Congressman Says Report Claims CIA Had Tip on Bomb
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I f r a li ilanrhpHlpr Saturday, Nov. 4,1989 Manchester, Conn. — A City of Village Charm Newsstand Price: 35 Cents Refugees flooding out Berlin eases rules to speed departures PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia (AP) — Private cars and at least two tour buses carrying East German refugees left the West German Embassy in Prague for the West laic Friday, an hour after authorities said they could go. The estimated 5,000 refugees who had jammed the mission since Wednesday shouted “Freedom! Freedom!” and flashed V-for-victory signs when West German diplomats said they could legally leave for the West by any means they like. West German officials said many of the East Germans in the embassy would depart on special trains that would begin leaving Prague’s Liben station Saturday noming. West Germany said the agreement was reached with East Germany, permitting the third such exodus from the West German mission in Prague in six weeks. The first private cars and two West German tour buses with about 100 people on board headed toward the West German border at midnight Friday, about an hour after the announcement. Scores of East Germans arriving fresh from their Com munist homeland turned up at the embassy astonished and happy to discover they could already leave. The Associated Press More than 12,0(X) East Germans had swarmed across the border into Czechoslovakia in the three days since WAITING — East German refugees sit on their beds at the West German Embassy in their government lifted a month-old ban on travel to the Prague Friday waiting for a chance to emigrate to the west. country, the only land East Germans may visit without prior permission. More than 2,000 East Germans flooded into the Prague mission on Friday alone, many voicing bitter dis Congressman says report appointment with promises of reform from a new Com munist leader at home. Harried diplomats tried to process the refugees. Thirty tents were erected and staircases filled with people to try claims CIA had tip on bomb to accommodate the influx. The overcrowding apparently forced the latest East declined to say why, indicating he might release copies German agreement to an exodus. Last month, two waves Suggests agency protected next week. of East German emigres left last month on special trains its informants over public The report claims the CIA had pinpointed the location from Prague through East Germany to West (3ermany. of the eight Americans held captive in Lebanon and The arrangement announced Friday apparently allows WASHINGTON (AP) — An Ohio congressman said several of its agents were on Right 103 along with the East Germans to go West without waiting for the Friday an insurance investigator’s report convinced him evidence that may have survived the explosion, Traficant cumbersome bureaucratic procedure of renouncing their the CIA had been tipped in advance that terrorists might said. East German citizenship through the East German Em The plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland last attempt to blow up Ran Am’s Right 103, but remained bassy in Prague. silent. December, and 259 people died. This would avoid clashes that ensued in October when Rep. James Traficant said the report concluded the “We have not seen the report Rep. Traficant has thousands of East Germans tried to board the rail cars CIA was “covering up a drug run,” protecting the ter described,” said CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield. “The going west as they passed through their Communist na allegations it makes, however, are nonsense.” rorists’ Frankfurt-to-New Yoric heroin route in exchange tion. for contacts that might lead to the release of American Traficant said the report detailed a complicated web of Fii<a Germany’s new leader Egon Krenz, who an hostages. plots and connections involving hostages, spys, bombers nounced sweeping reforms and the resignation of five The CIA immediately denied Traficant’s charges and and drug-runners. aging Politburo members in a national television address labeled the report as “nonsense.” The congressman said Among the claims in the report is that West German Friday nighu apparently was anxious to avoid more intelligence agents told CIA agents in Frankfurt about an he had not checked the report with the CIA in advance of clashes. his meeting with reporters. hour before Flight 103 departed that that they suspected a Traficant, a Democrat who ran a short-lived campaign bomb may have been enclosed in a specific suitcase, Krenz also appealed to his citizens to stay in their for presidenL read from what he said was a report Traficant said. Communist homeland, which has lost more than 70,000 prepared by an investigator hired by ftin Am’s insurance The report says CIA agents told their superiors in citizens fleeing through eastern Europe since August. underwriter. Another 101,000 East Germans have emigrated legally to He declined to make copies available to reporters and Please see FLIGHT, page 4 West Germany this year. g t • 111 Court employes Ship with 97 aboard a** f ' strike in search capsizes in typhoon ■■ fviOA] LOS ANGELES (AP) An oil drilling ship capsized during a typhoon in the Gulf of Thailand and rescuers of more security sought to learn if any of the 97 people aboard were alive, a spokesman for the owner, Unocal, said Friday. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Court employees crip No signs of life were apparent, although rescue efforts pled the judicial system Friday with their third strike of were hampered by 6-foot waves and 15 mph winds, said the anti-drug war, led by judges who want guns and bul Barry Lane, a spokesman for the Los Angeles-based oil letproof cars for protection from assassins hired by cocaine barons. V company. Ships and aircraft had been searching for the 351-foot A union of judges and court workers said this strike Seacrest, a F^amanian-registered vessel, following a had no time limit. The first strike lasted a week and the severe typhoon that swept through the area with 100-mph second three days. winds and 35-foot waves. Also on Friday, all 42 of Medellin’s federal judges an The ship was spotted with its bottom up by a Unocal nounced they were resigning, according to the Colom vessel Saturday morning, or about 5:20 p.m. PST, said bian radio network RCN. They had begun an indefinite Lane, who had received news of the sighting from Uno strike Thursday, demanding more protection from drug cal Thailand Ltd. officials in Bangkok. traffickers. “They’re in constant radio contact with our ships, The resignations arc not effective unless accepted by jj. ; planes and helicopters in the area,” Lane said. the Supreme Court, which usually docs not accept such The Unocal subsidiary had aircraft and ships searching cn masse actions. the area, which were joined by ships and aircraft of the Drug traffickers have killed three federal judges in Thai navy and air force. three months, one just before President Virgil io Barco A drilling rig mounted in the center of the ship, reach declared war on the cocaine cartels in August. They ing 60 feet or higher, was stacked with equipment and showed no sign Tuesday of casing a terror cinpaign there was concern the ship might have been too top- aimed at forcing the government to end extraditions to the United States. heavy to weather such a fierce storm. Lane said. The Associated Press “We expect to be putting some divers in the water to A car bomb exploded in Bogota shortly before mid night Thursday, killing four people, including a child. be looking at it, but I think they’re a little leery of that W INGING IT — Tony Kazin and his father Johnny Kazin, standing on one leg, practice their because of the weather conditions,” Lane said. Three other small bombs went off Thursday night and a Unocal officials said the crew included 67 Thai nation fourth was deactivated, Bogota police reported. wing walking on the wings of a Waco biplane over Bal Harbour, Fla. this week. als and 30 people from other nations. On Friday afternoon, two men on a motorcycle threw a Just before the typhoon hit, the Seacrest was in the homemade bomb at a clothing store in Medellin and a Platong field, located about 270 miles south of Bangkok, woman and child were cut by glass from windows shat and the crew was preparing to run casing into a recently tered by the explosion, police reported. They said the ter Bush throws his support drilled well, a statement from Unocal said. The well was rorists escaped and the victims were hospitalized in secured as the storm formed. stable condition. Unocal lost contact with the vessel about 12 hours No one claimed responsibility, but security forces as after the storm struck Thursday. sume the scores of explosions that began in August arc to congressional pay hike the work of the drug gangs. The 186 bombings reported The typhoon developed suddenly and the crew of the say the wounds are still too fresh to have killed 29 people and wounded at least 228. WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi press secretary Marlin Fitzwaler Seacrest had relatively short notice. Lane said. make a new pay raise possible. Reginald Pinto/Manchester Herald The court strike began in stages Thursday after federal dent Bush will support “any said. “We’ll be supportive if the “This actually was a small storm, a squall, and it esca “I’m not sure that it’s going to go judge Mariela Espinoza was shot down with automatic reasonable proposal” by lawmakers Congress produces any reasonable lated very quickly into a tropical storm, and then a anywhere,” said Rep.