GULF WATCH: Day 92 : A Daily Briefing Paper On Developments In The Crisis

Diplomatic Front:

President Bush, increasing his verbal offensive against Iraq, suggested that Saddam Hussein is more brutal than Adolf Hitler and said he wants to make it “very, very clear there will be no compromise” over demands that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait.

A White House spokesman said the President’s increasingly tough talk is designed “to prepare the American people for any eventuality” in the Persian Gulf crisis. “If we have to take dramatic action, we want them to understand why,” he said.

At a campaign press conference in Omaha, First Lady Barbara Bush said the President would consider a one-on-one meeting with Hussein if it would help bring peace to the Middle East. Asked about the comment, Bush said he would take such a step only after Hussein yields on the demand that Iraq leave Kuwait. Military Front:

Sailors aboard the assault ship Iwo Jima held a memorial service for 10 of their colleagues who were killed Tuesday when a high-pressure steam line burst during maneuvers off the coast of Bahrain. Hostage Front:

Iraq announced that family members would be allowed to visit Western hostages during the Christmas holidays and said four more detained Americans will be released soon because “they are sick and elderly.” A Palestine Liberation Organization official said Iraq would free all hostages if it was assured that no military action in the gulf was likely. Non-Arab Troop Deployments in the Persian Gulf:

United States: 210,000+

Britain: 16,000

France: 15,000

Pakistan: 5,000

Bangladesh: 5,000

Turkey: 5,000