
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993                   TAG: 9312180142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                                LENGTH: Short

FINAL WITNESS HEARD IN TAILHOOK HEARING

A former assistant Navy secretary testified Friday that she believes Chief of Naval Operations Frank Kelso would have stopped misconduct if he had seen it at the 1991 Tailhook convention.

"I don't believe that Admiral Kelso saw that," Barbara Pope said when asked about an incident on the Friday night of the convention.

Robert Beck, a captain in the Navy Reserve, testified earlier that Kelso heard a group of men encouraging a woman to strip on Friday night at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Kelso has denied seeing any misconduct.

Capt. William Vest, a military judge, has been listening to four weeks of testimony on whether Kelso's presence at Tailhook and what he might have seen taints charges against two Navy commanders. Pope was the last witness.

The commanders, Thomas R. Miller and Gregory Tritt, are accused of failing to stop misconduct by junior officers. - Associated Press

by CNB