AIDING THE FBI'S FIGHT ON TERRORISM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000301850009-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: July 11, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000301850009-9
ARTICLE APPLAyPi
ON PAGE %.1.- fl
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
11 July 1985
NATIONAL / INTERNATI
Aiding the FBI's fight on
terrorism
Bill would add funds for operations in seven cities
By Aaron Epstein
and Patricia O'Brien
Inquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON ? The FBI's budget
to combat terrorism within the
United States would be increased by
more than 50 percent under legisla-
tion introduced yesterday by .511
Lloyd Bentsen (D., Texas), a member
of the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence.
Bentsen noted that although do-
mestic terrorism has decreased in
recent years, "we're an open target
... and we shouldn't wait for it --to
happen."'
Ile said intelligence reports show
that agents supporting, Iranian
leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
are "hidden in place in the United
States, prepared to conduct terrorist
actions whenever they receive word
from Iran." Asked to elaborate, Bent-
sen said, "I'm afraid I can't.
In another move aimed at terror-
ists, the House voted yesterday to
suspend foreign aid and air traffic to
governments that refuse to tighten
airport security and those that toler-
ate terrorist activities.
The proposal would suspend U.S.
air service to countries and airports
that were "high terrorist threats"
because of lax security procedures or
a tolerance for terrorists.
Bentsen said his legislation would
add $22 million to the FBI's $40 mil-
lion counterterrorism budget, en-
abling the bureau to hire 191 more
agents and support personnel, to ex-
pand its anti-terrorist activities in
four cities and to establish three new
task forces.
The additional money would be "a
wise investment to help the citizens
of this country against the increas-
ing danger of terrorist activities," he
said.
"There are growing indications of
informal cooperation between nar-
cotics traffickers and established ter-
rorist groups in Central America,"
and a current grand jury is investi-
gating charges that agents of the
Libyan government are "plotting to
assassinate Libyan dissidents in the
United States."
The FBI has twice sought to ex-
pand its counterterrorism forces by
asking for an $11 million increase in
its budget, but each time it has been
turned down by the White House
budget managers, said Bentsen.
An aide to Bentsen said the White
House Office of Management and
Budget, in rejecting the FBI's request
last fall and again this year, had
cited the federal budget deficit and
suggested that state and local law
enforcement be strengthened.
Bentsen called the White House
action "one of the most foolish
things I've seen since I've been up
here (in the. Senatel."
Since Bentsen's proposal follows
the recent TWA hijacking and the
arrests of four people on charges of
spying for the Soviet Union, little
opposition to it was expected.
In fact, during a news conference
yesterday in Bentsen's office, House
Majority Leader Jim Wright (D.,
Texas) walked in to give his support
to the proposed additional money.
"I am told that one of the terrorists
in this hostage-taking boasted that
his greatest ambition would be to
achieve martyrdom by committing
acts of terrorism within the United
States. So I think there is a real
danger, one that we ought not fail to
take seriously."
Bentsen said his proposal would
allow the FBI to expand task forces
in Boston, Chicago, New York and
Washington and to set up new forces
in Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Newark, N.J.
The amendment passed by the
House, in addition to specifying ac-
tions against nations lax in their
airport security measures, would
also suspend U.S. air service to coun-
tries that continue air traffic with
those nations.
It also calls for mandatory suspen-
sion of foreign aid to governments
that tolerate terrorists. But it in-
cludes a provision allowing the aid
to continue if the president deems it
necessary "for reasons of national
security or humanitarian purposes."
Approval by voice vote came as the
House moved through a long list of
proposed amendments to a two-year,
$25.4 billion foreign-aid authoriza-
tion bill. On Tuesday, the House
voted to withhold $7.5 million in aid
to Lebanon in 1986 and 1987 until
seven U.S. hostages captured over
the last 15 months were freed.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000301850009-9