HISTORY OF THE TERRORISM/DISSENDENTS FILE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R001400010014-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2001
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: December 5, 1974
• Content Type: MFR

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5 December 1974
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: HISTORY OF THE TERRORISM/DISSIDENTS FILE
1. In May 1968, Acting Assistant
for Special Projects, Office of Current Inte ligence, requested
that the Library supply him with material for preparing a
definitive study on the causes of student turmoil. The STATINTL
original request to the DCI was from the White House. The
report was to cover such aspects of the problem,as: history
of the movement, the movement in foreign STATINTL
countries, dissi en s u en org n _ tions and demonstrations,
e.g. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), etc. The report
was completed and submitted and was requested
to prepare an updated report. The C Library was then requested
to continue to collect material on this subject indefinitely.
The materials supplied for the updated report were in the form
of copies of articles from periodicals and newspapers that had
been scanned for this subject, books and reports.
2. As the worldwide student unrest spread, the forms of
protest took various forms, literary, anti-war demonstrations,
black power movements, radical right movements etc.; the
persons, organizations, and situations began to connect and
in ' ter-twine. Foreign groups expressed their support for STATINTL
groups that were demonstrating in the U.S. and U.S. students
and dissidents were supporting or participating in activities
in other countries such as Cuba and North Vietnam,
3. In February 1970, the Student Unrest files (books,
articles, reports, pamphlets, etc.) were taken over by DDO/CI
after several months of negotiations. The material covered
domestic as well as foreign subjects. In November 1970 the
CIA Library resumed control and maintenance of the responsibility
of the Foreign Students section of the Student Unrest files.
This was done at-the requests of the Office of Security and
the Office of Current Intelligence, as well as at the request
of the There is a gap in the information
collected i n the ri e - or the period that i t was not in the
Library. Building and maintenance increased from 1971 to
encompass worldwide terrorism activities including domestic
activities of the Synbionese Liberation Army.
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SUBJECT: HISTORY OF THE TERRORISM/DISSIDENTS FILE
4. In a memorandum to the Director of Central Intelligence
dated September 25, 1972 concerning activities to combat
terrorism, the President directed the establishment of a
Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism. The Committee was
established to consider the most effective means to prevent
terrorism here and abroad so that our government could
respond to terrorist acts, swiftly and effectively. Ambassador
Lewis Hoffacker was named Coordinator.
5. Ambassador Hoffacker's Assistant, Jeffrey Brown
visited the Library in November 1974 and was briefed on the
Terrorism file. His reaction was that it is unique within the
U.S. government and probably in the U.S. He said that there
is some duplication in holdings between his file and ours
but he found that our files contained many items that he did
not have, had not been able to acquire, or did not know existed.
He made copies of selected items and we agreed informally
to keep one another informed of new items. Jeff arranged to
send over for copying important items such as hard to obtain
manuals used by terrorist groups.
6. There are many Agency components that depend on the
basic services of the file:
a. DCI/PA uses the files for the identification
of many anti-war groups and dissidents that have contacted
the agency in some way or written adverse articles
concerning CIA. While these requests often originated
with the Director, we have requests that come directly
from Mr. Colby or from Mr. Proctor.
b. OCI and DDO
are interested in ac ivitiels o specific groups.
c. -calls with priority requests for
identification of persons or groups that are mentioned
in foreign broadcasts. Often these persons or groups
are anti-war types who are not included in convential
directories.
d. Office of Security requests various information
including law enforcement organizations, thefts of guns,
sales of small arms, hostage negotions, diplomatic
security (installations and persons).
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SUBJECT: HISTORY OF THE TERRORISM/DISSIDENTS FILE
f. DDO/CI and ~as well as are
interested in various aspects of the file, including
assassinations and attempted assassinations.
g. ORD is interested in many subjects, particularly
in SLA methods and techniques.
h. The Office of Logistics levies crash requests
for articles that have pictures of the rooms and
buildings in which terrorists are held.
7. Currently the file is divided into the following
arrangement:
a. Subject -? These include anti-war activities by
which involvement with forei n groups maybe identified,
black power movement including their connections
with other organ izat ns, street availability
of drugs . -- which is important to OMS and OS I , -- Indians,
The Mafia, the radical right, religious and unusual
spiritual groups and law enforcement enterprises.
h. Country - Articles or items that have the
greatest emphasis on where an activity occurred, are filed
by country. This is the case except where folders have
been made on specific incidents that have had wide
coverage in the press (particularly specific Arab
Terrorist activities).
c. Terrorism - This is divided into 2 sections.
Worldwide terrorism which includes basic background
articles, chronologies, nuclear theft, airport security,
protection of U.S. personnel and specific incidents.
The Arab Terrorism section is arranged like the terrorism
section but there are far more folders for incidents. The
Background folder in this section is also heavily used.
d. In addition to the above folders there are
hooks and reports which supplement the folders and subjects.
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SUBJECT: HISTORY OF THE TERRORISM/DISSIDENTS FILE
e. There are also files in alphabetical order
by the name of organization.
f. Sample periodicals from unusual sources or
of unusual type are filed by the name of the periodical.
8. The sources of items selected for the files are all
open literature. The titles of the periodicals which are
regularly scanned are attached.
CIA LY/INFO Section
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Periodicals Scanned:
Washington Observer Newsletter
Radio-TV Defense Dialog, USAF
Current News, USAF
Ebony
Encore
Intelligence Digest
Middle East International
Times of Isreal
U.S. News & World Report
West Africa
Bulletin of Concerned Asians
Esquire
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
Middle East Journal
National Review
Near East Report
New Yorker
New Times
Sketch (Middle East)
Time
To the Point
Pink Sheet on the Left
Oui
Playboy
Ramparts
Various press sources
Human Events
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