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Show Page A10 22, 1990 Thursday, November THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Foraeir 'Gladiators' Mh albyfi Every once in a Bilisco used to disappear for a few hours into the attic. His parents thought he was looking for a book. But Bilisco was on a secret mission. Working 2lone, the young state employee would carefully set up sophisticated radio equipment. As his parents placidly watched TV downstairs in their home in the northern city of Trieste, Bilisco would practice calling the contacts he would need during a Soviet bloc ROME (AP) while, Umberto invasion. Bilisco was one of 622 Italians who belonged to an network recently exposed in Europe. Set up by secret services in the 1950s, in some cases with CIA help, it was coordinated existence of the group, known as "Operation Gladio." Those who agreed to interviews have described years of secrecy in which they were spirited off to military bases for training or contacted by strangers using code names. Several say they met U.S. military officials during their training in the 1950s. Their reports contradict statements by some U.S. officials that Washington helped organize the units but had nothing to do with them after the 1950s. Like Bilisco, most say they joined Gladio out of patriotism and fear of an invasion during the Cold War. "Today, with things the way they through NATO. Western Europe, Throughout men and women like Bilisco secretly trained for years in how to blow up bridges, conduct secret radio conversations and organize a resistance movement in the event of invasion. The organization, in many cases, is only being dismantled now. "I entered this organization with enthusiasm," said Bilisco, now 64. "Here in Trieste, we had terrible moments after the war." Bilisco and a few dozen other members of the Italian organization have been exposed by the press since Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti last month disclosed the s!1! are and the way Gorbachev has changed Europe, there's no more need for a service of this kind," said Mattia Passudetti, 70, a former "gladiator" from Udine. "But if conditions were the same as back then, there would be." Operation Gladio has caused an uproar in Italy because of specula- mo la movement, in the case of war," Bilisco said in a telephone interview. "They never said anything about politics." The Italian "gladiators" received training at a base on the island of Sardinia and at a military installation near Rome, according to the . accounts. Periodically, exercises were held in northern Italy. It was during such an exercise tion by politicians and newspapers that it might be linked to a series of unsolved terrorist attacks in the 1960s and 1970s attributed to the right wing. But the members of Gladio named for the swords carried by Roman gladiators deny such assertions. "All the things we learned were things that would help in a guerril- - that Gianmario Pierantoni, 60, recognized by he said. "He assured me it the-state,- that it was a group coming from Vietnam, the Airborne Cavalry," Pierantoni said in a telephone interview from Verona. "We did a training exercise ... a type thing among the Viet-Ccn- know was." Bilisco took a night course at a local school to learn how to communicate by radio. Then, during a two-yeperiod, a" mysterious instructor who seemed " to be a police officer came frequently to train him' ' further. four-mon- th ' g hills," he said. Pierantoni practiced escorting people out through enemy lines during the 1965 exercise, which involved four to five r 2 g "Here's a rebate from Day & Night: $150 in cash." winter-warmin- Night furnace is the best way know of keeping heat bills to a minimum And right now you can get a $150 rebate when you purchase a durable Day & Night deluxe furnace. You'll love its quiet performance and efficiency And best of all. you'll really see a difference in your bills A Day & I fi when you get the furnace that s built with The Right Stuff . . . To Last." Limited time offer Offer valid only through participating Day & Night dealers Call for details Model 398 J COOLING Plus 90 Furnace 400 NattmdGas Financing Available S AP Snoopy gets facelift Elizabeth City, N.C., recently, Crewman Lou Schrum scrubs the Met- life blimp, sprucing up the cartoon character Snoopy during maintenance in - seven-mont- tour 30,000-mil- e h, after a of the LaM-rpho- wash, toucbup painting and changing b the lights in the advertising sign for the blimp's sponsor. HEATING & COOLING Mike Holmes 701 E. State LEHI, UTAH 8,500-buI- United States. Service includes a full J$367 Ech Ytar AC-- . HOLMES 768-415- 1 Owner Dispute over roof threatens to dampen Christ's birthplace JERUSALEM AP) - It could be a wet Christmas for pilgrims in Bethlehem this year because Christian sects are squabbling over who should repair the leaking roof buve Christ's birthplace. was developed by the Turks to prevent just such disputes as the roof wrangle. The code was accepted by the British, Jordanian and Israelis. The code is very specific. For example, the silver star that marks Christ's birthplace is dusted daily by the Greek Orthodox; twice each week, the Orthodox and the Armenians wash it. The nearby manger is exclusively under Roman Catholic control. stone structure, which stands above a grotto believed to be the site where the Christ child was born. Tourism has been sharply rePalesduced by both the three-yetinian uprising in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and the more-recePersian Gulf crisis, but Israeli tourism officials predict some pickup at the holiday. The church has miraculously escaped most ravages of conquering armies. Legend has it, for example, that the Persians left it alone in the seventh century because the garb of the three wise men in mosaics on the facade was similar to their own dress. The roof didn't fare as welL In 1482, Edward IV of England supplied lead for a new roof. Ottoman Turks removed it in the early part of the 17th century to make ammunition. Worship and maintainance of the church is regulated by a code, known as "the Status Quo," that ar There is little disagreement that the roof of the ancient Church of the Nativity needs fixing. Even last witr, worshipers had to weave their way among buckets set out inside the basilica to collect winter rainwater. But the question of who should perform the repair work gets tangled up in complex rules dating to the 1850s on which sect controls which section of the church. Unfortunately, repair of the roof is not specifically mentioned in the codes. Clerics of the Greek Orthodox Giurch traditionally clean the roof, and they argue that this is precedent for doing the repairs. Twice in the past week once in it dead of night Greek Ortho-hav-e wietked to the roof to do ; nt George Hintiian, a spokesman for the Armenian community, believes the roof dispute will be resolved amicably. "This is a periodic repair," Hintiian noted. "It has been done twice under the Israelis, twice under the Jordanians before them." He said the situation called for cooperation: "When something is not part of the status quo, it must be done by consensus." Hamburger says Israel is willing to get to work. tint deed. Both efforts drew letters of pro- test from the Roman Catholics and y "The dispute ... means it goes unrepaired." An:M?ruanb, ; arid on Monday Israel army intervened. 'U you've iseer: the physical "The people, the food, The Israeli military government's haiv;.-- with ti churchmen, said Tuesday. 'The dispute between the three communities over who will do what in repairs mean goes the atmosphere; that makes the difference." unrepaired." Hamburger said tie Israeli government was willing to do 'the ' and otiier goern-u- i powers like Jordan and the Ifcntish did bef'Te. ; Now, as in the past. the tiuee (ommuruties could bend representatives to supervise, ie said. Creek Orthodox church officials could not he reached for comment despite repeated telephone calls. Newspaper reports say the church it adamant that the roof u its property and can only be repaired by tint Greek Orthodox. The dark and musty church was built by Coristantine in the year 330 and restored aid enlarged in the .sixth century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It is believed to be the oldest Christian church in continuous use. Year round, but especially at pilgrims flock to the Utf-istma- J fi k ii " IVA- - l! Mr. I5oi r iI- I tlii -- -- on "inula l. - I, ill imi-- .inl -- ft- v f Iii.m yvji -- t our ocwcii i v. i'ii !',.. T C yiiiyi c ) plus free iiiM Iit roiii1i-ii- t il ron-tai- . tl..-m- Join Unix li trul Mi'rli, rcans ncouri Sunday Brnncli ' -5 f LARGE REMNANTS V UP TO 12x40' JUST ARRIVED AT ( XI Omumm HaaLa DrtoAnt LJ " OR NO PAYMENT TRUCK LOAD OF Iff atiiifili-ri- ' - MIN. PURCHASE- orr?ffmff) liniiH li - iniMrtaiil iiinii t iiiak In- On tiling - inuliT ,iiiI tin iiiiI-Ijii.I- u l'n livrdt. y IrlSlSlsVwlNTERESTjK S IV . con-diti- J FREE WITH PURCHASE IN NOVEMBER ( the 'problems." Shniuel 'Hamburger, a Israel ) ra. of the basilica you know the ;work, pgo DAYSV ''. J bU I ut. . :( I;1 -- I ('i I H o 1 I , - 1 l l!W:i:iyCl;(Hr'f:lr:TTrJI-- S11.95 i.iititrn J uxl-- 1.1.11 1 IM l S" l ' l' , land-survey- or worked with American soldiers, he said. "I only Italians and a squad of Americans, he said. Passudetti said two American military men as well as some rrencn- - ana ueriuiui-oyw"- " cers observed bis training exercise in September 1962. Unlike the others, Bilisco said he worked only with Italians. entered The state Gladio in 1960 at the invitation of an old school friend, he said. ; "I joined on condition it was an H I ' |