October 1986

10/1/86

Pik Botha has been calling US senators trying to get them to sustain veto, by promising wheat purchases
-(Later): SA now threatening to cut off US grain sales to SA and as much of southern Af as they control the transport of

Br Labour’s annual conf voted to phase out nuclear power

Richard Lugar claims Pik Botha’s actions an unpardonable intrusion! SA must feel it has little to lose

There will be a sort of non-summit summit at Iceland of all places. Will inc discussion of Afghan. by Russian consent

A woman whose baby died after 1 mo charged for taking drugs when pregnant. The bad news is that it could give doctors’ advice the force of law


10/2/86

Sen. overrode RR SA veto 78-21

The Amer. ambassador to Br showed up at Labour conf to say that Labour’s stand on nuke would strain the alliance. Labour not thrilled at interference

Br Libs will allow nuclear weapons until the Polaris goes out of date. This lessens their ability to take the economically moderate unilateralists & CNDers from Labour

Food airlift can’t get into s. Sudan because the Sudanese People’s Lib Army might shoot it down


10/3/86

Jesse Jackson told the ambassador-designate to SA not to go

Many of current nominees to judgeships are law professors--who have committed themselves on issues

Admin had a deception campaign against Libya designed to make Qadafi think he was about to be overthrown or attacked
Shultz: “Frankly, I don’t have any problems with a little psychological warfare against Qaddafi.”

This use of leaks is combined w/actions against reporters & a new FBI team to check leaks

Finland will ban manufacture & sales of war toys (Sw. did so 10 yrs ago)


10/6/86

FBI will seek the leaker of story on Libya--it “hurt” admin’s credibility w/news organizs

Perez de Cuéllar will probably be reeled UN Sec Gen

A Russian nuke sub has caught fire & sunk


10/7/86

Marcos plans to sue Philippines in US court for $10m for seizing his property, keeping him in Hawaii, defaming his rep

Nicaragua shot down a cargo plane to the Contras, inc 3 Amers., 2 dead, 1 captured. Elliott Abrams says they were priv, not military

Coupla yrs back, Cuba ended negotiations on pol prisoners when US started Radio Marti. Last yr, Cuba proposed would start up a middle-wave radio into all US in exchange, & US refused

The NLRB said a company can dismiss an employee for whistleblowing

A new party has been est--illegally--in Taiwan

Franz Josef Strauss of Bavaria has decided that the Christian Social Union of Bavaria will not have a common platform w/Christ. Dems. Believes Kohl watered down his program to keep Free Dems in. Will Kohl be able to keep the liberal Free Dems when Strauss so obviously wants a great share of gov?


10/8/86

RR seems to have linked summit progress w/Soviet human rights progress

I wish RR would stop referring to Amers. fighting Nicaragua in terms like the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

Bernard Kalb resigned from State Dept in protest of disinformation against Libya

The drug bill passed House--inc death sentence

Indonesia executed 9 CPs from 1965 uprising


10/11/86

PLO moving its military hq from Tunis to Yemen & Iraq (reflecting isolation in Arab world?)

SA will repatriate Mozambicans in response to cross-border raids

The plane shot down over Nicaragua linked to Southern Air Transport, formerly owned by CIA

RR blames drugs on liberal judges

SA banned foreign financing for UDF


10/12/86

Christopher Colombus was probably Jewish

The Iceland summit failed miserably because of Star Wars. Had allegedly been quite close to a real agreement. Now a future summit unlikely. RR had proposed postponing Star Wars implementation 10 yrs & elimination of all ballistic missiles


10/14/86

Local parl elections Bavaria. Christ. Soc Union 55.9%, a slight drop, SDP dropped to 27.4% from 31.9 in 1982. Greens up to 7.5, above 5% threshold 1st time, Free Dems down to 3.9. Far-right, racist & possibly neo-Nazi Republican party 3%

Shultz & RR have been talking about how wonderful SDI was to bring USSR to conf table--of course Russia linked all agreements to SDI, probably to get the result they did.
-Shultz: “at least a key reason why it was possible to reach such sweeping potential agreements was the very fact of SDI’s vigorous presence.”

The # of rockets fired into n. Israel last 6 mos greater than in 6 mos before the 1982 invasion

Gorbachev says why would you need defenses if missiles eliminated? RR: cheating, accidents, attacks by 3rd countries

Nelson Mandela, when arrested 1962, was going to meet with the CIA, who instead tipped off the police

The Contras took full responsibility for the C-123 shot down over Nicaragua, but then they would, wouldn’t they?
-US thinks the American captured shouldn’t be tried by a people’s tribunal

Francois Mitterrand says will probably (read definitely) not run in 1988 elections


10/15/86

An anti-immigration bill passed House: amnesty, fines for employers

Russia’s package from the summit of arms proposals are still open at Geneva

Sup Court was given a statistical (racial) argument against death penalty. The response could be interesting...

Elliott Abrams considers it a violation of privacy to find out what side people actively support in Cent. America (i.e., aid to Contras). Cites Tocqueville’s comment on Americans’ ability to band together w/out the government, to giggles from Congress

ACLU has started a campaign to get Meese to resign or be fired or quit fucking w/the Const. First such campaign since Nixon. They quote him, “If a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.”

Salvador Laurel’s party will find its own candidate in 1987 Philippines elections. Hasn’t decided whether to support the proposed const in a Jan. referendum, which would give Mrs Aquino a 6-yr term, which I guess he wants

Bangladesh rigged its election

RR admin has evidently decided that the summit was, really it was, a success, because of next mo’s elections


10/16/86

The immigration bill’s amnesty is for those who entered US before Jan82. Employers will have to ask it of all workers. Amnesty only applies to Eng-speakers who know US history

The Belgian PM offered his resignation over a language dispute. I guess it won’t be accepted

Russia sayeth any missile agreement must inc all; no separate deal on intermediate

A S Korean opposition leader arrested for remarks made in Parl: said policy shouldn’t be anti-communism but reunification


10/17/86

Congress outlawed mandatory retirement

An Israeli on a bombing mission in Lebanon was shot down & is held by the Shiite Amal Militia--Israel says he should be returned now & Amal responsible for his safety. The word chutzpah seems applicable

SA deauthorized a 50-yr old township of 10,000, who must move

Belg gov resignation not accepted


10/18/86

Russians can’t seem to make up their minds over whether medium-range missiles are linked w/SDI in negotiations

George Bush last week denied any connection to Contras before he was accused of it.

Various arguments have kept the Israeli rotation of PMs from occurring

Alexander Cockburn: “If ever a country deserved rape, it’s Afghanistan.”


10/20/86

President of Mozambique & 2 cabinet ministers d. in plane crash

GM to pull out of SA. Shell might

Shamir finally sworn in, allah help us. Immediately announced would promote settlements in W Bank


10/21/86

RR: Star Wars is peaceful technology, comparable to radar

In a Congressional amend to Pentagon budget, medical interviews can’t be used to expel AIDS patients from military

So US throws out 25 USSR UN diplomats, so Russia threw out 5 Amers., so US expels 55

Earlier this month, a land mine near the Mozanbican border had SA accusing Mozam. of letting ANC reest itself, evidently true although SA has been supporting Renamo (which had been kicked out of Malawi after it was threatened by Zambia & Zim.). Then SA expelled (or ordered it) 52,000 Mozambicans. The now dead prez of Mozam. was becoming discredited. Maputo could be used for sanctions-busting. Worse, Zim. is dependent on Moz. port of Beira

The official NYC traffic sign: “No parking. No standing. No stopping. No kidding.”

IBM also to leave SA


10/23/86

Mrs Aquino has been having trouble w/Juan Ponce Enrile, anti-communist defense minister, yet again

Abrams says Congress has been given info which allayed fears of US involvement in Contras, but press not entitled: “There are pieces of this puzzle missing from the public record. Members of Congress can find out what they are. The press can’t. You’re not entitled to know exactly what happened because this is classified information. You don’t represent the American people. Congress represents the American people.”

Hungary has the 1st bankruptcy law in Soviet bloc

Riots in Zimbabwe over alleged SA involvement in the death of Samora Machel. Inc anti-Malawi & US elements. The pilot, a Russian now in an SA hospital, thinks he may have been shot down

US has been using Saudi Arabia to fund Contras. Quid pro quo for getting them AWACs planes

Vatican (Jesuits) ordered a priest to destroy a survey on Cath American bishops showing discontent on official policies

Ed Meese says that Sup Court interps not the supreme law of the land & officials should be guided by their own views of the const. Only the particular parties are bound.

Aquino will soon set a deadline for rebels for cease-fire or full war. Enrile’s inf shows its ugly head


10/24/86

Last April, a Jordanian with Syrian sponsorship attempted to blow up an El Al jet at Heathrow. Today he was convicted in Br, which broke off relations w/Syria. US w/drew consul. Canada called back ambassador

RR said won’t pressure Kuwait to release 17 prisoners to get US hostages in Lebanon back

A Tenn. trial whereby fundamentalist parents protested teaching of “secular humanism”--Diary of Ann Frank, Wizard of Oz--found, god help us, for the plaintiff. So students can get out of any class

Bokassa. central Af Emperor, returned home to CAR & was jailed

Nationally, R’s outfundraising D’s 5 to 1


10/25/86

“Don’t hate--vegetate. Peace through TV.” -- Doe library elevator


10/28/86

Ave. income of Japanese is $17,000/yr vs. $16,000 US

Recent treaty on reporting of troop mvmts inc those which Russia might use against E bloc countries

Economist: Samora Machel’s death will probably make Mozambique subservient to SA. Makes it harder for Russia & Cuba to leave Angola, so SA has excuse to say in Namibia

The Mozambican resistance RENAMO dec war on Zimbabwe

This election is being fought on the issue of the death penalty in Calif. Californians want blood, as there seems to be a consensus. When businessmen wanted to get Rose Bird off the state Sup Court, they found ouf that the death penalty was the most popular thing they could use against her. This is a frightening thought.


10/29/86

Berkeley politics are fun. One candidate for mayor lists qualifs as “Five arrests, 1960s civil rights struggles. Imprisoned during Berkeley Free Speech Movement. Internationally discussed anti-Zionist author.”


10/30/86

Enrile addressed a rally of Marcos loyalists. Suggested gov was corrupt. Both he & Laurel seem to think she should run for prez again--the new const. would give her the term until 1992. Enrile thinks this gov. is unconst. Which is true

The PAC, Citizens for a Funnier Future will lobby to add a laugh track to C-SPAN coverage of Senate debates

ACLU seeks homosexual marriages

US has decided generously to give UN all of half what it owes

UN Gen Ass voted for a peace zone in the Atlantic with one negative vote. Guess.

Gold Fields of SA, which is trying to undercut the wage rate of the Chamber of Mines, is being struck

An Israeli nuclear technician, Mordecai Vanunu, who said that Israel has 100+ bombs, has disappeared, evidently seized in London a month ago & brought to Israel

There has been a revision of the Freedom of Info Act. Law enforcement agencies can w/hold documents prejudicial to current investigations

Br announced “voluntary” bans on invest in & tourism to SA

Russell Baker: “This is a year when few candidates are standing for anything except election.”