Citizen’s Crime Commission of Delaware Valley Union League November 5, 1987

PRESENTATION BY IRA A. LIPMAN
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

NOVEMBER 5, 1987

THANK YOU.

I’M VERY PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT TERRORISM, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT, BECAUSE TERRORISM IS ONE OF THE GRAVEST THREATS WE FACE, BOTH AS AMERICANS AND AS BUSINESS PEOPLE.

LAST YEAR, AROUND THE WORLD, THERE WERE ALMOST 800 INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ATTACKS. PEOPLE AND PROPERTY IN 80 COUNTRIES WERE EITHER THE VICTIMS OR TARGETS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. THESE ATTACKS RESULTED IN ALMOST 2,000 CASUALTIES.

IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, 69 AMERICANS WERE KILLED OVERSEAS IN TERRORIST ATTACKS, AND 50 OF THEM WERE PRIVATE CITIZENS, WITH NO CONNECTION TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR MILITARY.

HERE AT HOME, THERE WERE 17 TERRORIST INCIDENTS, TEN MORE THAN IN 1985. NONE OF THESE ATTACKS WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AN INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. THE APPARENT FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS TO CARRY OUT SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS WITHIN OUR BORDERS HAS LED TO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY THAT COULD COST US DEARLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

THAT IS BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC-AND THAT INCLUDES BUSINESS EXECUTIVES-CAN BE VERY FICKLE WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY. IT TOOK ONLY TWO TERRORIST INCIDENTS NEAR THE END OF 1985 TO STOP THE AMERICAN TOURIST TRAFFIC TO EUROPE IN 1986. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT- THE ATTACK ON THE ACHILLE LAURO-LEON KLINGHOFFER, A 69-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN TOURIST, PARTIALLY PARALYZED FROM A STROKE AND CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR, WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED AND THROWN OVERBOARD. THE SECOND INCIDENT CONSISTED OF ALMOST SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS ON TOURISTS IN THE ROME AND VIENNA AIRPORTS. MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE DIED. THE NEXT YEAR, AMERICANS STAYED HOME. BUT MEMORIES ARE SHORT, AND WHEN THE AMERICAN AIR RAIDS ON TRIPOLI IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR SEEMED TO PUT A STOP TO LIBYAN-SPONSORED TERRORISM, THE TRAFFIC TO EUROPE THIS PAST SUMMER AGAIN REACHED RECORD NUMBERS.

BUT TERRORISM IS NOT A TEMPORARY PHENOMENON, LIKE AN ECLIPSE OF THE MOON OR THE PASSING OF A COMET. IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD, TERRORISM MOST RESEMBLES AN EARTHQUAKE. IN ITS VIOLENCE, IN ITS SUDDENNESS AND SHOCK, IN ITS MINDLESS DESTRUCTION OF PEOPLE AND PROPERTY, TERRORISM-LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE-GRABS OUR ATTENTION AND CREATES OUR FOCUS. BUT WHEN THE BODIES ARE BURIED AND THE RUBBLE REMOVED, OUR MINDS WANDER TO OTHER MATTERS AND WE CONGRATULATE OURSELVES FOR NOT LIVING ON THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT OR IN A COUNTRY WHERE TERRORISTS STRIKE ALMOST AT WILL. AS THE MEMORY FADES, SO DOES THE URGENCY. ONCE IN A WHILE A SMALL TREMOR OR MINOR TERRORIST INCIDENT REMINDS US OF THE DANGEROUS FORCES GATHERING DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE. THOSE WARNINGS SHOULD CONVINCE US THAT THE NEXT CRISIS COULD OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT, BUT THE RUMBLINGS ARE TOO OFTEN IGNORED. WE CAN EVEN BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO THE SHOCKS UNTIL THEY BECOME PART OF THE NORMAL ORDER OF THINGS, LIKE CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT IN ITALY OR THE DISCOVERY OF MORE CARCINOGENS IN OUR FOOD AND WATER. WHEN WE BECOME JADED, TERRORISTS MUST STAGE EVER MORE OUTRAGEOUS ATTACKS TO GAIN THE EYE OF THE MEDIA AND THE ATTENTION OF THE PUBLIC.

THE PERCEIVED LULL IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY SHOULD NOT MISLEAD US INTO THINKING THAT THE STRUGGLE IS OVER. IN FACT, THE NUMBER OF TERRORIST ATTACKS AROUND THE WORLD IN 1987 IS ACTUALLY HIGHER THAN FOR THE SAME PERIODS IN 1985 AND 1986. IF THERE HAS BEEN A LULL IN WESTERN EUROPE, IT IS BECAUSE TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE REASSESSING THEIR STRATEGIES AND TACTICS IN LIGHT OF A NEW SITUATION. THAT NEW SITUATION DERIVES FROM PRESIDENT REAGAN’S RAID ON TRIPOLI, SHOWING TERRORISTS THAT THEY COULD RUN, BUT THEY COULD NOT HIDE. THAT LESSON REINFORCED THE SENSE THAT THERE WAS A NEW BOLDNESS IN AMERICAN RESPONSE TO TERRORISM. IN OCTOBER 1985, U.S. NAVY FIGHTERS HAD INTERCEPTED AN EGYPTIAN JETLINER AND FORCIBLY REMOVED FOUR TERRORISTS WHO HAD HIJACKED THE ACHILLE LAURO. AND IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, AMERICAN AGENTS LURED A LEBANESE TERRORIST, WHO WAS WANTED FOR HIJACKING A JORDANIAN AIRLINER IN 1985, INTO INTERNATIONAL WATERS WHERE HE WAS ARRESTED.  THESE STRONG, FORCEFUL ACTIONS, ALONG WITH THE INVASION OF GRENADA, HAVE CONVINCED THE TERRORISTS THAT THE STAKES HAVE BEEN RAISED.

INTERNATIONAL RESOLVE AGAINST TERRORISM HAS ALSO STIFFENED OVER THE LAST YEAR-AND-A-HALF. GREAT BRITAIN AND OTHER WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EXPELLED OVER 100 LIBYAN BUSINESSMEN AND SO-CALLED DIPLOMATS; FRANCE REFUSED DEMANDS TO RELEASE GEORGE IBRAHIM ABDALLAH, A KNOWN TERRORIST, EVEN AFTER A SERIES OF BOMBINGS IN PARIS THAT KILLED NINE PEOPLE AND WOUNDED MORE THAN 160 OTHERS; WEST GERMANY CONTINUES TO HOLD MOHAMMED ALI HAMADEI, WANTED FOR HIJACKING A TWA AIRLINER IN 1985 AND THE MURDER OF AN AMERICAN PASSENGER, AMID SPECULATION THAT IT WOULD TRADE HIM FOR WEST GERMANS HELD HOSTAGE IN LEBANON.

THE EJECTION OF SO-CALLED DIPLOMATS OF STATES THAT SPONSOR TERRORISM HAS MADE THE TERRORISTS’ TASK MORE DIFFICULT. INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM REQUIRES A VAST SUPPORT NETWORK TO PROVIDE WEAPONS, FALSE PAPERS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND FUNDS.  INTERRUPTION OF THIS NETWORK, CONCERN WITH INCREASED SECURITY MEASURES, AND A NEED TO FACTOR INTO THEIR CALCULATIONS TILE NEW AMERICAN-LED RESOLVE HAVE LED TO THE LULL IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN EUROPE.

BUT THERE IS NOT A LULL IN TERRORIST PLANNING. IN JANUARY COLONEL QADDAFI CONVENED IN TRIPOLI A “TASK FORCE” TO COORDINATE THE NEXT PHASE OF TERRORISM. THE TARGETS SELECTED INCLUDE THE WEST IN GENERAL, AND THE UNITED STATES IN PARTICULAR. THE TASK FORCE INCLUDES LIAISON REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MOST VIOLENT PALESTINIAN, EUROPEAN, LATIN AMERICAN, AFRICAN, AND JAPANESE TERRORIST GROUPS. ALSO INVOLVED ARE SYRIA, IRAN, AND CUBA.

ON THE AGENDA OF THAT SECRET JANUARY MEETING WAS A GENERAL EVALUATION OF CURRENT TERRORIST STRATEGY. IT WAS AGREED THAT IMPROVED SECURITY MEASURES AND GROWING INTERNATIONAL ANTI- TERRORIST COOPERATION CREATED NEW OBSTACLES. BUT IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT THESE OBSTACLES COULD BE OVERCOME WITH PROPER

PLANNING AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FROM SYMPATHETIC EMBASSIES. TWO MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS AT THAT MEETING HAVE SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO OUR TOPIC TODAY.

THE FIRST INVOLVED THE QUESTION OF TARGETS. A MEMBER OF THE NOTORIOUS ABU NIDAL GROUP PROPOSED THAT PRIVATE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SHOULD NOW BECOME THE MAIN TARGETS OF TERRORISM, AND FOR AN OBVIOUS REASON: THEY ARE EASY PREY. WHILE MANY GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ARE NOW BETTER PROTECTED THAN BEFORE, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY HAVE FOR THE MOST PART ACTED LIKE SPECTATORS AT A FOOTBALL GAME. SUPPORTING YOUR TEAM AND CHEERING FROM THE SIDELINES IS IMPORTANT, BUT TERRORISM IS A GAME ONLY TO INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATIONS. FOR THE REST OF US, THERE ARE NO SIDELINES AND THERE ARE NO SPECTATORS, ONLY VICTIMS AND TARGETS.

BUSINESS INTERESTS HAVE OF COURSE BEEN TARGETS IN THE PAST. FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1985 MORE THAN ONE-FOURTH OF ALL THE INTERNATIONAL

TERRORIST ATTACKS WERE AIMED AT BUSINESSES. IN THOSE ATTACKS, 268 PERSONS WERE KILLED AND OVER 700 WERE WOUNDED. THERE WERE 65 ATTACKS-OR MORE THAN ONE EACH WEEK-AGAINST BUSINESS INTERESTS THAT INVOLVED AMERICAN PERSONNEL AND FACILITIES.

IF AMERICAN CORPORATIONS DO BECOME THE PRIME TARGETS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST GROUPS, THESE NUMBERS WILL SOAR.

THAT CORPORATE AMERICA COULD BE THE SPECIFIC TARGET OF THE NEXT OFFENSIVE IS FAR FROM UNLIKELY. QADDAFI DESPERATELY NEEDS TO AVENGE THE RAID ON TRIPOLI TO RESTORE HIS HONOR AND RETAIN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE WORLD TERRORIST COMMUNITY.

THE JANUARY MEETING CLOSED WITH A SPEECH BY A QADDAFI CONFIDANT, WHO PROVIDED A THEORETICAL BASIS FOR AN OFFENSIVE AGAINST U.S. CORPORATIONS. IN QADDAFI’S VIEW, THE UNITED STATES IS CONTROLLED BY REAGAN LOYALISTS WHO, IN TURN, ARE CONTROLLED BY MAJOR

CORPORATIONS. THE WAY TO STRIKE PRESIDENT REAGAN, IN QADDAFI’S VIEW, IS TO ATTACK AMERICAN BUSINESS.

THE SECOND MAJOR DEVELOPMENT AT THAT MEETING WAS A DECISION NOT ONLY TO CONTINUE WITH TRADITIONAL TERRORIST METHODS, BUT ALSO TO EXPLORE NEW TACTICS, INCLUDING NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM. IN ADDITION, WE KNOW THAT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI HAVE MET WITH QADDAFI TO COORDINATE THEIR EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A NUCLEAR DEVICE.

NUCLEAR TERRORISM-UNTIL NOW-HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE OF THE FEVERED BRAINS OF FICTION WRITERS. BUT SOBER REALISTS ARE NOW TAKING NOTE OF CERTAIN TRENDS. THE AMOUNT OF PLUTONIUM BEING EXTRACTED FROM SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL CONTINUES TO INCREASE AND WILL REACH 350 METRIC TONS BY THE END OF THE NEXT DECADE. NUCLEAR REPROCESSING IS NOW BEING DONE IN GREAT BRITAIN, WEST GERMANY, FRANCE, INDIA, THE SOVIET UNION, AND THE UNITED STATES. IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 16 POUNDS OF PLUTONIUM TO MAKE A CRUDE NUCLEAR DEVICE, BUT IN THIS COUNTRY

ALONE, 9,000 POUNDS OF PLUTONIUM ARE MISSING, LOST SOMEWHERE-WE ARE ASSURED-IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND THE ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS.

THERE IS NOT MUCH THAT WE CAN DO EITHER AS INDIVIDUALS OR AS CORPORATE EXECUTIVES AGAINST THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM, BESIDES SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. BUT WE ARE FAR FROM HELPLESS AGAINST TRADITIONAL FORMS OF TERRORISM. THE FIRST STEP IN PROTECTING OURSELVES, OUR COMPANIES, AND OUR EMPLOYEES IS REALIZING THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN SECURITY. A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT CAN DO ONLY SO MUCH TO DETER TERRORISM WITHOUT INFRINGING ON EVERYONE’S FREEDOM. HOWEVER GREAT THE THREAT POSED TO OUR SOCIETY BY TERRORISM, FEW AMERICANS WOULD TRADE THEIR FREEDOM FOR THE RELATIVELY TERRORISM-FREE SOCIETIES OF THE SOVIET UNION OR ALBANIA.

RESPONSIBLE CORPORATE MANAGEMENT DOES NOT ASSUME THAT THE LOCAL POLICE WILL PROTECT THEIR COMPANIES FROM EMBEZZLING OR COMPUTER

CRIME OR RETAIL SHRINKAGE. IN THE SAME WAY, WE CANNOT SIMPLY RELY ON THE F.B.I. AND OUR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO SHIELD US FROM TERRORISM. WE MAINTAIN ELABORATE SECURITY AGAINST COMMON CRIMINALS; WE MUST DO NO LESS AGAINST TERRORISTS.

PROTECTION FROM ANY THREAT MUST BEGIN WITH A RISK ASSESSMENT.

IT WOULD SEEM THAT THERE IS LITTLE RISK FOR DOMESTIC CORPORATIONS. NO INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ATTACKS HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. THAT IS CERTAINLY AN IMPORTANT TREND, BUT AS BUSINESS EXECUTIVES, WE ALL KNOW THAT TREND LINES CANNOT BE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY INTO THE FUTURE. INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS MIGHT EXPAND THEIR ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF A CHANGE IN STRATEGY, OR AS A RESULT OF A TIGHTENING OF SECURITY OVERSEAS, OR IN RESPONSE TO PARTICULAR EVENTS. THERE ARE, OF COURSE, INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS THAT OPERATE IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT THEY POSE LITTLE THREAT TO THE GENERAL POPULATION OR CORPORATE INTERESTS.

ALMOST 75 PERCENT OF ALL INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED [N THE UNITED STATES BETWEEN 1980 AND 1986 ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THREE OF THESE GROUPS: ANTI-CASTRO CUBANS, ARMENIANS, AND CROATIANS. THEIR TARGETS ARE STRICTLY LIMITED-FOR EXAMPLE, ARMENIAN TERRORIST GROUPS ATTACK TURKISH INTERESTS-AND THE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN DEALT HAMMER BLOWS THROUGH ARREST AND CONVICTION OF KEY LEADERS.

LYBIAN- AND IRANIAN-SUPPORTED TERRORISM TOGETHER HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR 11 PERCENT OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST INCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1980. BUT THESE INCIDENTS WERE GENERALLY AIMED AT DISSIDENTS AND OTHER OPPONENTS OF THE ESTABLISHED REGIMES.

OF DOMESTIC TERRORIST GROUPS, LEFT-WING PUERTO RICAN ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN THE MOST ACTIVE. IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, THESE GROUPS THE ARMED FORCES OF NATIONAL LIBERATION, OR FALN; THE EPB-MACHETEROS; AND THE ORGANIZATION OF VOLUNTEERS FOR THE PUERTO RICAN REVOLUTION, OR OVRP-HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR 74 TERRORIST

INCIDENTS, OR 54 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL INCIDENTS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES AND PUERTO RICO.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PUERTO RICAN TERRORIST GROUPS IS INDEPENDENCE FOR PUERTO RICO THROUGH VIOLENCE AND ARMED REVOLUTION. FOR THE MOST PART, THEIR TARGETS ARE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND PERSONNEL.

OTHER DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE ACTIVE IN RECENT YEARS INCLUDE RIGHT-WING GROUPS, SUCH AS THE ARYAN NATIONS; JEWISH TERRORIST ELEMENTS At HLIATED WITH THE JEWISH DEFENSE LEAGUE; AND LEFT-WING GROUPS LIKE THE UNITED FREEDOM FRONT AND THE MAY 19TH COMMUNIST ORGANIZATION.

NONE OF THESE GROUPS HAS THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES, THE PERSONNEL, OR THE SUPPORT OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS NEEDED TO THREATEN A DISRUPTION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OR GOVERNMENT.

THE REAL THREAT COMES FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THOSE CHARACTERISTICS. FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE THAT MEANS TERRORISTS SPONSORED BY LIBYA AND IRAN.

QADDAFI MUST RETALIATE AGAINST THE UNITED STATES, SOONER OR LATER, EITHER HERE OR OVERSEAS. THAT IS A “GIVEN” OF BOTH HIS PERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND OF HIS STANDING IN THE WORLD TERRORIST COMMUNITY. AND IT IS KNOWN THAT QADDAFI’S AGENTS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH TERRORISTS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICA.

AS FOR IRAN, THE EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN THE PERSIAN GULF HAVE ALREADY LED TO WARNINGS OF RETALIATION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. THOSE THREATS INCLUDE ATTACKS AGAINST NUCLEAR PLANTS.

WIDESPREAD AND DEVASTATING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ENTIRELY FEASIBLE. AS THE F.B.I. PUTS IT, AND I QUOTE:

THE UNITED STATES, BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE, POROUS BORDERS, OPEN SOCIETY,

AND INVOLVEMENT IN THE GLOBAL POLITICAL ARENA IS VULNERABLE TO TERRORIST OPERATIONS. POTENTIAL TERRORIST SUPPORT NETWORKS ARE IN PLACE AND CERTAIN TERRORIST GROUPS HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO COMMIT TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE UNITED STATES, EITHER IN OPPOSITION TO U.S. FOREIGN POLICY OR OUT OF HATRED REGARDING PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUPS IN RESIDENCE HERE. DESPITE THE SUCCESSES OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM FORCES, THE POSSIBILITY OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST GROUPS COMMITTING ACTS IN THE UNITED STATES STILL EXISTS. [UNQUOTE]

THE WARNING IS CLEAR.

CORPORATE AMERICA MUST BE A TEMPTING TARGET, GIVEN OUR VULNERABILITY AND LACK OF PREPARATION. A CLEAR SIGN OF THIS CAME IN APRIL, WHEN A PALESTINIAN REPORTED TO BE ABU NIDAL’S CHIEF OPERATIVE IN THE AMERICAS WAS ARRESTED IN CARACAS, VENEZUELA. THIS NATURALIZED AMERICAN CITIZEN WAS APPARENTLY RECRUITING A TERRORIST NETWORK, BASED IN PUERTO RICO, AND AIMED AT THE UNITED STATES.

NEVERTHELESS, THE ABU NIDALS OF THE WORLD MIGHT NOT TRY TO CARRY THEIR WAR TO OUR SHORES, FOR WHATEVER REASON, PERHAPS REPRISAL FROM A PRESIDENT WHO HAS SHOWN THAT HE IS NOT RELUCTANT TO USE THE FORCES AT HIS DISPOSAL.

IF THE WESTERN EUROPEAN TERRORIST NETWORKS HAVE BEEN AT LEAST TEMPORARILY DISRUPTED, AND THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES IS REJECTED AS A TARGET, THE FERTILE FIELDS OF LATIN AMERICA STILL REMAIN. LAST YEAR, WHILE INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST INCIDENTS DECLINED BY A THIRD IN WESTERN EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE OF 31 PERCENT, PLACING IT AHEAD OF WESTERN EUROPE IN NUMBER OF TOTAL INCIDENTS.

THESE 1986 FIGURES CANNOT BE DISMISSED AS AN ABERRATION. ACCORDING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT, A COMPARISON OF LATIN AMERICAN TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN 1985 WITH THAT OF PREVIOUS YEARS REVEALS THE FOLLOWING:
• A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON U.S. BUSINESSES
• AN INCREASED NUMBER OF ATTACKS ON U.S. BUSINESSES BY NEW TERRORIST GROUPS
• AN INCREASE IN INCIDENTAL ATTACKS ON U.S. BUSINESS PERSONNEL OR FACILITIES.

IN THE LAST TWO YEARS ALONE, THE LIST OF U.S. CORPORATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA THAT HAVE BEEN ATTACKED, HAD THEIR PERSONNEL ATTACKED, OR WERE LOCATED IN BUILDINGS THAT WERE ATTACKED, READS LIKE A ROLL CALL OF CORPORATE AMERICA: IBM, GOODYEAR, PAN AM, BECHTEL, CITIBANK, SEARS, ITT, COCA COLA, WANG LABORATORIES, CHASE MANHATTAN, UNION CARBIDE, XEROX, AND GTE.

THE WARNING IS CLEAR.

WHAT MUST WE DO IN THE FACE OF THIS THREAT?

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY INSTITUTE AN ANTI-

TERRORIST SECURITY PROGRAM THAT TAKES THE TERRORISTS AS SERIOUSLY AS THEY TAKE THEMSELVES. ALL CORPORATE OPERATIONS SHOULD BE ANALYZED AND RATED FOR VULNERABILITY AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE. HEADQUARTERS, BRANCH OFFICES, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND PERSONNEL SAFETY MUST ALL BE INCLUDED. WHATEVER IS VITAL TO THE BUSINESS IS A TARGET TO THE TERRORIST.

THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD SECURITY ARE WELL ESTABLISHED AND I WON’T TAKE UP OUR LIMITED TIME TODAY WITH THE DETAILS. A MORNING SPENT WITH YOUR MANAGER OF SECURITY OR A SECURITY CONSULTANT, AND A LOOK AT YOUR CORPORATE SECURITY LIBRARY, WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA OF BOTH HOW EXTENSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE MODERN SECURITY MEASURES CAN BE. DEFENSE AGAINST TERRORISM IS NECESSARILY MORE ELABORATE THAN NORMAL SECURITY WOULD REQUIRE, BUT THE ESSENTIALS ARE THE SAME.

FOREIGN FACILITIES PRESENT SPECIAL PROBLEMS. PERSONNEL SCREENING, LIAISON WITH THE EMBASSY OR CONSULATE, RELATIONS WITH THE LOCAL

POLICE OR GOVERNMENT OFFICES, LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, AND SIMPLY BEING KNOWN AS AMERICANS MAKE SECURITY MORE DIFFICULT.

HOWEVER, WHETHER THE FACILITY IS FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC, A CRISIS MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE SHOULD BE ORGANIZED AND ASSIGNED THE JOB OF DEVELOPING GUIDELINES TAILORED TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION. AS WITH ANY KIND OF CRISIS, SWIFT, EFFICIENT, AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSE TO A TERRORIST ATTACK CAN LIMIT THE DAMAGE AND EVEN SAVE LIVES.

AS FOR WHAT WE CAN DO AS INDIVIDUALS TO AVOID BECOMING VICTIMS, THE ANSWER IS A GREAT DEAL. NOTHING ILLUSTRATES THIS SO WELL AS THE STORY OF THE EL AL AGENT IN LONDON WHO LAST YEAR SINGLE-HANDEDLY SAVED THE LIVES OF SOME 375 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MORE THAN 200 AMERICANS. A SYRIAN-BACKED TERRORIST HAD PLANTED A BOMB IN THE LINING OF A BAG CARRIED BY HIS IRISH FIANCEE. THE BAG WAS PASSED THROUGH THE NORMAL SECURITY CHECK, BUT EL AL INSPECTS ALL LUGGAGE MANUALLY. SOMETHING ABOUT THE BAG CAUGHT THE GUARD’S ATTENTION AND HE SEARCHED UNTIL HE DISCOVERED THE BOMB.

THAT LONE GUARD, PERFORMING A BORING AND TEDIOUS TASK THAT THE GUARD HAD PROBABLY DONE A THOUSAND TIMES, IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW EXCELLENT TRAINING, DEVOTION TO DUTY AND CONSTANT ALERTNESS CAN THWART THE MOST DETERMINED PLANS OF DESPERATE TERRORISTS.

CONSTANT ALERTNESS IS ESSENTIAL TO EFFECTIVE SECURITY, WHETHER THE SUBJECT IS A SINGLE GUARD, A COMPANY, OR A NATION. ALERTNESS TOO OFTEN GIVES WAY TO BOREDOM, DISTRACTION, AND COMPLACENCY. TERRORISTS KNOW THIS, AND ABU NIDAL IN PARTICULAR HAS MADE IT PART OF HIS METHOD OF OPERATION. HE SELECTS HIS TARGETS FOR ATTACK ON THE BASIS OF LEAST SECURITY, HIGHEST COMPLACENCY, AT THE MOST UNEXPECTED TIME, AND WITH THE GREATEST SHOCK VALUE. HIS M.O. GUARANTEES MAXIMUM SURPRISE, CONFUSION, AND DEVASTATION. THE ATTACKS ON HOLIDAY TRAVELERS IN THE ROME AND VIENNA AIRPORTS IN DECEMBER 1985 ILLUSTRATE PERFECTLY WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN TIMES OF COMPLACENCY.

THAT YOU OR YOUR COMPANY-OR YOUR LAW FIRM OR WHATEVER ORGANIZATION YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH WILL BE A VICTIM OF TERRORISM IS NOT INEVITABLE, NOR IS IT EVEN LIKELY. BUT NEITHER IS THE CHANCE THAT YOU WILL FALL VICTIM TO ANY OTHER KIND OF CALAMITY. TERRORISM TODAY IS LIKE THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT-A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE RUMBLINGS CAN BE HEARD; THE TREMORS CAN BE FELT. PERHAPS PRUDENCE NEVER WON A PRIZE, BUT NEITHER DID IGNORANCE.

THE WARNING IS CLEAR.

IT IS OUR JOB TO HEED THAT WARNING, AND NOT LEAVE OUR FATE TO CHANCE.