The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 1

Iowa, ISU clash twice Firestone plant ailing THE WEATHER Mostly sunny today. Highs around 15 northeast to upper 20s southwest. Gear to partly cloudy tonight. Lows 5 to near 15. Partly cloudy Sunday.

Highs in low 20s to mid-30s. Sunrise: Sunset: 5:10. Details: 10T. Once is not enough for Iowa and Iowa State today. Hawk and Cyclone cagers and wrestlers meet in contests in Iowa City and Ames respectively.

Details: IS. Firestone may close its Des Moines plant unless rubber workers temper their contract, the plant manager says. Details: 5S. 5Ije Moines i THE NEWSPAPER IOWA DEPENDS UPON Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 15, 1983 Price Copyright 1983 Des Moines Register and Tribune Company nn I wt aQiGfii 1 3ll Israeli furor over report of PLO bid By NORMAN KEMPSTER M3 Lm Aneatti Tkiwi JERUSALEM, ISRAEL Israeli newspapers quoted a member of Prime Minister Menachem Begin's Cabinet Friday as saying that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had offered to sip a non-aggression pact with Israel before the start of the war in Lebanon.

The report, attributed to Tourism Minister Avraham Sharir, touched off a raging controversy here, and critics of the war demanded that the government resign. Sharir later said he had been misquoted, that he had referred not to a new non-aggression treaty but to the year-old cease-fire that broke down shortly before Israel invaded Lebanon last June 6. However, Benny Shalita, a member of Begin's Likud bloc and of Parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, said Friday that the committee had been told by a senior Israeli army officer about two months before the outbreak of hostilities that the PLO was seeking a non-aggression treaty "to protect its soft underbelly in Lebanon while building up its forces." Shalita said heagreed with the government's decision to turn down the offer. But another member of the same committee, Yosi Sarid of the opposition Labor Party, said the panel was never given such information. Sarid said that if such an offer was made, the government should have accepted it.

The controversy started Wednesday when Sharir addressed a meeting in Paris of potential purchasers of Israel bonds. The meeting was closed to the public but two Israeli newspapers Davar, the official voice of the Labor Party, and Yediot Aharonot, which usually supports the government reported that Sharir had said the PLO had' offered a non-aggression pact, which Israel had rejected. The newspapers reported that Sharir had said the pact was turned down because it would have left the PLO free to attack Israel across borders other than the one with Lebanon and to mount terrorist assaults on Jewish targets abroad. Sharir was reported to have said the offer was forwarded to Israel by U.S. diplomats.

The reports quoted Sharir as saying that one of the reasons for the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was to scuttle any chance for such a pact, which Israel believed would have given the PLO "carte blanche" to attack Jewish targets abroad. After the reports were published, Sharir called Israel Radio from Paris to say his remarks had been misunderstood. He said he was referring to the U.S.-mediated cease-fire that took effect in July 1981. Israel insisted last spring, before the war began, that that cease-fire prohibited the PLO from engaging in terrorist actions against Israeli or Jewish targets anywhere in the world. The PLO insisted the truce MIDEAST Pleose turn to Page 5A REGISTER PHOTO BY WARREN TAYLOR factor in allowing them to afford the American food.

But the Reagan administration, under pressure from the U.S. textile industry, told the Chinese that limits on the growth of those sales were necessary. No Interest "It scares the out of me," said Winston Wilson, president of U.S. Wheat Associates, referring to the textile situation. "This thing can blow the Chinese market.

The administration seems to have an attitude of, 'By God, we can't take on the textile and CHINA Please turn to Page 5A Reagan: End to arms race is major goal President says he's 'determined' to succeed From The Register's Wire Services WASHINGTON, C. President Reagan, anxious to dispel reports of disarray in his administration and its arms policies, told the nation and its European allies Friday that the United States is "ready" and "determined" to reach an arms reduction agreement with the Soviet Union. Reagan said he could not predict that such an agreement would be reached before the end of his term, but "now we're in a position to get somewere and I'm determined that we shall." He added: "We will stay at a table negotiating as long as there is any chance at all of securing arms reduction because it is the most important problem facing this generation." Reagan called a news conference to dispute reports that the ouster of Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Director Eugene Rostow and his deputy indicated an unraveling of the U.S. arms control initiative. "We're Ready" "We're ready," the president said.

"We'll consider every serious proposal, and we're determined to succeed in this." Reporters asked the president whether his White House staff was manipulating him into changing his economic policies. Reagan dismissed such suggestions, then told reporters: 'I just would like to get your minds back to this Istatement on arms control because I think that this is so important, that our allies should not be, from the things that they read, be concerned about whether we are lacking in determination or whether we are indeed in disarray. "We are not," he declared. The president said he fired Rostow "so that we'll have a streamlined team in place through which we can reach decisions promptly and get results in the Geneva talks." Arms Negotiators Reagan voiced confidence in his two principal negotiators, Paul Nitze and Edward Rowney, saying: "I'm convinced that, with them, we can succeed." Nitze heads the U.S. delegation at the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces talks that are due to resume in Geneva on Jan.

27. Those talks deal with nuclear missiles in Europe. Rowny leads the U.S. team at the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks, which are scheduled to reopen on Feb. 3.

Those negoations concern efforts to cut back U.S. and Soviet long-range bombers, intercontinental REAGAN Please turn to Page 4A the index: Advice 3T Crossword 2T Business 5S Editorials fcA Classified ads 4T Obituaries 10T Comics 9T TV schedules 2T Hard-luck By TOM ALEX Rttftttr Staff Writer "I hated to bring this one in," said Des Moines Police Detective Ron Warne as he returned to his office Friday morning. "The guy and his common-law wife and her son have been living on popcorn. Popcorn. Sometimes they put Thousand Island dressing on it to make it taste different." Warne recommended that Raymond Stanger, who says his family has been living on "poor man's salad," be set free on the county's pre-trial release program.

Stanger, 35, of 513 Denver walked out of the City Jail about 4 p.m. Friday after entering a plea of innocent to a charge of false uttering of a financial instrument. He is accused of helping another person cash an Aid to Dependent Children chuck that had been stolen from a mailbox in the 1900 block of Arlington Avenue. The first order of business for Gov. Terry Branstad is to office.

Branstad was sworn In Friday as the 38th and share a kiss with his wife, Chris, after reciting the oath of youngest governor in state history. MORE PHOTOS: IT. Inaugural talk by Branstad is 'moderate' Youngest chief executive urges utility rate changes By DAVID YEPSEN, DEWEY KNUDSON and TOM WITOSKY RMittr Staff Writers Gov. Terry Branstad parted with much of his conservative past at his inauguration Friday, calling for government action to correct a wide range of problems facing the state. A crowd of about 9,000 watched Branstad take his oath of office at 11:16 a.m.

in swearing-in ceremonies at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The 36-year-old former lieutenant governor, state legislator and Lake Mills lawyer thereby became the youngest governor in Iowa history, and youngest in the nation. He succeeded fellow Republican Robert Ray, who stepped down after serving six terms and 14 years in office. A cold, howling wind blew outside, providing a whistling, vivid symbol of Branstad's text: PAGE 8A. the harsh times the new governor faces.

He responded by calling for more spending for social programs and education, and for action to halt rising utility rates. Branstad, who built his political base in the conservative wing of the Iowa Republican party, surprised many in the audience with his moderate tone and calls for government action. Reaction to Branstad's speech was positive, although some conservative Republicans were grumbling a bit. Democrats generally conceded that Branstad had adopted a Robert Ray style of co-opting them on key issues. Calls for utility rate reform were often made by Democrats during last fall's campaign.

But it was Republican Branstad who stood in front of the television cameras Friday complaining about high utility rates and promising to do something about them. State Representative Marvin Diemer, a Cedar Falls Republican, said Branstad's speech was "considerably more moderate than you would have heard from Terry two or three years ago. He's got an awfully ambitious program. It will be very difficult to do all these, things." And State Representative Tom Jochum, a liberal Dubuque Democrat, said the governor "was trying to reassure us there really is a new Terry Branstad." Aides said Branstad's new tone is BRANSTAD Please turn to Page 8A Gov. Fob James, who fashioned the 1982 law that authorized teachers to lead "willing students" in classroom worship, called Hand's ruling "courageous and brilliant" and said it "breathes new life into the Constitution of these United States." "This is a historic day," said James, whose term expires this week.

He urged the Justice Department to defend Hand's ruling and said the "stage is set" for an eventual U.S. Supreme Court ruling to restore classroom worship. Hand ordered all court costs in the trial to be paid by Jaffree, a Mobile lawyer who initially sought $115,000 In damages from local school officials, including three teachers who led his children in grace before school meals. Jaffree's suit, which sought a ban PRAYER Please turn to Page 4 A Dispute on China textiles may hurt U.S. grain trade Meetings consider Cuba's foreign debt MIAMI, FLA.

(AP) Cuban officials have had encouraging meetings in Panama with economic ministers from several Western countries in efforts to renegotiate payments on $2.6 billion in foreign debts, Havana Radio reported Friday. Raul Leon Torras, president of Cuba's National Bank, said governments and private banks welcomed the frank assessments given by Cuban ministers, according to the broadcast monitored in Miami. Leon Torres said he met with Panamanian President Ricardo de la Espriella, various economic ministers, representatives of the United Nations Commerce and Development Organization and officials of about 20 banks in the International Financial Center. Much of Cuba's foreign debt comes due next year. the other person involved.

Why did Stanger do it? "There's been many a night we sit down to a bowl of popcorn," he said. "We put a little Thousand Island dressing on it to vary it a little bit. We call it a poor man's salad. It ain't too bad when you put Western dressing on it either. Sometimes just plain old butter." But he said the idea of eating something else was too tempting, and finally he decided to cash the stolen check.

Stanger and his common-law wife, Rosalie, and her son, Johnny, 12, usually eat popcorn "about the last five days of every month after the money runs out," he said. "We have friends who try to help us, but they've got two kids and can't POPCORN Pleose turn to Page 3A US. judge says Constitution family's salad: popcorn lets states establish religion By GEORGE ANTHAN Of Th ftmstafl Washington Bureau WASHINGTON, D.C. A breakdown in textile trade talks between the United States and China could lead to the loss of a major market for American farm products, according to some U.S. agricultural trade experts.

China has threatened to retaliate against American commodities if the Reagan administration carries out its plan to limit U.S. imports of Chinese textiles. Announcement of such a limit is expected in Washington today. News reports from Peking Friday said the U.S.-China discussions had ended in acrimony, with the Chinese accusing American negotiators of "lacking sincerity." On Jan. 2, the New China News Agency quoted a foreign trade official as saying that China "cannot but respond strongly in order to safeguard our own interests." Biggest Buyer China is the biggest single buyer of American wheat, purchasing more than 8 million tons in 1982.

The development of the huge Chinese market for American farmers was considered one of the most important contributions of the Carter administration. With its more than 1 billion people, China is viewed as potentially the world's biggest customer for farm products. One Agriculture Department official expressed privately the farm community's fear: "We found out after President Carter's Russian embargo just how easy it is to lose a big share of a market. We could do the same in China, if we're not careful." Until recently, the Chinese have not had enough foreign exchange to expand their purchases. So their increasing sales of textiles to the United States have been an important MOBILE, ALA.

(AP) A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging Alabama's school prayer laws Friday, declaring that the Constitution gives states the legal power to establish religion. U.S. District Judge W. Brevard Hand, calling his ruling "a cry in the wilderness," said the office of a federal judge "gives us no power to fix the moral direction that this nation will take. When we undertake such course we trample upon the law." Ishmael Jaffree, an agnostic who filed the suit to stop Mobile public school teachers from holding devo-tionals in the classrooms of three of his children, said he would appeal.

"I'd be boiled in oil if I didn't," Jaffree said. He compared the ruling to "the president calling a news conference to say he's discovered the world is flat." Stanger is not accused of stealing the check, but of cashing it with the knowledge that it was not his. "I knew what it was," he said in an interview after being released from jail. "But it's been bad for us. Someone had stolen the food stamps out of our mailbox.

Or at any rate we didn't receive them." He said he cashed the stolen ADC check because he cut a deal with someone that he would buy some groceries and cash the check. "Store rules was they don't cash ADC checks unless you buy $30 worth of groceries. Really I got $50 worth of groceries and bought some cigarettes and still had a couple bucks left over" after giving the remaining $300 to the person who had given him the check, he said. Police later identified Stanger as a suspect and came to his house to arrest him. They have not arrested.