Q&A: U.S. CALLED 'PRINCIPAL TARGET' OF TERRORISTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000504980001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 10, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 4, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/10: CIA-RDP90-00552R000504980001-6
Frank H. Perez, deputy director
of the Office for Combatting IQ: But one really cant compare the A:.wez one or me gs o s -
ttin8 number of incidents against the West ~ rtance 'in dealing with intern erna-
Terrorism, on the fight against with those against the Soviet Union. tio~ terrorism is intelligence. That
terrorists. Those against the West far outnumber is the, key, and this administration had
those against the Russians. r pdmuch greater emphasis on
As deputy director of the State A: That's-'right. The United States t intelligence. We do get a lot of intelli-.
Department's Office for Combatting llas historically beep tbe;.principal $;., gene now that forewarns us of
.Terrorism, Frank H. Perez plays a target of international terrorism We've apptetttiAlproblems so~that we can
major role in the continuing fight been-the-target in about a third of all something to thwart an attack,
against-terrorism. the international attacks, although-this In addition, the level of funding'that
A retired lieutenant colonel in the past year we were the target in we're providing for security is very- ? --
U.S: Air Force Reserve, Perez has almost 50 percents-,,; important .The bureaucracy . ws.,,, ;
served in a number of overseas that the administration is very con-
assignments,' most recently inBruss&.s, cerned with.the problem and therefore'
Belgium as political advisor to the gives it a high riQ: Between 1968 and 1976, incS- ipriority, therefore . .
U .S. Mission to NATO, and in Geneva 'coordination and cooperation is much
dents-of attempted assassinations aver:
as the State Department member of aged about 20 per year,, During the: , -better than it's ever been . ,
the Salt II delegation with the rank of Carter years,1976 to 1980, such Inca , .. Q Is the present level of funding
minister dents increased dramatically -the adequate for security purposes?
Earlier he served as a member of the . 1980 rate being more than three.times - A: Well, you can never say you've got -
State Department's Policy Planning the 1976?rate. In 1981, the first year , .,'-,,'enough, enough, but Congressfias been very
Staff and as an office director in the ; of the Reagan administration,,.therate , responsive to our needs in'providing'.,
Bureau of Intelligence and Research. dropped to about the 1976 level. What ',necessary funding for our, security
He was interviewed by Washington accounts for this drop and what doe ,it, programs. `I think in that area were
Times staff writer Glenn Emery. signify? doing quite well. Q: It is often stated and generally A: I think it's very hard to say what Q: Besides intelligence, what else
believed in the West =that the Soviet trmeans. As you indicated; in 1980 : can be done to deal effectively-with
Union is at least surreptitiously we hid thetoghest number of assas3i aa-" international terrorism?'-`, '.
involved in acts of terrorism against tion attempts, deaths and injuries. . A: We think international coopera-
the West, yet in 1980 the Soviet Union The rate has dropped somewhat. Some--; lion is absolutely essential, and we've
was the second most oft-attacked coun-. of it may be attributed to the fact 'made every effot to improve. and
try after the United States, albeit a - that diplomatic missions around the enhance cooperation between like-'
distant second. What accounts for the world, not only the United States'. but minded countries: We think that .
relatively high incidence of terror . others, are taking greater precautions cooperation between countries currently
ism against the Soviet Union? to protect their people. For example, faced with this problem is good;
A: We don't know much about the 'kirks have been subjected to many bi-lateral cooperation in terms of
stacks by Armenian terrorists - exchanging intelligence, assisting each
terrorism within the Soviet Union, but they've lost close to 25 diplomats over other. We don't feel that international
what we do know suggests that there the past few years. 'cooperation on the political level is.as
isn't any problem domestically. The The Israelis, have always-been good as it should be. We think there
problem is external, once they get .i subjected to terrorist attacks. The ought to be more multi-lateral coopers-
outside the Soviet Union. British have taken greater precautions tion in dealing with this problem.
One thing you have to remember is because of the Irish terrorists. For example, if we get information
that most of these terrorist groups " ' . Q: Is there anything about this admin- of a potential threat to another country
around the world are leftist-Marxist istration that you feel has contributed ?- we will provide them with that
oriented and therefore, their principal ',to this decline? :ij information, and they will?dothe-same.
enemy is the United States, not the A: It's very hard to say that the Q: What about reports that the CIA Soviet Union. But in countries like policies of this administration have is either avoiding or obstructing an
Syria, where the Soviets have a large contributed significantly to any... r. } Investigation into the attempted asses-
presence, they have been the target of reduction, but clearly-this administra- sination of the pope? ,
terrorist attack by the Moslem tion has taken the problem very brotherhood. Also, anti-Castro Cubans. seriously and has instituted a number`~'=.
JC_ in the United States have attacked of measures to deal with the problemf+= .
Soviet targets in this country. For .
example, they bombed the Soviet the
Union Nations in New York.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/10: CIA-RDP90-00552R000504980001-6