KOHL AIDE SAYS SWITCH ON BITBURG WOULD HARM U.S.-GERMANY TIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370039-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2010
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: April 25, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/09/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370039-1
Kohl Aides Switch on Bit -ur
mut Ko 's spokesman said today that
relations between West Germany and
the United States` would be damaged if
President ifeagan decided to call off a
Scheduled 'stop at a German military
cemetery next month.
Mr. Reagan has been heatedly criti-
cized by, Jewish organizations, vet'
;eran& groups and others for his inten-
tion to visit the cemetery, which in-
cludes the graves of 47 Waffen SS sot.
diets:`
The West German spokesman, Peter
Boenfsch, reacting to comments by
White House aides Tuesday, also said
at a news conferenc'e' that after the
Chancellor spoke to Mr. Reagan on Fri
day no attempt had been made by "the
Whitejiouse or its environs" to seek an
alteJnat' -e to_ the Bitburg military
cemetery visit. Mr. Boeniscb insisted,
as M, Kohl had. last week, that the
plans for Mr. Reagan's state visit on
May 5 were final.
On Tuesday a White House official
said that a private message from the
over' the weekend essentially urging
in to seek analternatiye to the Bit.
burg cemetery visit. One White House
official said the message had been
signed either by the national security
/out Iarm. U.& Ger an, Ties
By JAMES M. MARKHAM
fears he will lose face before the West
German public if he is i'orced to aban-
don the Bitburg visit: Mr.' Reagan's
United States, seems to be extrpmeiy_
popular inf West Germany,.
In the Chancellor's calculations it 'a
pivotal election that will be held in
West Germany's most populous state,
North-Rhine- Westphalia, on May 12,
just after the Bonn summit meeting of
major non-Communist industrial na-
tions, the Reagan visit and, the May8
ceremonies marking the 49th anniver-
sary of Germany's surrender in World
War II.
The opposition Social Democrats
have so far limited themselves to
tweaking Mr. Kohl for supposed in-
competence, bad staffing and insensi-
tivity to histgry in stumbling into the
Bitburg imbroglio. But they have not
openly demanded that Mr. Kohl with.
draw the invitation to visit the ceme?
tery, a hedge that suggests they, too,
have gauged the popularity of the un-
dertaking in the country.R
A resolution by the Social Demo.
crats' parliamentary group accused
Mr. Kohl tonight of having damaged
ole, Urges. Reagan to Cancel' Cemetery Trip
y; and said "the exercise now is
damage control."
Speaking to reporters at a breakfast
u g, Mr. Wick said, esentially,
that the situation'' involving the Bitburg
visit may worsen'because deinonstra?
tors are expected there to protest the
planned wreath-laying ceremony;
"
'
I think you
ll have world television
coverage and people from all, over
Western Europe, some of them dressed
in concentration camp clothes" to
demonstrate against Mr. Reagan's
visit, said Mr. Wick.
He added that the goal of American-
German reconciliation after 40 years
had now been "totally obscured" by the
Peter Boenisci spokesman for Publicly; the White House declined to
Chancellor Helmut Kohl. ? Comment on Mr. Wick's statements,
Privately, one ranking official ex-,
West Germany's esteem in. the world
and relations between the United
States and West Germany through his
mishandling of the Reagan program.
The resolution also welcomed the in.
clusion of the Bergen-Belson concen-
tration camp in the itinerary as well as
the remembering of Gerritan soldiers
who were exploited by a "criminal re-
gime in a war of aggression"' -. an allu-
sion to the Bitbur
sto
g
p, j Reagan to cancel the visit came in brief touch with the German Government"
Approved For Release 2010/09/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370039-1
pressed irritation at Mr. Wick's blunt
comments about an issue that has
made White House aides increasingly
testy. 6
Asked if Mr. Reagan could back out
at this point, Mr. Wick replied, "I
really don't know." Mr. Wick was
asked if he would recommend that Mr.
Reagan cancel the Bitburg visit.
"I m not sure I'll recommend any.
di
g a
__
n
lied
he
Mr. Dole's comments urging Mr
comments to reporters on Capitol Hill
as well as in an appearahce on the NBC
News program "Today." Mr. Dole said
he had "made it clear that I think it's a
mistake," adding, "I think they should
find another place or not make the Bit-
burg visit." ' %
Mr. Dole's comments carry weight
not simply because he is Senate ma-
jority leader. During World War 11,
while an Army second lieutenant Iead?
ing an infantry squad across the Po
Valley in northern Italy, a German ma-
chine gun cut him down. He was sea
verely wounded, and has a disabled
right arm.
Mr. Dole said he had npt made a di-
rect request to Mr. Reagan about not
going. "I've indicated that was a hope,
I haven't made any request." So far a
bipartisan group of more than 53 sena
tors has expressed opposition to the
visit. Senator Dole was not among
them.
At the White Hpuse, Larry Speakes,
the spokesman, denied a report in The
New York Times that said efforts had
begun to find a way t0 reverse the deci-
sion to visit Bitburg. But other White
House aides said any reversal would
depend on Mr. Kohl, and there was still
some hope that the West German
would alter his insistence that Mr. Rea-
gan visit Bitburg. And late today Mr.
Regan, the chief of staff, confirmed
that the Administration had "been in
since Mr: Reagan spoke to Mr. Kohl on
Friday.
Meanwhile, a group of ethnic and
other groups joined Jewish groups and
veterans' organizations protesting the
Bitburg visit. The coalition of black,
Hispanic, Asian, Polish, Lithuanian,
Ukrainian and other groups said in a
telegram to President Reagan:
chorus of the Jewish people, American`
veterans' organizations, the U.S. Holo-
caust Memorial Council, a majority of
the United' States Senate, including;.
leaders of your own party, and thou-;
sands of American families who con-,
tinueb ?to mourn for fathers, husbands,
brothers and sons slain by the Nazis
during World War IT, in urging you to
cancel your visit."
In New York, Menachern Rosensaft; -
chairman of the International Network
of Children of Jewish Holocaust Surv
vors, with about 5,000 sons and daugh-
ters of former concentratiop camp vie.
ti'ms, said the organization was seeking
to spur efforts for protesters to fly t9
Germany and demonstrate over Mr,
Reagan's visit to Bitburg. He said the
organization was working together
with "German Christian groups"' who
had "struggled over the past 40 years
to create a new image for Germany
and disassociate themselves com-
pletely from the atrocities of the Nazi
era."
Continued From Page Al
 Approved For Release 2010/09/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370039-1
THI NBW YORK TI1 BSr THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1485
xi-verpts From the T~x
WASflINGTO A ril 24 = Following are
excerpts from the offcial White House text of
President Reagan's televised speech on the
budget tonight'
Just 4 years ago this week f asked your sup,
port for out bipartisan, recovery program.
Thai: I was the progranl the spenders said
wouldn't work and they called it Reaganom?
,You turned America. around: turned
0( round her confidence, turned around her
econom, turned around over a decade of one
national nightmare after-another. We're into
our 29th straight month of economic growth,
with inflation staying down, and more of us
working than ever before "-that's eight trail-
116d new Jobs. Now Coat our program is work-
ing, you may have noticed they're not calling
it Reaganomics anymore,
And yet, all our progress, all the good
we've accomplished so fat, and all our
dreams for the future could be wrecked if we
add not overcome our one giant obstacle..
The simple truth is, no ,natter bow hard
YOU work; no matter how strong this economy
grows, no matter how much more tax money
comes to Washington, it won't amount to a
hill of beans if Government won't curb its
endress appetite to spend.,
Were is no magic money machine, Every
dollar the Government spends comes out of
your pockets. Every dollar the Government
gives to someone has to first be taken away
from someone else.
Not surprisingly, some still want to raise
your taxes. They say we cut your taxes too
much in 1981,. where we ended years of '
bracket creep and lowered rates for every
American taxpayer, This is simply untrue.
And it implies Government has .a right to
take from you all that it needs,to satisfy the
demands of special interest groups, Govern.
meat should tax to meet Government's
needs, not Government's wants.
Nine days ago, I received a very welcome
gift - a letter with 146 signatures. One hun.
dred forty-six Members of Congress have
pledged to uphold what -- I repeat tonight -
will be my certain veto of any tax increase
Congress sends me, no matter hoar cleverly
What went wrong? Where has all the
money gone? Well, daring the strong, pros-
perous Eisenhower years in the 1950',, and
through the Kennedy years, we kept spending
in check. During those Kennedy years, there
was a tax cut proposed similar to our cut. It
was enacted in 1964 and the economy grew
then as it has grown now.
But others in Government did not take the
next logical step and"say: "Look, freedom
and incentives are working. So let's reduce
tax rates further, let's transform our ghet.
toes into havens for enterprise, give families
new incentives to save for their children's
education: Let's make every citizen a share.
c.
''V-I Pfesident's Speech
U'dget
holder in America's rotor:.". But unlike a spending freeze, which would not corporations through Export?lmnnrt Bank
Government did he opposite. Government reduce deficits, nearly enough, and which !bans, and by abolishing the Small Business
began to take overAmerica. In the name of would make no distinction between worthy Administration's lending programs, which
the Great Societyy, began doing things never and wasteful programs, our plaq recognizes are not only costly and unfair, but unneeded
before felt possible or desirable. Government that alp spending is not created equal. in an economy creating over 600,000 new bust-
tributing billions t
$9,0001 1 caernment.
on agri ture subst
gher than the total net
nonai security. I soviets are tar more dan- One area we will not -touch, however, is the
gerous today th4d during the fifties and six- safety net for needy Americans. Programs
ties - periods in which we devoted far more that provide income, food, housing, and
to our defense. And they continue arming medical aid for the neediest Americans were
well beyond the defense needs of their coon- reformed in 1981 and are now targeted to
try. Because of that threat, we must maid genuine need. But these programs only make
ttin modest but steady Fowth each year. up 8 percent of the budget, so we need everY-
income from evert farm in America.
Today, Government puts a dime into the
fare box every time somebody boards a local
atzes loans for every imaginable purpose, ; "?st r-""? " -- '""`~"" 1cvvs ' one's help to get spending under control.
to ltrx: mu main tain for effective deterrence to
from education
toirci aft ex
or
ers
p
t
,
,
ury waterfront developments and hotels.
Government's le business, Is. bigger
than Chase M ing
adl and the Bank of
America's combined, and the spending line
keeps going up
My fellow citizen, the time has come for
Government to make the same hard choices
your families and businesses do. The time
has, come for your public servants to bring
spending down into line with tax revenues.
Spending 'Not Created Equal'
Accomplishing this is the heart ofour.deft-
cit reduction plan that we put together with
Senator Dole and his colleagues.
Our plan attacks excessive spending
across the board. No part'of the budget is
spared, and shared effort will be asked of all.
protect our security.
Our plan will freeze the defense spending
share of our gross national product at 9.4 ppeer-
cent for the next 3 years, a share well helow
the8 to 9 percent at the time of Eisenhower
and Kennedy. The remaining two-thirds of
our deficit reduction can and must come
from other parts of the budget, from domes-
tic programs that are no longer necessary or
in need of basic reform.
When Amtrak was begun in 1971 for a t'vo-
year trial run, Nye were told it would soon turn
a profit. Fourteen years and nearly $9 billion
later,. Amtrak is still running on taxpayer
subsidies, Eliminating Amtrak will save, $$
billion over the next decade.
We'll also save billions by eliminating lair
payer subsidies to some of America's biggest
who receive a retirement, veterans or Social
Security check to accept a guaranteed 2 per-
cent increase over the next 3 years, in place
of the existing cost-of-living adjustment. It,
however, inflation should rise above 4 per-
cent, the amount above 4 percent would be
added to the 2 percent.
Even with all our cuts and reforms our
plan still provides $560 billion for nondefense
programs next year -. the highest level in
history. Congress has before it a budget that
doesn't mortgage our future to higher taxes
and expanding debt. It is a fair program; it is
a balanced program; it will protect the needi-
est among us; it will stop the worst abuses of
overspending, and it not only deserves your
support, it must have your support to pass.
Approved For Release 2010/09/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370039-1