Youngstown, Ohio.
Died:
Dennis Wilson, 39, American drummer and singer (Beach Boys), by drowning.
William Demarest, 91, American actor (“My 3 Sons”), from pneumonia and prostate cancer.
Jimmy Demaret, 73, American golfer (U.S. Masters champion, 1940, 1947, 1950), of a heart attack.
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