-r 15 THE PLAIN DEALER 9-B TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1994 I LORAIN COUNTY METRO JOE DIRCK COMMENTARY You have to take their word for it 1 hey were waiting in the restaurant lounge, having already come in from the cold. One's first impression was that they didn't really look like spies, but then, of course, real spies wouldn't. That's what they are, though. Or at least were. Members of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, they are true Cold Warriors, having served their country in secret during the tense, ambiguous, 40-year face-off between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The war may be over, but the oath of secrecy they took has no statute of limitations, so they are still circ*mspect about the specifics of their covert work for the CIA. Fred Lewton of Euclid volunteers only that he was a "contract agent," sent overseas periodically on special undercover assignments, the exact nature of which he is still duty-bound not to reveal. William Henschel, 72, is similarly vague about the time he spent as a CIA case officer in Europe. Recruited out of college, he worked for the agency during the height of the Cold War, from 1949 to 1961, and spent much of that period in Berlin, the fulcrum of EastWest tensions and the place where many believed World War III would begin. "I can't go into details, but we had quite a time," he says enigmatically.
"In the early days, agents were fair game." But if retirement did not free them from their secrecy oaths, it has left them free to defend the agency they served from what they feel are unwarranted attacks. The AFIO was formed in 1975 for just that purpose. Retired agents make themselves available to speak to students and community groups, doing their best to counter the negative image many Americans have of our intelligence agencies. "Americans, by and large, are very naive about intelligence," Henschel says. "We're an open society, and we don't even like to think about it." Their latest cause is defending the memory of the late David Atlee Phillips, who founded the AFIO after retiring from the CIA.
For years, he was the target of allegations by JFK conspiratorialists that the was somehow linked to the assassination. Phillips quieted the speculation with a few libel suits directed at his accusers, but since his death a few vears ago, the old allegations have resurfaced, most recently in a new book, "The Last Investigation," by Gaeton Fonzi. Lewton and Henschel knew Phillips personally, and consider him a man of great integrity and courage, an American patriot who would never have become involved in the murder of a president. But it is hard to defend against such attacks, they acknowledge, when the truth must always remain secret. "The CIA is probably the cleanest operating of all the world's intelligence agencies," Lewton says.
"This is not to say the CIA walks on water we made our mistakes. But for all the criticism we received, we had very strict rules we had to follow." Henschel agrees: "The Soviets were always more adept at that stuff. They played rough." 'Cold Warriors had to accept that their work would be done in the shadows. There is a wall at CIA headquarters honoring agents killed in the line of duty. Lewton said.
For each dead agent, a star is embedded in the wall. No name, just the star. But while public recognition may be lacking, there is an inner sense of accomplishment and pride. The details may always remain secret, but Henschel knows that what he did was important. He helped win a war.
"It was a contest for people's minds, for people's attitudes," he says. "The Soviets made a very determined effort in Western Europe to take it over. "And we stopped them." Coming through, says turnpike panel By MOLLY KAVANAUGH PLAIN DEALER REPORTER BEREA Brownhelm Township residents opposing the Baumhart Rd. turnpike interchange made an impression with the Ohio Turnpike Commission, but not one they were hoping to make. Yesterday, the commission unanimously agreed for the second time to build a turnpike interchange at Baumhart Rd.
in Brownhelm Township. The commission had unanimously approved the same proposal in June. But a second vote was taken because many residents, backed by a decision of the Lorain County prosecutor's office, argued that the vote on June 14 violated Ohio's open-meetings law because it was not listed on the agenda. The commission announced yesterday that it would change its pro- 3 J. cedure for publicizing its meetings.
Executive Director Allan Johnson said that agendas would now list specific items and be circulated two business days in advance. "The commission is not trying to hide what it's doing," Johnson said. commission also bent a longstanding rule and allowed comment from the audience. Johnson said public comment is nor- OWENS Beginner's hill The slopes at Blesser Park in Avon Lake don't offer a great challenge to sledders, but they provided a lot of fun yesterday for Mark Wladecki of Avon Lake and his son Gregory, 3. Woman who has HIV goes to prison on drug charges mally collected at meetings held in the affected communities before the vote.
Jean Thomas, an Amherst Township resident and spokeswoman for the residents, and State Rep. Katherine Walsh, D-63, of Vermilion, who opposes the interchange, attempted to delay the vote and have the commission return to Lorain County for a public hearing. Walsh said that four years ago, she went to the Lorain County By SCOTT STEPHENS PLAIN DEALER REPORTER ELYRIA A Lorain woman who is said to be HIV positive and has a history of prostitution arrests was sentenced to prison yesterday for drug possession. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Edward M. Zaleski sentenced Katherine V.
Gossett, 26, to two to five: years at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. Zaleski said Gossett had been arrested on prostitution charges even though she has tested positive for the HIV virus, which causes AIDS. "It's my understanding that you are HIV-positive and you have been arrested for prostitution and soliciting," Zaleski said to Gossett during her sentencing yesterday. "The only safe place for you is in prison." "Those cases were dismissed," Gossett told the judge. "But this one isn't," Zaleski shot back.
Trustees and Clerks Association and announced that Baumhart Rd. was a serious contender for an interchange. "The reaction from officials present and from citizens I heard. from was immediate, and it was: very negative," Walsh said. Supporters of the interchange.
were business owners in Lorain' and Avon who did not live near the site, she said. SEE Gossett was indicted Sept. 29 on charges of drug abuse and possession of drug paraphernalia. She pleaded guilty to the indictment Oct. 25.
The charges stemmed from an arrest last summer for possession of crack. While out on bond, Gossett, who had a prior arrest record for soliciting, was arrested twice, once for prostitution and once for solicitation, according to Lorain Police Department records. On Oct. 5, she was charged with soliciting after police found her in a car on Washington Ave. with a 61-year-old man.
The charges against Gossett and the man were dismissed after the man's wife told authorities she was also in the car and that the couple were simply giving Gossett a ride home. On Nov. 24, Gossett was arrested for prostitution after they found her in a car stopped on W. 21st St. with a 30-year-old man.
But the charge against Gossett was again dismissed after the man told authorities he was not in Gossett's company for sex. Parental-notice law survives challenge By STEPHEN KOFF PLAIN DEALER REPORTER The Ohio law that requires teenagers to get a parent's or judge's consent before having an abortion will remain unchanged, with the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday refusing to take a case that claimed the law was being applied unequally from county to county. "The law in Ohio today is the same as it was yesterday, and the same as it has been for nearly three years. And that is, if you are a minor and you wish to have an abortion.
you must notify a parent," said Roger K. Evans, director of litigation for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and one of the lawyers in the case. The parental-notification law allows a girl to go to a juvenile court judge for permission if she feels she cannot tell a parent. It is then up to the judge to decide whether the girl is mature enough to make the decision without a parent's involvement. Council leader changes mind, won't resign COUNTY WATCH IN BRIEF getter in the November election, had vowed to quit if former councilman Bill Hyde was appointed Avon finance director.
But Krystowski reconsidered last night. He said he decided to stay after meeting with Hyde and Mayor James A. Smith and listening to appeals from some of the 2,000 people who voted for him. "I think I have an obligation to those people," he said. "A lot of people reminded me of that." Krystowski was in the minority last week when the council voted 4-3 to affirm Smith's nomination of Hyde, who has about 15 years of government service.
He complained about Hyde's demeanor, describing it as "contrary." Grafton rebate will light up budgets GRAFTON Grafton Public Power customers will save $25 on their December electric bills. Customers who are current with their bills will receive rebate coupons in the mail this month, Councilman Tom Smith said. The December bills are due Jan. 25. "We like to do something for our residents," Smith said.
"It's nice to give back a little bit." ber bill for customers. They could more afford to do so Last year, village officials waived entire Decemthis year after maintenance at the plant's substation, Smith said. Man pleads guilty to assault with truck ELYRIA An Avon Lake man accused of trying to ram his pickup truck into a car in which his girlfriend and her twin children were passengers has pleaded guilty to three counts of felonious assault and one count of having weapons under disability. James J. Schindler, 28, entered the guilty pleas yesterday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court and "It doesn't really change abortion rights," said Carol Westfall, executive director of Cleveland Surgi-Center, one of the clinics that asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.
"It just makes it a little harder for teen-agers who don't have the luxury of having parents they can talk to. Girls in Cuyahoga County won't have any problem; we generally have fair judges they can go to. Girls in other counties aren't so lucky." Although the law was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1990, Planned Parenthood and several abortion clinics contended in the latest challenge that judges throughout Ohio were applying varying standards when granting or denying the judicial bypass part of the law. "The parental-consent laws have been found to have inconsistent rulings, depending on what part of the state you live in," said Cassandra McConnell, public affairs coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland. SEE resign with Smith and Hyde were persuasive because all parties were By STEPHEN HUDAK PLAIN DEALER REPORTER AVON To better serve his constituents, Avon City Council President Edward Krystowski broke a promise last night.
He didn't resign. Krystowski, the city's top vote- LORAIN TODAY ALASKAN CRUISE: North Ridgeville Office for Older Adults presents slide presentation about an upcoming Alaskan cruise, 10:30 a.m., at Senior Center, 7327 Avon Belden Rd. For information on July cruise or brochure, call 353-0835. SCREENINGS: Lorain County General Health District sponsors free blood pressure screenings at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Rectory Conference Room, 25801 Royalton Columbia Township, 1 to 4 p.m.
PARKS HIKE: Lorain County Metro Parks sponsors fast-paced "Healthy Hike," 9 to 10:30 a.m., starting at Carlisle Visitors Center, 12882 Diagonal LaGrange. Hyde previously served two years as Avon's finance director, six as city treasurer and six on the council, where he sometimes butted heads with Krystowski. "We've had our differences," Hyde said. "But when I was (on the council), I definitely represented the interest of the people of the city." Krystowski said his meetings will be sentenced at a later date. Schindler was accused of trying to assault his girlfriend with his truck on June 6 in the parking lot of the Close Quarters Tavern on Lake Rd.
in Avon Lake. Police said he fled and was arrested a short while later in Lorain. Lorain youth gets 6-15 years in shooting ELYRIA A 16-year-old Lorain youth is facing six to 15 years in prison for shooting into a crowd of teen-agers during a gang-related dispute at Oakwood Plaza last May 7. Marcel Tolliver, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced in Lorain County Common Pleas Court yesterday. He pleaded guilty in October to three counts of felonious assault.
His case was bound over from Juvenile Court last July after a judge there determined the boy could not be rehabilitated in the juvenile system. Judge Kosma J. Glavas cited the severity of the crimes and Tolliver's long juvenile record as reasons for the stiff sentence. Three youths were wounded during the shooting, which was touched off by tensions between two rival gangs, police said. Two of the victim, ages 15 and 16, were seriously wounded, and a 13-year-old suffered minor injuries.
i conciliatory. "I think we can get it worked out," he said. Krystowski, in fact, voted last 5 night to set Hyde's salary at $39,500, higher than the first-year U- salary of the city's last finance director. INSIDE New treasurer named Gov. George V.
Voinovich yesterday designated former Cincinnati Mayor J. Kenneth Blackwell as Ohio's first black statewide executive officer and the state's first Republican state treasurer in 22 Bird takes trip south An injured bird that never made its winter journey south from Lake Erie will be jetting to sunny Florida today.3-B I Speedway comes back Thompson Drag Raceway may be back on the fast track after almost closing de down in the late.
