Page 2
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, March 31, 1987
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By The Associated Press
In Brief
Van Gogh painting sells for record price
LONDON One of Vincent Van Gogh's best-known paintings, the
dazzling yellow "Sunflowers" in a vase, was sold Monday for $39.85
million, more than doubling the highest price ever paid for a painting at
auction.
The still-life by the Dutch artist was bought by an anonymous foreign
collector, said Peter Rose, chief spokesman at Christie's auction house.
The final bid was 22.5 million pounds ($36.2 million dollars) and there
was a commission of 10 percent of the bid price charged to the buyer by
the auctioneer.
Christie's had valued the 98-year-old Impressionist masterpiece at
more than $10 million.
The picture, painted in January 1889, isone of six featuring sunflowers.
The painting was bought in Paris in 1934 by the Beatty family, which
made a fortune in mining. It was sold by executors of the estate of Helen
Chester Beatty, who died in 1980.
Pakistan shoots down Afghan warplane
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistani jet fighters shot down an intruding
Afghan warplane today after it penetrated 10 miles into Pakistani terri
tory in an area where scores of people have been killed by Afgltan air
attacks, officials said.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman, who declined to be identified
further, said Pakistani air force fighters shot the plane down near the
border town of Parachinar.
Border officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the
Afghan air force plane was shot down by two American-made F IG jet
fight ers. The Pakistani jets hit the Afghan plan with a missile, the officials
said.
Military patrols were searching for the wreckage of the plane, but it was
not clear if the debris had fallen in Pakistani or Afghan territory, the
Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Security shake-up in the Soviet Union
Marines to guard U.S. Embassy in Moscow
WASHINGTON The Marine Corps, cooperating with
the State Department, said Monday it has agreed to replace
all 28 security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with
other Marines as a special precaution.
The move follows the disclosure that two former guards
are suspected of repeatedly allowing Soviet agents in the
embassy late at night in what has been called a critical
breach of security.
Meanwhile, Pentagon sources said Col. Arnold Bracy, one
of the former guards suspected of espionage, was reduced in
rank from sergeant for fraternization with a woman while in
Moscow.
The sources, who asked not to be named, previously
disclosed both Bracy and Sgt. Clayton J. Lonetree became
involved with Soviet women who worked at the embassy.
The sources said Bracy's reduction in rank came last
August, but it did not attract any special attention until
investigators began probing Lonetree's activities earlier
this year.
The Marine Corps stressed none of the guards currently
posted in Moscow is suspected of wrongdoing. But it said in
a joint statement with the State Department it would
replace all guards sometime in April.
"This measure is precautionary in nature and is intended
to facilitate an investigation of the security program at the
U.S. Embassy," the statement added.
State Department spokeswoman Phyllis Dakley said the
men withdrawn from Moscow would eventually be trans
ferred to guard duties at other embassies. She said she
knew of no plans for special screening or training for the
Marines who would replace the guards now in Moscow.
The Marine Corps said the guards would be transferred to
the headquarters of their parent command at the Marine
U.S.S.B.
Security switcli
base at Quantico, Va., where Bracy and Lonetree are being
held.
The State Department said last week it had launched a
wide-ranging probe of security procedures in Moscow along
with a new "damage assessment," following the arrest of
Bracy, 21, of New York City.
Bracy was arrested two weeks ago and transferred to
Quantico on March 24. He is being held in confinement
pending a pretrial investigation and the placement of for
mal charges.
Last Friday, however, the crops said Bracy's arrest and
the continuing military investigation had prompted the
lodging of five new charges against Lonetree, bringing the
number of counts he faces to 24.
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Thatcher calls for human rights, Afghanistan withdrawal
MOSCOW British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher challenged Soviet
leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev on Mon
day to produce deeds that match his
words about seeking better relations
abroad and providing greater freedom
at home.
Thatcher took Gorbachev to task
specifically on human rights and the
withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
"We will reach ourjudgments not on
intentions or on promises but on deeds
and on, results," she said.
Her attitudes are an important con
sideration for Gorbachev because Bri
tain has its own nuclear arsenal and
she has given strong support to U.S.
defense policies.
Thatcher, who spoke at a state ban
quet in the Grand Kremlin Palace,
. restated her support f President Rea
gan's research project for a space
based defense system, commonly called
"Star Wars," which the Soviets con
demn. Of human rights, she said: "The
extent to which you, the Soviet govern
ment, meet the commitments which
you have freely undertaken in the Hel
sinki Final Act will determine how far
other countries and other peoples have
confidence in the undertakings which
you give on, for instance, arms control."
, About Afghanistan, she said: "The
Soviet Union's readiness to withdraw
their armies from Afghanistan with the
shortest possible delay so that the
Afghan people can exercise their right
to self-determination will have a cru
cial part not only in the future of Afgh
anistan but in deciding how others see
you and whether they trust or fear you,
and make their plans accordingly."
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Storms take toll on Nebraska livestock
Recent storms have taken a toll on Nebraska
livestock, particularly calves, and agriculture
officials said Monday more deaths are likely.
The weekend storm was the second in a week
in some cattle-producing areas in the state. The
storms hit in the midst of spring calving season,
when young calves and cows are most vulnerable.
Some calves died during the storms, ag offi
cials said. Others weakened by the weather are
more susceptible to diseases and may not gain
weight as quickly as normal, officials said.
"We've had a double shot compared with
eastern areas (of Nebraska)," Custer County
Extension Agent Bill Pedersen said. "It's bad,
bad, double bad."
He estimated that the storms would be
responsible for the deaths of more than 20 per
cent of the calves in Custer County. About 2,000
died in the last two storms and another 2,000 to
3,000 may die later of storm-related problems, he
said.
That means a loss of $500,000 to $1 million for
his county alone, Pedersen said. That estimate
doesn't include secondary losses such as fences,
damaged equipment or soil erosion.
Windchills fell to about 25 below, he said, and
low temperatures were in the single digits.
"That, to baby calves, is a killer itself," Pedersen
said.
Buffalo County Extension Agent Bob Scriven
said one cattleman reported 80 percent loss of
calves. Another found 12 living calves out of an
estimated 200.
Several officials said further calf losses could
come from scours, pneumonia and other diseases.
U.S. currency takes historic plunge
Dollar sends markets into dive
NEW YORK A historic plunge in the
dollar's value put a scare into bull markets
around the world Monday as investors wor
ried about an unrestrained decline in the U.S.
currency and the outside chance of a trade
war.
The prices of stocks and bonds plunged in
Tokyo, London and New York in reaction to
the dollar's fall. The U.S. currency hit its
lowest point against the Japanese yen since
modern exchange rates were established in
the late 1940s.
Traders said they were worried in part by
President Reagan's plan to impose prohibi
tive tariffs on up to $300 million worth of
Japanese electronic goods to force Japanese
into compliance with a trade agreement on
computer chips.
"I think it's a very, very dangerous situa
tion. Nobody can stop this movement (of the
falling dollar), not even the Federal Reserve,
market momentum is so strong," said Iida
Toshihiko, senior yen dealer for Westpac
Banking Corp.
The dollar skidded to a low of 144.70 yen in
Tokyo Monday before finishing the day at
146.20 yen, still well below Friday's late rate.
Stock traders, already nervous over the
huge run-up in stock prices since the begin
ning of 1987, reacted to the frenzy in the in
the currency market by selling stocks.
The Dow Jones average of 30 industrial
stocks plunged more than 80 points early in
Monday's session and ended up down 57.39
points to 2,278.41 at the close of the New York
Stock Exchange. Ear lier, Tokyo's stock market
suffered its second-largest single-day loss in
history, led downward by stocks in companies
that rely heavily on exports.