The World - News from Sept. 11, 1987

The U.S. Navy canceled a visit to Costa Rica by the destroyer Luce last week after the Central American nation demanded that the service verify that the 400-man crew was free of AIDS, Pentagon officials said. The officials said Costa Rica demanded that the Navy provide a roster of crewmen on the Luce and “certification” that every sailor was free of AIDS, which the Navy refused to do. One Pentagon official said that a growing “fear and paranoia” about AIDS “could threaten our relationships with friendly countries around the world,” noting that other countries, including the Philippines, have threatened to block visits by U.S. warships over the issue of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.