BEIRUT HOSTAGES' FATE LOOMS AS TEST FOR U.S.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000503870004-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: May 31, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/12 : Cl
ARTICLE APP RED i Bn.LTINIOPE SUN
ON PAGE 31 Play 1985
WORLD
Beirut hostages' fate
looms as test for U.S.
By Gilbert A. Lewthwaite counter-terrorism ana emergency Levin from his captors in Lebanon, a
Washington Bureau of The Sun planning, testified to Congress this special task force is created.
month, new and "grotesque develop- Mr. Oakley, in his testimony tc
WASHINGTON - The fate of the ments." .A the.19enate Foreign Relations Com-
five American hostages in Beirut is During the past two years one- mitt~e this month, provided a list of
shaping up as a possible test of the third of the victims of terrorist at- 10 U.S. responses to terrorism:
U.S. -willingness to retaliate directly tacks died. 0 Increased physical security at
and violently against terrorism. - About one in every three terrorist U.S. embassies and missions abroad,
A news report last week said con- attacks is aimed at Americans, usu- reinforcing buildings, upgrading se-
tingency plans submitted to Presi- ally abroad. Most other attacks are curity equipment, and augmenting
dent Reagan included - if the ter- made closer to the teorrorists' home arnttd guards at the most seriously
rorists had a proven link to Iran turf - the Pale..tine Liberation Or- threatened outposts;
the bombing of the Iranian city of ganization in Israel, Irish Republican 0 Establishment of an Emergency
Qom, seat of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Army in Britain, the Red Brigades in , Action ? Plan at every embassy, to be
Khomeini and center of his Shiite Italy, the Basques in Spain, the Cor- reviewed every two years. with the
fundamentalist sect. sican nationalists in France. system in high-threat areas being
Neither the White House nor the Experts feel that while the poten- tested by mock hijackings, bombings
State Department would comment tial threat Inside the United States is and assaults.
on the report, carried by Hearst News real, security measures minimize it 0 Educating U.S. personnel over-
Service, but both asserted vaguely and the major danger will remain seas, with all government employees
that the United States "will respond abroad. required to attend counter-terrorism
with whatever action we deem most l With this as background, the Rea- seminars before they are posted
appropriate against those responsi- gan administration has adopted a abroad;
ble for state-supported terrorism." clear policy: no concessions to terror- 0 Close liaison with U.S. overseas
The Reagan administration ists; no ransoms, prisoner releases, business representatives;
consistently has kept open the option or any actions which might encour- 0 Sponsoring legislation which
'of direct retaliation, and has deliber- age future terrorism, and no changes strengthens U.S. defenses, including
ately fed the sense of uncertainty in policy because of terrorist pres- a new program to pay rewards for in-
that terrorists now face. sure. - formation on terrorists; .
Secretary of State George P. Other governments are encour- 0 Controlling trade with countries
Shultz, last October 25, gave the aged to take equally strong stands, known to support terrorism, current-
most concise outline of the adminis- but the United States is careful not to ly including Cuba, Libya, Syria, Iran,
tration's counter-terrorism policy criticize. When Israel swapped 1,150 and South Yemen.
when he said: ? "Our responses Palestinians, many of them convict- 0 Monitoring' and controlling
should go beyond passive defense to ed terrorists, for three Israeli soldiers travel of terrorists and diplomats
consider means of active prevention, last week, the State Department re- ~ from countries supporting terrorism;
preemption and retaliation. action was limited to restating U.S. 0 Improving intelligence gather-
"Our goal must be to prevent and policy rather than questioning Israeli ing on terrorist organiza ions:
deter future terrorist acts." judgment. 0 Dispatching additional man-
It was a statement deliberately If U.S. personnel are victims of power. including intelligence officers,
crafted to put terrorists on notice terrorism, the administration has a psychologists, troops, to site of ter-
Lthat the United States had the ability broad range of options, including vio- rorist Incident;
and the will to react dramatically if it lent retaliation. - - Responding militarily.
so decided. But it immediately pro- Should the Beirut hostages be Said Mr. Oakley: "Selecting the
duced conflict within the administra- killed, recommendations on U.S. re- appropriate response to- each terror-
'tion, with Vice President Bush and aaliatory steps would be made by the 'ist act raises many questions. We
Defense Secretary Caspar W. Wein- Interdepartmental Group on Terror- should not consider it a sign of weak-
berger appearing less ready to use ism, led by the State Department. ness that a terrorist act might occur
military force than Mr. Shultz. There The list of permanent members re- without a U.S. military response.
was brief confusion, but MT. Reagan fleets the variety of responses that "We must remember that we are
eventually appeared to side with Mr. could be called up. a superpower with global interests
Shultz's firm approach. - In the group are the vice presi- and responsibilities, and we - must
The policy has been consolidated dent's office, the National Security recognize that in many cases the dis-
through testimony of various officials Council Department of Defense the advantages of military action from
on Capitol Hill. That policy appears Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA. Jus- the global perspective might out-
to be heading for an inevitable test, tice, a FBI, the Drug Enforcement welgh'the advantages.
as administration officials predict in- Agency, Treasu Erie and the "This does not mean that we are
creasingly violent terrorism with, as Federal Aviation minis either unable or unwilling to act
Robert B. Oakley, director of.. the In major crises, such as a Sep- forcefully, but rather that in most
State Department's office for , tember 20 bombing of thh U.S. Em- i circumstances other sorts of actions
? bassy in -Beirut; the hijacking of a might be more appropriate than a
Kuwait airline flight to Iran, and the military response."
escape of America.: journalist Jerry
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/12 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000503870004-8