European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 7, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Graf reach finals at Wimbledon Sports Page 21 The STARS AUTHORIZED UNOFFICIAL PUBLICATION FOR THE US ARMED FORCES 81 July 1989 D 8693 A Gorbachev offers more cuts Says NATO would hove to OK nuclear folks France AP Sovi et Mikhail Gorbachev Thursday offered additional and rapid cuts in his nuclear arsenal if NATO accepts negotiations on tactical nuclear contained in a speech to the Council of Europes assem bly in this eastern French appeared designed to increase pressure on the United States to agree to the an issue that caused a deep rift in the West ern alliance that was patched over last Set related Page If it became clear that NATO coun tries arc ready to join us in negotiations on tactical nuclear we after consulting our carry out without delay further unilateral reductions in our tactical nuclear mis siles in Gorbachev told the as which contains parliamentarians from 23 West European Gorbachev did not say how many mis siles the Soviets would In presidential press sec Marlin Fitzwaler said the Gorba chev statement had been We welcome any unilateral reduc tions in the Soviets nuclear See CUTS on back page Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and MX wate Thursday in Paris before living to Gl payment plan would ease overseas moves By CHUCK VINCH Washington bureau WASHINGTON would get upfront payments to cover the initial costs of moving into overseas housing under a provision approved by the House Armed Services Committee last That which would take effect is one of several in the committees fiscal 1990 defense authorization aimed at casing some of the hassles of military The also would direct the Pentagon to signifi cantly expand its relocation assistance efforts and do more to publicize a rental security deposit guarantee program that has been on the books for two years but apparently is not widely Before the can take it must be approved by the House and Senate and signed by President The Senate Armed Services Committee will begin work on its own version of the defense authori next Faced with a light budget climate this ers were unable to launch major new compensation programs or substantially increase existing a committee staffer Most of the changes are along the lines of these relocation provisions relatively minor adjustments that may not be all that flashy on their when taken add up to a pretty good the staffer After the committee approved a percent pay raise and higher bonuses for doctors and pilots two chronically short military skills there wasnt a lot left over for other the staffer Concern over the initial costs that usually must be paid by when moving into overseas housing arose from several recent field visits by committee The report accompanying the committee said lawmakers feel the current system of allowances is in adequate to cover those initial Many items that arc taken for granted in stateside such as lighting fixtures and kitchen cabinets or often arc not part of the deal in foreign rental As a arc faced with substan tial upfront cash outlays just to make housing facili ties the report The current overseas housing allowance is meant to See PLAN on back page Tipoff ads had Pen Pals standing in the isles Staff writer II didnt take long for the Letters to the Editor section at The Stars and Stripes to notice something was Way Up was the level of mall seeking pen Nearly 400 pen pal letters poured into the office during one week alone in Before the tide was almost 600 letters from the British Isles flooded the The Pen Pals which began in con sists of letters from people all over the world who want their addresses published in the newspaper in the hope of making friends through the Weve never had this kind of said Kathy who heads the Letters to the Editor During an average 10 pen pat letters are Wicker The most mall received on a single topic in recent memory was 50 letters in Jan uary and February when Congress wanted to give It self a 51 percent But why would so many pen pal requests suddenly show up All from England The answer provided potentially staggering Several of the letters referred to an ad In the May 29 Dally a nationwide British The ad In the Club column invited people to write to American stationed in Europe and offered The Stars and Stripes address as a way to reach pen The Air Force Times received more than 300 letters following a similar ad in the Daily even though the Times doesnt have a pen pals sen A phone call to the Daily Mirror by The Stars and Stripes confirmed that the ad had been but yielded no clues as to why It ran or where it The other news learned from the call was frightening daily circulation at the Mirror is But the staff dutifully sorted through the letters and will publish about 200 of the names and addresses on the center two advertising pages Letter writers covered a wide span of ages and emo Some were divorced or had recently ex deaths In their One man was Others were hearty party people wanting to make new friends via the Many of the letters were laced with dry British One woman described herself as having a wacky sense of which she said is understandable since she lives near Another sought nice American chaps as pen She Anyone connected with the States where you have faucets and diapers instead of taps and nap pies fascinates One woman boasted of being a Son Diego Chargers See PALS on back page