Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 11, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Toee tuesday August How made Neutron decision Fly Leslie Gelb new York fifties Washington at a White mouse meeting last president Gan decided to go Forward with the full production of Neutron weapons in the face of warnings that the Surprise move would Lead to a storm of protest in Western in the president ordered that the Lance missile and a Tiu Lery shells be furnished with the nuclear material tritium to make Complete enhance radiation these weapons Are designed to uce far More radiation and far less blast and heat than other tactical nuclear so that they kill people without severe damage to their sur discussions in 1978 about their future deployment led to great strains in relations with european allies and to popular fear in Europe that such weapons were More Likely to be used than the immensely destructive nuclear weapons available Reagan reportedly ordered that the weapons be stockpiled Only in the United states and said that any future deployment in Europe would be done Only after full consultation with the policy dispute administration officials said the decision came at a meeting of the new National Security planning an informal version of the National Security where Secretary of state Alexander Haig and defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger once again squared off on european policy in front of the the Issue they debated was not whether to build the weapons but according to the Haig contended that a decision at this time would have very serious effects on european american increasing fears that the United states would be Quick to fight a nuclear War in he also pointed out that this was a particularly delicate period be cause of growing opposition in Europe to the planned deployment new american medium Range missiles there in a decision now on Neutron he would jeopardize support for the new Weinberger the officials was that the United states could not allow decisions on the Mili tary capabilities of its own forces to be dominated by european political con4 As for the effect of the Neutron weapons decision on european support for the new medium Range Wein Berger was said to have argued that if the missile decision was not sustain Given Domestic politics in it is better to know this now than in any he maintained that he could not see now the political situation in Europe would be better several months from Reagan was said to have sided with Weinberger on the ground that the europeans should not be Given a veto Over weapons decisions and that he would not continue to allow a Range of american policy decisions to remain hostage to Allied support for the new medium Range Haig and Weinberger were in a Dis Pute earlier this year on whether to begin arms control negotiations with the soviet Union and on How hard the Western europeans should be pressed on questions of their Trade in sensitive goods with the As Well As on the Neutron weapons until a few Days the government was still operating under president Carters decision to begin the modernizing of the Short Range Lance missile and eight Inch artillery in a separate to produce and store a Supply of the radioactive isotope known As tritium and the bottles to contain it is estimated that it will take six months to put these components together and make Complete Neutron forecasts prepared in the Carter administration put the Cost for product Ion and deployment of a european based Neutron weapons Force at be tween million and according to former Secretary of de Fence Harold the he included a couple of Hundred million dollars for development of the Neutron Carter announced in april 1978 that the ultimate decision on putting the components together will be influenced by the degree to which the soviet Union shows restraint in its conventional and nuclear arms pro Grams and Force deployments affecting the Security of the United states and Western the handling of the Neutron bomb at that time touched off Strong Mutual recriminations Between Washington and Western european capitals and led to a period of Strain in a american the and particularly West German Chan cellar Helmut said that Carter had reneged on the decision to build and deploy the weapons after the allies had agreed to the Carter said that the europeans had not been willing to share fully the political responsibility for the in any european leaders As Well ended up reversing their stand and began opposing even the full production of the weapons in the United they began taking the position that even a decision to build the Complete weapons would be bad because it would Lead to pressures for deployment in specialists Here and in Europe have remarked that the Only really suitable terrain for use of radiation weapons is the european and hence a decision to manufacture them would almost automatically Lead to a decision to deploy them in Western the Allied leaders have no desire to do Battle again with their left Wing political especially at a time when they believe that priority should be Given to building support for the stationing of the new medium Range weapons Pershing ii and the ground based cruise Public controversy from the when newspaper Arti cles about the Neutron bomb appeared in Public opinion was aroused in because of the characteristics of the its High radiation lethality against people and its relatively Low damage effects on physical the View spread that these weapons were More Likely to be used than other tactical nuclear these characteristics Are precisely what appealed to some Western Mili tary they had the Prospect of being Able to kill soviet soldiers in armoured units without causing High collateral destruction in the heavily urbanized areas of thus the debate was joined Between those who contended that the Neutron weapons would be a More effective deterrent to a soviet attack and those who believed that it would lower the nuclear threshold and thereby make nuclear War More the debate was superseded by the one Over the new medium Range it was jolted Back to life briefly in june when the French government announced that it had tested a Neutron in at his first news Confer Weinberger criticised the Cafter saying the new administration would very probably want to make and deploy Neutron mis remarks created a storm in the Europe an press and several foreign and Haig sent a message to All Mem Bers of the North Atlantic treaty Orga advising them to disregard Weinberger the Reagan administration began a formal review of the Neutron weapons Issue several weeks according to administration civilians in the Pentagon contended that the separate production of the components was unnecessarily cum and that the logic of the program demanded putting the pieces they also officials to Send a Clear signal of american determination to enhance military Ca Only last an influential conservative member of the West German parliament told Weinberger that it would be a serious mistake even to mention the word Neutron until after the medium Range missiles were de brazilian army will not let go brazils armed forces Long have played a crucial role in National political in three Peter author of Oil and politics in modern and an associate professor of history at the University of explains How and Why the brazilian army came to occupy its unique by Peter Smith special to the free press on april fools brazils armed forces ended the nations 20 year Experiment in while they had both participated in and intervened politics throughout the 19th and 20th the 1964 coup was profoundly different the conspirators had no intention of turning Power Back to civilian in they quickly made it Clear that the political process would be cleansed thoroughly Brazil would never be the the army Paramount of the ser vices has controlled politics since the even though the incumbent presi Joao and his Ernesto have committed the armed forces to withdrawal from recent bombings by military personnel indicate that opinion is divided on the the army first intervened in politics Early in the 19th at the Brazil was an and Public Antip Athy toward the first emperor had driven him to his Howe was a minor and the stirred separatist revolts in several regions As Well As uprisings to install a Republican form of Bra zils most famous military the Duke of took the Small Imperial army into the successfully crush ing both the army had thus played a decisive role in brazils political when Brazil finally became a Republic in it was the Imperial army that effected the the coup was largely because no element of society cared enough for the Empire to fight for the army had again made a crucial decision about brazils during the old Republic 1889 to the armed forces were divided into the National army and and provincial each served its own and since politics often was frequently fought each since provincial political elites elected their Federal represent National politics was divided regionally the National army was often dragged into local political at the same French and Ger Man missions were training the nation Al those armies were the most politicized in Europe it was German general Hans von seeckts who called the army the purest image of the some brazilian officers responded eagerly to their european who fanned their resentment that politicians used the National armed forces for selfish in 1937 the National having neutralized the actually closed con president Joao Figureido Gress and eliminated formal political activity until the end of the second world officers lacked Confidence in their ability to run the however they left the incumbent presi in office and gave him dictatorial the second world War started the army on the Road to copying the United with whose army brazilian soldiers fought in the italian Brazil created a higher War through it has since passed the not Only of the officer but the civilian techno cratic courses include sophisticated military subjects and managerial and social scientific topics As by fraternizing with elements of the new civilian the talented officers at the College not Only cemented useful friendships but gained the competence and Sel Confidence to run the Between 1945 and 1964 the army also fashioned a doctrine of National Securi inspired by the brazilian past As Well As the cold War ideology of the United poverty bred subversion and ran the doctrine thus development was essential in order to create the Prosperity that would eradicate during that period the Experiment in democracy officers kept a Sharp Eye on the civilian politicians to whom they had returned the political process after so Long As development proceeded apace and the societal order was not they limited themselves to guarding the but when in the Early 1960s the Economy got out of control and the masses began to press for fundamental the army stepped by Early a generation of officers had passed through the higher War acquiring Sel Confidence and endorsing the National Security Doc the legacy of officer contempt for politicians had not abated since the War it had probably increased As politicians proved unable to run the country As the officers chose to be the army stepped deter mined by then to show How the country ought to be their belief that development had to be pushed for the Security of the nation soon came to mean that political decision making was a luxury the country could no longer the army would have to stay in Power for the Good of the and stay in Power it first of three articles spraying decision put Sherman on the spot when does a situation become an emergency who should determine the course of action to Cope with that emergency after several weeks of the provincial government declared a health emergency because of the possibility of an outbreak of Western Equine encephalitis and planned a massive Aerial spraying program against mosquitoes in various Manitoba that decision was based on the in creased activity by encephalitis ear ing mosquitoes and the growing num Ber of horses affected by the known As sleeping sick is spread to horses and humans by certain types of it inflames the causing flu like such As headaches and and can cause permanent disability and in More than 500 human cases were reported with almost 80 various measures have been adopted to fight the in 1975 and when a health emergency was declared because of the provincial government took what it believed to he the appropriate Steps with ground larva Riding and Aerial spraying with that chemical was used instead of others because it was More effective at lower in 14 people were affected by under the dome Arlene Billinkoff four of whom were disa but As Emanuel the former director of Manitoba preventative medical services said that if there had not been anti Mosquito there would have been about 100 human of which 10 would probably have lied and 30 would have had the 1975 experience led to an expanded monitoring program when the possibility of another emergency occurred in the province was More concern was expressed that year about the effects of but City of Winnipeg entomologist Roy Ellis said the spraying had been necessary and was when the government decided to used Bay on again this cries of protest were insisting the encephalitis scare did not warrant the widespread use of the potentially harm Ful beekeepers talked about damage to their 111 million Industry and other citizens were apprehensive about Lon term physical those fears Are but the health minister and other officials do not believe they Are justified and have concentrated on informing Citi Zens about the proper Steps to avoid any problems from both mosquitoes and that advice failed to Abate the apprehension As opponents attempted unsuccessfully to prevent the they believed there Are such As vaccinating the thus protecting the that View is says John the provincial who says that the virus is not transmitted in that but is carried by picked up and spread by in most horses and humans Are Deaden if a vaccine existed for the problem might he resolve however a human which was tested in Saskatchewan in the ran into testing problems and was some also believe the matter was not pursued because its potential Market was relatively limited and a profit therefore it seemed the solution would remain in limbo until an encephalitis epidemic caused a number of human there has been a Lack of but Sherman said that after the current problem it will be put on the desk for additional research and investment would be but the minister insisted some alternative to the present system would be so we dont have to go through this trauma for the moment that trauma re the government has weighed the possible advantages and disadvantages and made a attempting to assure those concerned about the effect of the chemical according to available in the concentration is not harmful to people and will not have any residual effects after one packing up that who is director of the Aerial spraying opera said there were no reports of Adverse effects from the while Earl head of the respiratory said there had been no proven effect on respiratory fun he saw no reason Why the Spray ing should be remember that encephalitis is a Seri Ous warned with the increased number of affected he believed it was More important to Tell people How to avoid mosquitoes than the presumed dangers of while there was Only one suspected he the threat despite the growing Sher Man insisted the spraying would continue because there was a health Emer he acknowledged that concern about the chemical was legitimate and promised other solutions would be but that would be in the at Bay on was the most effective instrument at their essentially we Are fighting for Peoples we Are resolved to carry on this Battle in the interests of All Mani some Manitoban but it is not a Black and White while each Side has legitimate there is an emergency and the government has the final it has assumed its proper Sqq Newbury ask questions ;