U.S. MULLS REPRISAL FOR TERRORISM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201010055-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: July 12, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000201010055-1
ARTICLE AFPZAFJO
ON PAGE
U.S. Mulls
Reprisal for
Terrorism
President Is Said
To Favor Some Use
Of Military Force
By Lou Cannon
Wasbingtsn Past Staff Writer
WASHINGTON POST
12 July 1985
reprisals and Defense Secretary
Caspar W. Weinberger and the Joint
Chiefs of Staff stressed the risks of
retaliation.
An official said yesterday that,
while the lines of debate remain
basically the same, there is now "a
crucial difference" in the way the
issue is being discussed.
"The difference now is that ev-
eryone recognizes we're going to
have to hit back at the terrorists,"
the official said. "The questions are
how do it at just the right time, with
the greatest effectiveness and in a
way that has the fullest possible
support of world opinion."
A senior administration official
said that effective use of force
against a center of terrorist activity
could deter future acts of,terre isrfl
ac YDwl-
in the Middle EasLlie
,
A wide-ranging discussion is un- edged that some U *rani* mil-
der way in the Reagan administra- itary officials contend that a U.S.
tion on the risks, benefits and tam- strike could` encourage reprisals
ing of reprisal against international against U.S. military bases but said
terrorism, and informed officials that the hijacking of TWA Flight
said yesterday that the president 847 last month and the killing of a
now believes military force should Navy diver aboard the plane demon-
be a component of the response. strate that Americans are already
These officials said that many at risk.
options are being considered, in- "The possibility of further acts of
cluding the bombing of terrorist terrorism exists independently of
ht
d States mi
it
U
h
g
n
e
e
training sites. Military officials any action t
orists on no-
t
i
were said to have pinpointed pro-
spective targets, using up-to-date
photographs considered improve-
ments over any the administration
has possessed in the past.
"There can be no effective long-
term strategy that doesn't include a
willingess to use force," a senior
administration official said. "The
key requirement for that strategy,
f th
t
h
_
a
e use o
however, is that t
force be in keeping with American i terterrorist units. our mon s at-
values and that it be effective in ! r or members o one o the
achieving what you want to do." units acting without CIA owl-
The discussion now occurring in edge or authorization, launched a
the administration is reminiscent of car in Beirut that killed 80
the debate late in 1983 after the persons but missed the radical Mos-
suicide bombing of a Marine Corps em leader who waste apparent
headquarters in Beirut that cost the tar et.
lives of 241 U.S. servicemen. The ~n the wake of this incident Pres-
bombing and the subsequent with- ident Rea n an the CIA canceled
drawal of U.S. forces from Lebanon the program of support or the
triggered an inconclusive struggle coup a erroris s.
in the administration in which Sec-
retary of State George P. Shultz
and national security affairs adviser
Robert C. McFarlane argued for
err
ng
take, but putt
tice that.they face risks will dimin-
ish the number of incidents against
our citizens over time," the official
said.
The previous debate on terror-
, a
ism led to a decision in late 19
year after the withdrawal rom Leb-
anon. to approve a covert operation
lrectm the entra Intelligence
gency to train and support coun-
In effect, the debate about
now restarting the
what to do about terrorism under
circumstances in which Syria has
become a paramount.. influence in
Lebanon.
Reagan's speech denouncing in-
ternational terrorism Monday
omitted mention of Syria, and a sen-
ior official reiterated yesterday that
the administration is still "hopeful"
that the Syrians will bring pressupe
to free seven Americans who have
been - Iddnsoed in Lebanon during
the past 16 months and are believed
held by Shiite extremists. ..
In his Monday speech Reagan
linked Iran, Libya, North Kqrea,
Cuba and Nicaragua as members of
an internationalist terrorist confed-
eration with ties to the Palestine
Liberation Organization and other
terrorist groups. An official said
that Reagan was trying "to develop
a base of public support for action
and that he would continue to make
terrorism a major theme because it
"will be on our agenda publicly 1()r -a
long time."
The words of the speech, pro-
posed by McFarlane and written
largely by speechwriter Anthony
Dolan, were controversial in We
administration. Some officials' said
the language Reagan used -was
"overdone," and they cited in par-
ticular the phrase in which the pfes-
ident described the terrorist' na-
tions as "run by the strangest to?-
lection of misfits, looney tunes and
squalid criminals since the advent of
the Third Reich." -
Officials said that what is emerg-
ing from the discussion is a crite-
rion for antiterrorist action that
would require that any U.S. strike
be "surgical" and clearly tied to a
terrorist act. Ideally, officials would
like to take military action on the
verge of a strike, against a U.S. tar-
get or just after an attack. They
also said that the U.S. activity
would require an after-the-fact'ius-
tification that could be supportg&by
aerial photographs.
Staff writer George C. Wilson
contributed to this report.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000201010055-1