SENATOR LEAHY/ACHILLE LAURO'S HIJACKING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000301910003-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 11, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 11, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
4701 WILLARD AVENUE, CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20815 [phone]
PROGRAM
The Today Show
STAnON
WRC-TV
NBC Network
DATE
October 11, 1985
7:00 A.M.
CITY
Washington, D.C.
Senator Leahy/Achille Lauro's Hijacking
BRYANT GUMBEL: Senator Patrick Leahy is the ranking
Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He has
been critical in the past of America's ability to gather
intelligence information in the Mideast. He's joined us this
morning from our bureau in Washington.
Are you a satisfied Senator this morning?
SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY: I'm a very happy Senator this
morning. I didn't mind the calls half the night or the very,
very early briefing over at the CIA this morning. This is a case
of success.
I've said, in fact, in interviews with you before that
if we're going to use the vast power that this country has to go
after terrorists, we've got to have far better intelligence and
information than we've had. This is a case where the
intelligence worked, worked very, very well, even to the extent
of knowing when the Egyptian President said that the hijackers
had left, we knew they hadn't. We knew they were in Egypt. And
we were able to track them and follow them all the way through.
It was a superb use of intelligence and connecting it up with our
military assets.
GUMBEL: If all that's correct, aren't you a little bit
bothered that the Egyptians lied to us?
SENATOR LEAHY: I'm extremely bothered that they did. I
can't guess what their reasons might have been. I think that
has to be a demonstration that the United States is going to be
in a position to make its own judgment on what people tell us,
and not have to take anything on faith.
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GUMBEL: Well, what do we do, then, in reaction to what
the Egyptians did? I mean certainly in this case I think you'd
have to agree they did not act in a manner befitting a strong
ally.
SENATOR LEAHY: No. And I think that there's going to
be some real strains as a result of this. They will of course be
angry at us for forcing their airplane down. I think our
reactions would be, "Don't even talk to us about that. If you've
got hijackers, especially those who've murdered an American,
you're harboring them, you're just going to have to assume that
we're going to come and go after them."
And I think that message has to go to virtually every
country, that we want people who have attacked Americans to be
brought to justice, wherever it might be. And if it's necessary,
we'll go and get them.
GUMBEL: In this case, brought to justice may mean
Italian justice. Is that fine by you?
SENATOR LEAHY: I don't have a problem with that because
I think that the Italian courts work very well, and it was an
Italian-flag ship. But I think eventually I want to see them
extradited back here to the United States and tried also in a
U.S. court. The Italians have a perfect right to try them, and
should and can. But eventually I want to seem them tried here in
the United States.
GUMBEL: What would be served by that?
SENATOR LEAHY: I think it serves to demonstrate to the
world that the United States will watch out for its interests,
wherever it might be, and that eventually people will be brought
to justice here.
GUMBEL: Whether or not they ever do make it to these
shores, is there any move afoot to have these hijackers
interrogated by American officials? Is that important to you?
SENATOR LEAHY: It's very important to us. And there
are things that will be done very soon. We're going to make sure
that we have people who were witnesses positively identify these
people, make sure that there hasn't been any switch, that we have
the right people.
GUMBEL: To the best of your knowledge -- I mean it
seems fairly certain what kind of fate awaits the four hijackers.
What about the other two PLO officials who were on board? What's
going to happen to them?
SENATOR LEAHY: Well, we're going to have to look at
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whether we have cases that can be brought against them, either as
accessories or otherwise.
I think the most important thing, though, is that we've
demonstrated that our intelligence is getting better and that we
know who these people are and where they are, and it really is
not going to do them any good to seek safe harbor in any country.
We'll go after them.
GUMBEL: As we talk about how strongly the U.S. reacted,
you were in on the CIA briefings on this, as you noted at the top
of this interview. Were we prepared to shoot that craft down if
they had ignored our signals to land?
SENATOR LEAHY: I agree with Secretary Shultz that
that's something that we can not and should not go into. I think
that it leaves our options open. And quite frankly, I'd just
soon have, if there are going to be future terrorists or
hijackers, that they now know exactly what our options are.
GUMBEL: Senator Patrick Leahy, you look like a happy
man this morning.
SENATOR LEAHY: I'm very happy, and I'm very proud of
the President in this case.
GUMBEL: Thank you very much, sir.
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