REAGAN'S DESERT ONE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390070-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: September 27, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/09: CIA-RDP90-005528000505390070-4 STAT
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE ~7
ESSAY I William Safire
NEW YORK TIMES
27 September 198+
Reagan's Desert One
WASHINGTON
f you were the commander of the
Islamic Jihad, victor in Beirut
three times over the incompetent
American military, what would you
do next? -
First, from your sanctuary in the
Syrian-occupied Bekaa Valley in
Lebanon, you would request permis-
sion from Damascus to import an-
other 3,000-pound truckload of explo-
sives from Iran.
That permission would surely be
given. Richard Murphy, the Reagan
Administration official in charge of
cluck-clucking when a U.S. Embassy
is destroyed in Beirut, recently
praised Syria for being "helpful" to
America; because he is so ready to
turn the other cheek, Damascus has a
reason to let continue the loading of
the Jihad's trucks with explosives.
Next, you would publicly state your
intention tc blast the Americans
again soon, just as you did before the
most recent bombing. This displays
your contempt for American might,
and it has never stimulated any spe-
cial urgency in security countermeas-
tires. Certainly such notice did not
stop your suicide bomber from deto-
nating his charge from within 10
yards of the embassy last week.
Finally, you would pick a politically
suitable date and aim your truck
bomb at the U.S. Ambassador's resi-
dence in the Beirut suburb of Yarze,
or - if the Americans elect to rees-
tablish their presence in West Beirut
- at the err.bassy, whose easily pene-
trable defenses were exposed on CBS
the other night.
Americans are coming to the reali-
zation that the Reagan response to
these continued outrages will be even
more pusillanimous than Jimmy Car-
ter's protracted hand-wringing at the
seizure of hostages in Teheran.
Every time the United States has
been humiliated by the Syrian-Ira-
nian-P.L.O. suicide squad, Mr. Rea-
gan has posed before cameras to say
we are not going to pull out under fire.
And then he has left our front-line dip-
lomats hostage to terrorists.
His Defense Secretary, Viscount
Weinberger of Grenada, stripped our
embassy of its 80 Marine guards a few
months ago because he was afraid
they might provoke trouble. The Pen-
tagon argues that security of embas-
sies is a matter for the "host coun-
try," and suggests we hire local
mercenaries to protect American
civilians. The State Department joins
in with the alibi that "an embassy is
not a fort."
But we have learned that not even
our forts are forts. We have always
known that Amin Gemayel's rickety
regime-was not an -effective "host"
and that what passes as a Lebanese
Government was not capable of de'
fending our embassy from attack.'
The only way we can stop terrorists
from driving us out of Lebanon is to
stop them ourselves.
The President should stop nibbling
his nails and make the tough choice.
If his decision is to bug out, he should
put the embassy on a ship offshore
right away; if his decision is to stay,
he is duty-bound to put in the power
and the anti-tank traps to guarapteO
our citizens' safety. That means Ronald Reagan, per-
sonally should call in the Director of
Central Intelligence and demand to
know who murdered 260 American
t omats anmarines in the lasti?18'
months, and through whose cheek. .
points the explosives have pass He.
needs to direct the Defense Secretar}~
to ma e g on his promise toP-uru`E
the murderers. And he must act now,.
t av. to mate certarn tFai ~imer can
diplomats in Beirut get the protection''
they snM Td-NdVe-W6ff-getturg ioai
tbeGoveniment t~iey serve:' `' : -
F_:1i we have seen so far-is impo-
tence and incompetence, posture pgs-,.
ing as policy. Can you imagine what-
Ronald Reagan ould have _Sala
about weakness and lack of leadero
ship if Jimmy Carter's C.I.A. were.
s rung e ess y; t Jimmy
ter's Pentagon wanted to hide the-Ma=
rine Corps and hire local gunmen to,'
defend American honor; if Jimmy
Carter had compared fatal military
construction delays to the normal,
foot-dragging in fixing his kitchen? .
The moment a truck-bomb threat'
was suspected at the White Hotise,
trucks loaded with sand blocke .all;'
the entrances until concrete barriers'
were put in place on Pennsylvania,
Avenue and the side streets. No tragic,
delays, no Weinberger defeatism
about helicopters appearing it trucks
were stopped.
If the President can protect the
White House so quickly and effective=
ly, he can order the airlift of similar
protection of the place the American
flag -flies in Beirut. Mr. Reagan
should stop wallowing in his victimi-
zation; if he does not have the means
or guts to defend our embassy, she:
should have the good grace to close?it.
down. . 0.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/09: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390070-4