DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TESTIMONY REGARDING THE ROLE OF THE FBI IN COMBATING TERRORISM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP95B00895R000300050024-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 7, 2008
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: February 3, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT .AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
February 3, 1984
LEGISLATIVE REFERRAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Legislative Liaison Officer
National Security Council
D Artment of the Treasury
entral Intelligence Agency
Department of Defense
Department of State
SUBJECT: Department of Justice testimony regarding the role of
the FBI in combating terrorism
The Office of Management and Budget requests the views of your
agency on the above subject before advising on its relationship
to the program of the President, in accordance with OMB Circular
A-19.
Please provide us with your views no later than
COB MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1-984.
Direct your questions to Gregory Jones (395-3856), of this office.
James/C. Murt' for
cc: M. Uhlmann A. Curtis
Assistant Director for
Legislative Reference
A. Donahue
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TESTIMONY
BY
WILLIAM H. WEBSTER
DIRECTOR
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
BEFORE AN
OPEN SESSION OF THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVIL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, D. C.
FEBRUARY 8, 1984
Dr?,ct
211194
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?. ?
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I am
pleased to appear before you this morning to discuss the role
of the FBI in combating terrorism.
As you know, terrorists hope to achieve many goals
when they strike out against society. They may want to make
ideological statements or political demands. They may hope to
bring about a change in our national policy, or perhaps the
policies of another nation. Or they may desire retribution for
real or imagined wrongs. Rarely, if ever, do they offer
rational or viable alternatives.
Whatever their intentions, terrorist activities can be
reduced to one common denominator: the use of violence. The
Soviet dissident and Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Andrei
Sakharov, put it this ways
"No matter how high the aims predicated by
terrorists... their activities are always criminal,
always destructive, throwing humankind back to a time
of lawlessness and chaos, provoking... internal and
international complications, contradicting the goals
of peace and progress.'
Responding to terrorist activities is much more
difficult for a democratic society than it is for a
totalitarian state. Repressive measures are what most terrorist
organizations seek to illicit. Our response must be so measured
that we do not destroy the openness we enjoy or trample the
freedoms we ezpect.
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In discussing our response to terrorism, let me begin
with our definition of terrorism. Terrorism is the unlawful
use of force or violence against persons or property to
intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or
any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives. The FBI divides terrorism into either domestic or
international categories on the basis of the origin of the
group. If a terrorist group is one that originates within the
United States and has no foreign funding, direction, or
influence, it is domestic. If, on the other hand, the group
originates outside the United States, is funded or directed from
without the United States, or the group's activities transcend
national boundaries, it is international.
Our terrorism investigations are based on a very
fundamental responsibility of government--the duty to protect
the public against terrorism and those who would destroy our
political system through criminal violence.
Our international terrorism cases are investigated
under the Foreign Counterintelligence Guidelines and the
provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Although the exact number of these investigations is classified,
they far outnumber the cases involving domestic terrorist
groups.
Our domestic security/terrorism investigations are
best understood if terrorist organizations are viewed as
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criminal enterprises. Like other investigations of criminal
enterprises, for example in organized crime, these
investigations not only entail determining who committed
specific criminal acts, but also how those individuals relate to
others similarly motivated, how they are financed and supported
logistically, and who their leadership is. As in other criminal
cases, we gather intelligence and evidence for prosecution.
This approach allows us to focus on the total terrorist network
rather than on what a particular group decides to call itself.
These investigations are conducted under the Attorney
General Guidelines for General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprises
and Domestic Security/Terrorism Investigations. In 1976, then
Attorney General Levi published a set of guidelines, popularly
known as the "Levi Guidelines," that set the parameters for the
FBI's investigation of domestic security. These guidelines were
in effect until April, 1983, when Attorney General William
French Smith issued a revised set of guidelines for these
investigations. viewing terrorist organizations as criminal
enterprises under these guidelines, we now open Domestic
Security/Terrorism cases when facts or circumstances indicate
that two or more persons are engaged in an enterprise for the
purpose of furthering political or social goals wholly or in
part through activities that involve force or violence in
violation of the law.
Last year's bombings in Beirut and Kuwait and other
incidents have aroused fear and concern in Americans. We know
that since 1968, approximately 40 percent of all international
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terrorist incidents that occurred outside our borders were aimed
at United States officials, property or civilians. Although we
have been fortunate enough here at home to escape an atrocity of
the magnitude of the two Beirut bombings, we have seen an
increased propensity on the part of terrorist groups to plan and
out terrorist acts in the United States. This is typified
carry
by the destruction of $50 million worth of aircraft in San Juan,
Puerto Rico, in January, 1981, by the pro-independence Puerto
Rican terrorist group, "Macheteros." The assassination of two
The
Turkish diplomats in 1982 by the Armenian terrorist group,
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG)" is another
example.
Here in the United States we experienced 29 terrorist
incidents in 1980, 42 in 1981, and 52 in 1982. The 31 terrorist
incidents in 1983 represent almost a 40 percent decrease when
compared to 1982. During the same period, the number of killed
and injured decreased from seven killed and 26 injured in 1982
to six killed and four injured in 1983. These reductions can be
attributed in part to the success of the FBI in preventing a
number of terrorist incidents in 1983.
As interested as I know you are in our philosophy on
these investigations and the statistics, I realize you are most
concerned about what we are doing to protect the American people
from terrorists. The balance of my remarks will be devoted to
this.
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Until October, 1982, the FBI had three national
rograms--Organized Crime, White-Collar Crime and
priority p broadened
1982, 1 br
In October,
Foreign Counterintelligence.
Terrorism
those priorities to include a fourth . In the face
worldwide threat of terrorism, I wanted to insure that
of the
ossible to carry out our
we were doing everything p in the fight against
responsibility as the lead Federal agency
terrorism in the United States. As the lead agency, the FBI has
a dual mission. The first is preventive in nature and the
second, reactive. I would like to deal with them in reverse
order.
The reactive phase of the FBI's Terrorism Program
involves the response to and investigation of criminal acts
committed by terrorist groups. Many of the acts committed by
comma jurisdiction
known terrorist groups come under the investigative j
of the FBI, although a local law enforcement entity may have
concurrent jurisdiction. This necessitates a close working
relationship between the FBI and other Federal and local law
enforcement agencies.
While we speak of our Terrorism Program as having two
We believe
phases, it is often difficult to separate the two.
we are able to reduce tomorrow's acts of terrorism by acts.
identifying and prosecuting those responsible for today's is articularly true when group leaders are successfully
This p
prosecuted.
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It is our opinion that the 1983 decline in terrorist
incidents can be attributed, in part, to the success of the FBI
and other law enforcement agencies in investigating individuals
such as the Armenian terrorists and the Puerto Rican pro
independence terrorists, For example, in October, 1982, five
members of the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide
(JCAG), who were under FBI surveillance, were arrested after
attempting to bomb the Turkish Honorary Consulate in
Philadelphia. The arrest of these five marks the first time
members of the JCAG have been arrested prior to the commission
of a terrorist act. Those arrests, along with the arrests and
subsequent convictions of three members of the Armenian Secret
Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) for attempting to
bomb an Air Canada cargo building have discouraged activities by
those groups in the United States. Although Armenian terrorist
groups were responsible for five attacks in this country in
1982, including two assassinations, in 1983 there were none.
We have enjoyed similar results against domestic
terrorists. As a result of an intensive FBI investigation
our most
of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN),
violent domestic group, we identified a safehouse in Chicago and
arrested four individuals in possession of semiautomatic
weapons, homemade silencers and explosives. These arrests
prevented the FALN from carrying out planned bombings, armed
.robberies and prison breaks. This investigation also resulted
in the June arrest of FALN leader and bomb maker
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William Guillermo Morales in Mexico. Morales, who had been a
fugitive since his escape from a prison hospital in May, 1979,
remains in Mexico pending extradition proceedings.
In 1982, there were 25 acts of terrorism attributable
to Puerto Rican terrorist groups. In 1983, there were only
three. This reduction in incidents is partially a result of the
FBI's investigation of the FALN in Chicago and other cities.
Our efforts to prevent terrorism go beyond
investigations of terrorist incidents and attempts to identify
and prosecute those who are responsible. The preventive phase
of our terrorism program includes aggressive efforts to collect
and analyze all legally obtainable intelligence concerning
terrorist groups that pose a threat to the United States or its
citizens. In 1980, the FBI established a Terrorist Research and
Analytical Center at FBI Headquarters to analyze and computerize
data on known terrorists and terrorist groups active in the
United States. This center consists of analysts and computer
experts who review all information received by the FBI
concerning terrorist groups or individual terrorists, and who
make assessments of the potential threat.
The FBI in its role as the lead Federal agency in
combating terrorism is coordinating the Federal law enforcement
preparation for a number of special events in 1984. These are
the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; the World's Fair in
New Orleans; and the Democratic and Republican National
Conventions. The most widely publicized of these is
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of the Israeli athletes by Arab
the Olympics. Since the killing
terrorists at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany,
elaborate security measures for these events have become
obligatory, and the games in the United States will be no
exception.
We are working side by side with other Federal, state
and local agencies having security and law enforcement
responsibilities at the games. We have not sought, nor do we
seek to encroach upon the jurisdictional responsibilities of
these agencies. In fact, our successes in counterterrorism
investigations have been supported to a great extent by the
efforts of law enforcement officers at all levels. Preparing
for an event of this magnitude would not be complete without
plans to respond to any incident.
At the present time, a memorandum of understanding
between the FBI and the Southern California law enforcement
agencies involved with security at the games is in the process
of being signed. As of January 30, 1984, it had been signed by
fifteen agencies, including the FBI. In addition, the FBI and
the Los Angeles Police Department are presently drafting a
memorandum of understanding between the two agencies that will
clearly delineate the responsibilities of each during the
Olympics and insure a concerted effort to prevent terrorist
attacks.-
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The Los Angeles FBI Office has developed emergency
response teams to establish an initial Federal presence and
handle routine incidents under FBI jurisdiction. We will also
have available in Los Angeles during the Olympics a 50-member
Hostage Rescue Team, the first major civilian anti-terrorist
team ever assembled in this country. This team will be able to
Although
respond to hostage situations anywhere in the country.
we have well-trained five- to seven-man SWAT teams and hostage
negotiators in each of our 59 field offices throughout the
United States, that's not enough. Our new Hostage Rescue Team
will provide us with the manpower to meet massive emergency
situations, yet, will have the training and skill to save lives.
The team will provide the President and the Attorney General
with an alternative to the use of military force. The Hostage
Rescue Team will be a deterrent factor in the, future, I'm sure.-
We have seriously weakened several of the major
domestic terrorist groups in this country. But we won't allow
our successes to blind us to the potential for terrorist
activity in this country. That will always exist; however, we
are confident that we have taken appropriate steps to make sure
that terrorists do not succeed in getting even a beachhead such
as they have enjoyed for years in other parts of the world.
To avoid the lawlessness and chaos that
Andrei Sakharov spoke about requires vigilance. We must be
firm, but we must not be repressive. We must do this with the
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i hest level of professionalism. Otherwise the terrorist wins
h g
his objective. The ultimate objective for us is to keep our
citizens safe and free. I can tell you the FBI is working very
hard to do just that.
That completes my prepared statement. I am now
prepared to answer your questions.
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