OPINION Page 6 The Michigan Daily Saturday, August 13, 1983 Seymour Hersh clears the air Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh was in Detroit Thursday night to appear on the television . program "PBS Latenight." The winner of more than a dozen major journalism awards, Hersh received the 1970 Pulitzer for his exposure of the My Lai massacre. He has written four books, including his most recent, The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House. Corruption in the means of power is the underlying theme of the controversial, - best- selling book. His career in journalism has taken Hersh to the AP, UPI, the New York Times, and currently, as national correspondent for the Atlantic magazine. Daily Opinion Page editor Bill Hanson spoke with Hersh about his book, U.S. foreign policy, American politics, and a hnt nf nther tnnie who so totally seems dependent on power. I don't think he gets an awful lot of gratification from any other major thing; power seems to be his thing, and I thought there was some justice that he was out of power. I knew he desperately wanted to get back in, but I really didn't think this administration would have him because of Reagan's conservative views. I was stunned when he came back in, and irritated - and mad, very angry. What does it take to keep somebody out of public office, you know, what does it take? Daily; What brought on Reagan's ap- pointing Kissinger as head of the Cen- tral American commission? Hersh: I think in part, Kissinger liked the idea. What brought it on (was that) Kissinger wanted in. I think there's no question, well among other things, that he was stung by my book, and I think that might have been one minor aspect - I don't think it was anything more than that - that made him take a job that's basically not a very good job. He's got a commission that he won't be able to control like he would have five years ago because everybody's much more on to him now, they're going to be much more sensitive to his manipulation, I think. So, I would say that Kissinger's basic asset right now is that he's definitely going to deliver what Reagan wants, and this has some use. If Reagan wants a tough report to show that the Russians are behind everything and it's all geopolitical - which is Kissinger's favorite word; one of his favorite words - Kissinger will Seymour Hersh won't take rap for telling truth about Kissinger. Daily: In the epilogue of The Price o Power you write that as of spring 1983 (Kissinger) had not rejoined the gover- nment, almost as if you knew someday he would, did you? Hersh: Oh, no. At the time I thought there was some justice - here's a man he Michigan Daily Vol. XCIII, No. 35-S 93 Years of Editorial Freedom Managed and Edited by students of The University of Michigan Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Editorial Board Nuclear Wargames FOR THOSE WHO THOUGHT the movie Wargames was nothing but Hollywood sensationalism, the recent alleged computer-crimes by at least 12 people only prove the drama is frighteningly realistic. Ranging in age from 15 to 22, a group of computer-whizzes had little trouble gaining access to the data banks of a nuclear weapons laboratory in New Mexico. Drawing inspiration from the movie Wargames, the group keyed into some of the most top secret military information in the United States. Like the young boy in Wargames, the group faces serious federal charges of threatening national security. More astoun- ding, however, is the ease with which the suspects could allegedly be privy to such vital information. The mad scramble to build up nuclear arsenals, as Wargames so astutely pointed out, is similar to playing a game of Tic Tac Toe. Intelligent, reasonable, thinking people learn early on that such a game is meaningless. Meaningless because neither in Tic c P nor n the arms build up can there ever be a winner. deliver. If Reagan is in trouble on the whole Central American issue by the spring of '84, in terms of the political elections, Kissinger will also deliver a kind of report that (Reagan) could use to sort of tiptoe out. (Kissinger's) a safe choice in that way - he's not going to give you anything you don't want. I mean that's one thing you know about Henry Kissinger - he's the ultimate toady. Nothing's going to be served by the commission, I don't think it's very important, except as a message to the Nicaraguans and El Salvadorans on the left, anyway, that the man who helped destroy the Allende government - and the man who's been, if anything, scathing in his denunciations of the significance of Latin America - is back in power. Daily: Kissinger's appointment seems rather ironic since, as you point out in your book, he once said he knows nothing about Central America and that what goes on there is of no importance. Hersh: Look, you understand what's going on in Central America is this: There's been no evidence,,and they've been able to produce nothing significant to show that the Russians have a terrifically strong interest in Central America - there's been nothing. If they'd had anything they would have shoved it in there, and look, I know a lot about the CIA and a lot about in- telligence. I haven't been writing about Central America but let me tell you something, I talk to people and there's nothing, there is nothing. What there is is a president who's decided that history is going to judge him by whether he stands up to communism in Central America. The Joint Chiefs of Staff don't want it; (Reagan's) CIA Director, Bill Casey wants it. But, see Bill Casey is not really the CIA Director he's also the campaign manager. I'm not saying this literally, I'm just telling you what my perception of reality is. Central America is seen as a political chance for Reagan, it's the chance for him to do what Margaret Thatcher did -- have a wonderful victory. It's his Falklands. He'd prefer to have the vic- tory without having to fight, but he's willing to fight if he has to. And if you understand that, you understand a great deal about what's going on, which is that they are politicizing what could be another military operation. It's really as blatant as that. Daily: Do you expect some direct U.S. involvement then? Hersh: Oh, I think it's inevitable. Daily: One of the most disturbing things in your book was how you point out that neither Kissinger's nor Nixon's memoirs make any mention of regret for the huge number of civilians killed in Vietnam, or Chile for that mat- ter... Hersh: Let me just tell you more. Nixon's been out of office nine years and Kissinger seven years, and I defy anybody who reads this to come forth with any evidence that either has ever said publicly at any point, or done any act, public or private, in support of the American Vet. Neither has ever, you know why? Because it's in the great American tradition - you mouth cer- tain things but you really don't give a goddamn about the people you send to fight wars. And now you have a president over 70 who wants to send more people to die . . . But neither Nixon or Kissinger has ever demon- strated any interest in the goddamned people who went and fought their war, never mind the Vietnamese who died; the innocent - remember that photograph of the little girl burning- never mind those, they're never coun- ted. And you know, it gets me angry - as the guy who wrote about My Lai, if it didn't get me angry there'd be something wrong with me. People ask me if I was objective about the war; you tell me anybody who can write about a group of GI's scared, terrified, dumb, ignorant - lining up 350 or 550 people and executing them - and not get mad for them for being as much vic- tims as the people they shot; and mad at the people who sent them to. war. How am I going to be dispassionate about that? Daily: Do you think there's a problem with that in the press today, not caring - See HERSH's, Page 7 I 4 A I A