European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 13, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Aziiz president Reagan conferring with National Security adviser Robert Mcfarlane left and White haute chief of staff Donald Regan on Plant for . Jets to intercept egyptian aircraft carrying hijackers of italian cruise ship. Meeting was thursday in Deerfield iii., after Reagan had addressed employees of Sara Lee Plant there. You can run but you can t hide America s Triumph Over terrorists by Francis x. Clines new York times s shortly after noon last thursday  Reagan conferred in a Privol office at a cake factory near Chicago Rind after weighing the risks decided to try to intercept an egyptian civilian Jet with United states fighter aircraft. Reagan was told that intelligence experts expected that the plane would soon to flying from Cairo with the four hijackers of the italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and the president decided to try and Force Thorn away from a Safe Haven and into a court of Justice. Reagan s order was racing through Pentagon channels by 1 30  not thursday. Most accounts indicated that the hijackers probably belonged to the Palestine liberation front. Headed by Mohammed Abu Abbas. This group is a splinter faction of the mainstream Palestine liberation organization led by Yasser Arafat. Evidence from Arab and israeli sources indicate that the hijacking itself was not planned but that the Lour guerrillas had intended to mount an operation in Israel at Ashdod. The ship s next port of Call alter Egypt. The guerrillas apparently commandeered the ship when their arms were discovered the bold plan Lor an airborne operation to seize some initiative from International terrorists was conceived and presented to the president Early last thursday morning according to White House officials. After he gave initial approval by midday in Illinois. U s Navy f-14 fighters were scrambled from the Carrier Saratoga and were flying in place Over the Mediterranean at 2 15 . Not it was already evening in Europe to await his final order. At 4 37 . As he returned to Washington on air Force one after his visit to the Chicago area the president received confirmation that the egyptian plane had taken off 22 minutes earlier and he issued his final instruction to have the aimed fighters carry out the interception Reagan gave no hint of the risky operation As he travelled from Washington to Chicago on thursday morning Lor a speech on tax Reform. He told jokes to reps. Henry j. Hyde and Lynn Martin republicans of Illinois As they flew West aboard air Force one. But the attractiveness of the plan already was Clear to him according to aides and he summarized that on Friday in explaining his decision to proceed despite thu attendant risks Here was a Clear Cut Case where we could Lay our hands on the  he said after five years of frustration Over a series of bombings and kidnappings directed at us citizens in the Middle East we did this All by our Little solver,." Reagan said rather proudly. His advisers concurred exult Antly describing the seizure of the terrorists As a singular Success for american intelligence and military planners and As a tribute to the president s quiet decisiveness. At the president s Side in Illinois monitoring the word from Cairo was his National Security adviser Robert c Mcfarlane. A soft spoken combat Veteran who said on Friday that Reagan had expressed very prudent regard for the risks and had several times asked what if questions As he went Over final details of the plan during a break on his tour of the Sara Lee kitchens cake factory in Deerfield Iii it never reached the Point where the risks exceeded the potential gain Mcfarlane said. But As the time approached for the president s final order various officials knew of the operation and could appreciate the risks recalling the failed attempt by president Jimmy Carter to use military Lorce to Rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980. Those Lour people will be brought to  a cryptic but unusually confident sen. Dave Durenberger. R-minn., told reporters thursday at 4 . Shortly alter a was briefed about the plan. Or whoever is still living at the time they can be brought to  Durenberger chairman of the Senate select committee on intelligence quickly added since the plan was still Lar from certain Access when the cruise ship hijacking began on monday oct. 7. The administration put into effect standing plans to have a military assault Force prepare for a possible boarding action. But wednesday was the earliest Opportunity for the nighttime raid too late to capture the terrorists who had by then surrendered to egyptian authorities and been Pironis de Safe passage from Cairo. While the boarding raid was a known option of the administration s anti terrorist contingency plans the idea of intercepting the egyptian Airliner was not even As he was ordering the interception plan the president As telling a Chicago crowd of his Gorge of frustration Al the incident in which a jewish invalid from new York was shot in the head by the terrorists and thrown overboard together with his wheelchair As the president ordered the interceptors to. Proceed he was operating with what Mcfarlane said was an unusually High Quality of intelligence Inlo Malion from various sources including the Central intelligence Agency he would not elaborate but other administration officials hinted there might have been sources who had the aircraft a b-737 egy Plair Jet under visual surveillance As the Takeoff was awaited in contrast to the joke telling session on the trip to Chicago. Reagan did not visit his guests on the return trip aboard air Force one. After he had issued his initial order k a limit j tin Page 14 sunday. October 13. 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13