European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 01, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday december t. 1985 although americans have been attacked in 72 countries time 1968, More than 90 planned attacks on american citizen and Sites abroad have been foiled in the past 12 months Here a terrorist holds a gun on Twa Piht John test alte during an Abc television interview from hijacked plane at Beirut Airport last june. Countering terrorism silent victories in a shadowy War new York times a americans have been attacked in 72countries since 1968. And american citizen Sand property Are now the Tai gets o about30 to 35 percent of All International terrorist incidents which have led 17 americans dead and 154 wounded so Lar in 1985, according to state department figures. Nevertheless the state department also counts More than 90 planned attacks on american citizens and Sites abroad that have been oiled in the last 12 months. For the United states these Are the silent victories in a shadowy War. The International Range of the Battle was illustrated by one of those thwarted plots. About a year Agu a libyan intelligence of fico and a palestinian from Jordan met in Rome to discuss an ambitious dramatic plot. With nearly 200 pounds of explosives a truck bomb would be assembled parked near the United states embassy in Cairo and set Oil by Remote control on a Busy weekday. At the Rome meeting according to american and egyptian intelligence the libyan promised $500,000 to the palestinian Lor his part in the plot. Over the next six months the palestinian conducted surveillance on the embassy in Cairo went to Syria Lor weapons and explosives training from the Radical Abu Nidal palestinian group travelled to Lebanon to pick up the explosives Laden truck took it by ship to Egypt and turned it Over to other palestinians for the attack. But in that period one of the plotters also served As an informant for egyptian Security which sealed Oil the embassy s surrounding streets and foiled the attempted bombing on the afternoon of May 22. 1985. Thi invisible record of Tuckett stands against a dramatic run of highly publicized violence including the bombings of american embassy buildings in Beirut the destruction of the United states Marine compound at the Beirut Airport the hijacking of a trans world airlines jetliner in june the seizure of the italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in october and the hijacking of an egy Plair jetliner to Malta. Slowly almost ponderously the policy makers intelligence agencies and Security systems of the United slates have begun to adjust to terrorism As an expanding method of warfare. Washington has created coordinating committees Rescue teams barriers Al embassies and diplomatic Ellerts to enlist other countries in the Battle. A task Lorce on terrorism headed by vice president George Bush is scheduled to give president Reagan policy recommendations in late december. Nobody involved sees a solution to the problem and some specialists Are worried that overreaction May Drain resources away from More important areas of concern experts believe that intelligence information passive Security and uni fixary Force Are never going to be adequate to the task. Nor can Rescue operations be counted on to succeed As was demonstrated by the egyptian commando unit that stormed the egyptian plane in Malta setting Oil a bade and lire that killed 57 hostages. We have rhetoric on terrorism we have policy statements we Don t have strategy said Brian Jenkins an expert at the Rand corp. We have a lot of terrorism in the world we can t eradicate it any More than we can homicide in the United  As Long As people have used organized violence against each other s Ribes and nations they have invented methods of magnifying Small attacks into major political assaults. The relatively weak have often found the vulnerable Points of the powerful. Indeed the word Assassin is believed by scholars to derive from  used by a shiite moslem sect the hashes Hon to drug those about to be sent out on suicide missions against crusaders and sunni moslem in the 11th Century. The strategy of terrorism has found an especially supportive environment in an age of modern technology and expensive weapons. Unlike common crime it involves not Only victim and assailant but a third party an audience Whoso policies and politics Are the real targets of the assault. Complex actors now encourage it As a Means of combat. Terrorism is Likely to be a prominent Factor on the International political landscape or the rest of this Century said Robert b. Oakley of the state department who Heads the Reagan administration s interdepartmental group on terrorism. A worldwide system of competitive arms sales makes weapons available More easily to terrorist groups. Mass communications assure instantaneous publicity Lor terrorist acts. Travel is becoming easier Between different countries. Border controls Are diminishing particularly in  Many governments find reguliii1 warfare too costly he added and terrorism is therefore viewed by several countries As a cheap Way to strike a blow at their  the new York times articles on these pages Are both based on reporting by Richard Halloran and David k. Shipler. And were written by Shipler two amt Koni were killed by a car bomb exp Ouon of Rhein Moin As hit a oif a us 5chuettler