Poe 4J-Tue'sday, July 28, 1981-The Michigan Daily
Senate inquiry into
Casey controversy to'
be 'thorough but quick'
WASHINGTON (AP)-A veteran
Watergate investigator yesterday
promised a "thorough but quickr
Senate inquiry into William Casey, as
new controversy erupted over the CIA
director's reported covert plan to top-
ple Libyan strongman Moammar
Khadafy.,
The investigator, Nashville attorney
Fred Thompson, began work yesterday
morning as special counsel in charge ofg
the Senate Intelligence Committee's
investigation of Casey's tangled past"
business dealings and management of'
the agency.
"I EXPECT it to be a thorough
inquiry but I hope it will be resolved in
the near future," Thompson said.
Deputy White House press secretary
Larry Speakes said -that President
Reagan hoped the questions about
Casey would be resolved shortly-"in
spite of Mr. Thompson's being retained
there."
"The president still has full confiden-
ce in Mr. Casey and hopes this matter
will be concluded shortly," Speakes Casey
said.
ALSO YESTERDAY, Senate In- ... submits evidence to committee
telligence Committee staff began H
reviewing 20-inch-high stacks of written House committee concern about the
material that Casey sent each commit- planned action prompted some mem-
tee member Sunday. Casey has said the hers to protest Casey's proposal in an
documents would lay to rest any doubts unusual letter to Reagan, the source
about his fitness to run the CIA. said.
A Republican source confirmed that NEWSWEEK magazine reported the
Casey recently presented the House In- covert operation was to include a
telligence Committee with a plan for a "disinformation" campaign to em-
CIA covert action to undermine barrass Khadafy, creation of a counter
Khadafy, whom President Reagan has government to challenge his leadership
accused of fomenting international and a paramilitary campaign.
terrorism. The magazine said the CIA's goal was
Khadafy's "ultimate" removal and
that House committee members read
WELCOME TO this as code for assassinating him. The
magazine said the committee members
DASCOLA STYLISTS mistrusted Casey's denial of any intent
0 4 Barbers to kill Khadafy.
" No Waiting One Republican source said there
was no indication Reagan decided to
Liberty off State.. 668-9529 call off or alter the covert action
East U. at So. U.....662-0354 because of the committee's criticism.
Arboriand.......971-9975 THE SOURCE added that the letter
Maple Vll-ge. 761-2733 to Reagan did not mention details of the
action or the nation involved.
In Brief
Compiled from Associated Press and
United Press International reports
Army may cut some weapons
programs to save money
WASHINGTON-Concerned about rising costs, senior Army officials are
taking a hard new look at possible slashes in some key weapons programs,
including the M-1 tank.
Despite the Reagan administration's readiness to boost defense spending,
these senior officials doubt an expanding Army can afford all the gear it
needs if it devotes much of its resources to buying very sophisticated, costly
equipment.
"The question is whether the additional expense (for such equipment) is
worth the additional capability," said Gen. Edward Meyer, Army chief of
staff.
He spoke specifically of the two most expensive new Army weapons-the
$2.5 million M-1 tank and the $1.2 million infantry fighting vehicle. Earlier
this year, the armored infantry fighting vehicle, from which troops could
shoot while moving across the battlefield, and the M-1 Abrams tank were
described by the Pentagon as "the leading edge of the Army's program for
modernizing its combat vehicle fleet."
Heart transplant patient
may escape brain damage.
HOUSTON-A retired bus driver who has lived on three different hear-
ts-including one man-made organ-in five days may have escaped brain
damage during the transplant, hospital officials said yesterday.
Although 36-year-old W.A. Meuffels of The Netherlands is responding to
some commands, doctors said he was still in critical condition yesterday,
one day after the artificial heart was replaced by a heart from a human
donor.
His new heart was beating strongly, officials said.
After the artificial heart was implanted Thursday, doctors worried about
the possibility of brain damage, since the heart failure which forced the
transplant of the plastic organ had interrupted the normal blood flow to his
brain.
Burning chemicals controlled
NEWARK, N.J.-Thousands of people were evacuated from businesses,
an airport terminal and a motel yesterday as a chemical pouring from a
punctured railroad car burned with flames 50 feet high and threatened an
explosion.
Nearby highways were closed for several hours, and the world's largest
container port was shut down until the threat of toxic fumes and an explosion
lessened.
Flights continued at nearby Newark International-Airport, but controllers
diverted planes around the fire, which was burning in an industrial area
near the airport.
Officials who evacuated a mile-wide area around the fire cautioned that
there was still some danger.
Doctors perform successful
surgery on unborn child
SAN FRANCISCO-Doctors here have performed the first successful
surgery on an unborn child, a medical milestone one member of the surgical
team called a "small step on the way to bigger things."
"For the first time, we can look at a disorder in a fetus the same way we
look at disorders in babies. Fetuses are becoming patients," pediatric
surgeon Michael Harrison said at a news conference yesterday, describing
the operation performed on Michael Skinner two weeks before his birth.
"This is clearly the first successful surgical intervention in utero," he
said.
The operation on Michael, now 2% months old, was complicated by the
risk to his twin sister, Mary, who was developing normally beside him.
Mexican officials turning
back California produce
SAN FRANCISCO-Mexican officials said yesterday they have started
turning back produce-laden trucks from California, calling the move a
necessary step in preventing the spread of a destructive fruit fly.
The extent of the ban was not clear. A statement from Jorge Gutierrez
Samperio, director of vegetable sanitation for the Agriculture Ministry, said
Mexico had banned the importation of produce from Santa Clara, San
Mateo, Alameda and Los Angeles counties.
However, the statement went on to say the step is "only a precautionary
measure to guarantee that fruits and vegetables produced in California do
not come into Mexico for the time being," leaving it uncertain whether
produce from other areas was being turned back as well. Los Angeles Coun-
ty has not been infested with the Mediterranean fruit fly.
LONG NECK BEERS
2 for 1
THE FALCONS