Page 14-hursday, Mayi4, 1981-The Michigan Daily
SENATE DEMS OFFER COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSALS
Anti-crime package urged

From AP and UPI
Claiming that criminals are waging and winning a
war against Americans, about a dozen Senate
Democrats asked President Reagan yesterday to
make fighting crime his No. 2 priority - right behind
his economic program.
The senators, most of them Southern conser-
vatives, told the president they had developed a
package of about 25 anti-crime bills they hope he will
support. They said after the meeting Reagan ap-
peared sympathetic and concerned but gave- no
commitment of support.
THE PRESIDENT MET WITH 13 Democratic
senators for an hour concerning the package that in-
cludes mandatory life sentences for violent career
criminals and would add five years to sentences for
crimes using handguns.
The legislative package also would allow the Inter-
nal Revenue Service to resume collaboration with the
FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration, and
repeal the ban against using U.S. money to spray
herbicides; such as paraquat, on drug crops in
foreign countries.
Another provision*would permit the armed services

to render "limited but important" help to civilian
drug enforcement agencies.
TWO OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL issues
that usually arise in debates about crime - the death
penalty and gun control - were not addressed by the
group.
"I can assure you of cooperation on our end . .
Wherever the federal government can help, I will say
'yes,' " acting White House press secretary Larry
Speakes quoted Reagan as saying.
But Speakes said Reagan cautioned the senators
against invading states' rights in the area of criminal
law and told them: "All law enforcement in the world
could not stop crime unless the people want it,"
Reagan said he would try to mobilize people against
crime, Speakes said.
SEN SAM NUNN (D-Ga.) said the group told
Reagan there is unique bipartisan support in both
houses of Congress on issues of national defense and
"we felt that same support could be built for domestic
defense."
In a letter presented to Reagan, the senators said,
"The criminal element in our society is literally
waging a war on the American people - and is win-

ning."
"Crime, and particularly violent crime, has
reached epidemic proportions in the United States
and is spreading like a cancer across our nation," the
letter said. "Organized crime flourishes.
Nunn said the legislative proposals for which the
group sought Reagan's support include provisions
that would:
" Establish mandatory life sentences for thrice-
convicted felons.
" Establisl an additional five-year sentence for
using a handgun to commit a federal felony.
" Increase penalties for bribes, payoffs, and kick-
backs.
" Repeal a law prohibiting aid to countries that
spray marijuana crops with the heribicide paraquat.
" Permit the military to share intelligence with
domestic law enforcement agencies.
" Increase protection for federal witnesses, infor-
mants and law enforcement personnel and their
families.
" Provide for suspension of labor union officials
immediately upon their conviction for racketeering
or other crimes linked to their union positions.

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U.S. searches
From APandUPI THE SOVIET UNION delivered the
WASHINGTON - The White House protest to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
denounced as "absurd" Soviet charges over what it called the "criminal and
that the United States engaged in "in- barbaric act conducted by the
ternational terrorism" when it seized American authorities." It charged that'
three crates of radiation detection "terrorism and gangsterism have been
equipment from an Aeroflot jetliner elevated in the United States to the
about to take off for Moscow. status of official policy."
"The Soviet government sets forth a As the White House and State Depar-
decisive protest to the U.S. government tment sought to brush off the Soviet
concerning this criminal and barbaric complaints, U.S. Customs agents said
act conducted by the American they were still investigating "to deter-
authorities," a Soviet note of protest mine whether any export laws were
said. violated." U.S. laws seek to prevent the

Soviet plane

export of militarily useful equipment.
STATE DEPARTMENT spokesman
Dean Fischer said customs officers
delayed the scheduled departure of the.
Moscow-bound Aeroflot flight 318 from
Dulles International Airport outside
Washington at 5:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday
because they "had reason to suspect
certain outbound cargo did not possess
a valid export license.".
The Customs Service said, "Acting on
information that the flight carried cer-
tain high technology related items, U.S.


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Customs and FBI agents boarded the
airliner and removed the instruments."
Acting White House press secretary
Larry Speakes said, "The goods were
held for examination. There was ab-
solutely so violation of diplomatic im-
munity. The search was carried out in
full conformity with international nor-
ms. There was no search of diplomatic
baggage or mail. No personal luggage
was opened. The plane's safety was
never jeopardized and at all times
Customs officials were accompanied by
one or more members of the Soviet
crew."
HOWEVER, SOVIET AND Aeroflot
spokesmen said 25 armed FBI agents
physically threatened the five Aeroflot
crew members to get them to leave the
plane and used knives to rip open
luggage which had been hurled to the
ground, including diplomatic baggage
which is supposed to be immune from
examination.
The Soviets said some of the luggage
was stolen and also said the American
agents tampered with the plane's cock-
pit equipment, posing a threat. But they
reported the plane landed safely in
Moscow.
Soviet officials called a news con-
ference in Washington to deny there
was any high technology equipment in
the three confiscated packages.
They said the packages contained
Aeroflot navigational equipment being
returned to Moscow after it was
repaired by the Norden Co.; eight non-
mechanical devices called dosimeters
for detecting radiation valued at $40
each; a railway encyclopedia, and
spare parts valued at $55 for machinery
the Fisher Control Co., of Marshaltown,
Iowa, had installed in a factory in
Odessa.
Valentin Kamenev, press officer of
the Soviet Embassy, answered
questions about the incident - in itself
a rare event.
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