July 02, 1985 Memorandum on Hijacking of TWA Flight 847

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Digital Archive digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org International History Declassified July 02, 1985 Memorandum on Hijacking of TWA Flight 847 Citation: “Memorandum on Hijacking of TWA Flight 847,” July 02, 1985, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, Obtained by Pavel Zacek. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/176001 Summary: "On the question of exchanging hostages from the aircraft seized in Athens for Shiite prisoners in Israel." Original Language: Russian Contents: English Translation Scan of Original Document [handwritten Czech-language text and a faded stamp at the top of the page] MEMO concerning the receipt of information by our service [that] the religious extremist organization Hezbollah and individual right-wing groups of the Shiite movement Amal, embittered by the position of the American leadership and individual countries of Europe on the question of exchanging hostages from the aircraft seized in Athens for Shiite prisoners in Israel, intend to increase acts of terrorism against the representatives of these countries throughout the entire world. According to the same information these organizations fear pressure on this question from Syria which supposedly gave a promise to the Americans to help liberate the hostages [and] will force the extremists to reexamine their position. The result of this might be an aggravation of relations between the right-wing Shiite groups and the SAR [Syrian Arab Republic]. Considering the above the possibility is not excluded of malicious actions also being conducted abroad by extremist elements against the USSR as an ally of Syria. Our service requests that this information be reverified, if possible, and the results be immediately reported. 2 July 1985 [some faded Czech handwriting follows at the bottom of the page] .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Laura Jarboe
ABSTRACT REAGAN’S ANTITERRORISM: THE ROLE OF LEBANON by Laura Jarboe In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan was faced with an increase in terrorism directed specifically at the United States. He feared that terrorism compromised America’s reputation, especially in the midst of the Cold War. An examination of terrorism which specifically targeted the military reveals that Reagan’s language and proposed policies emulated his Cold War fight. By 1985, the Reagan administration developed a Task Force for combating terrorism. Close investigation of the Task Force’s publication reveals that although Reagan talked a hard-line against terrorists, he partook in little action against them. REAGAN’S ANTITERRORISM: THE ROLE OF LEBANON A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History by Laura E. Jarboe Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2012 Advisor______________________________ Amanda McVety Reader_______________________________ Sheldon Anderson Reader_______________________________ Matthew Gordon Table of Contents Preface …………………………………………………………………………………………....1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………2 A New Terrorism is Born ………………………………………………………………………...5 Reagan Reacts to Terrorism ……………………………………………………………………..12 Calming the Public ...................................................................................................................... 166 The White House Investigates ...................................................................................................
[Show full text]
ISSF Article Review Forum
H-Diplo | ISSF Article Review 121 issforum.org Editors: Diane Labrosse and Seth Offenbach Web and Production Editor: George Fujii Erik R. Scott. “The Hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 244: States and Statelessness in the Late Cold War.” Past and Present 243:1 (May 2019): 213-245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gty044. Published by ISSF on 26 June 2019 https://issforum.org/to/iar121 Review by Danielle Gilbert, George Washington University n October 1970, Lithuanian father and son Pranas and Algirdas Brazinskas hijacked regional Soviet Aeroflot flight 244. Several minutes into the flight between two cities in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, the elder Brazinskas handed the flight attendant a message for the pilot demanding that he Idivert the flight to Turkey and cease radio communications. The crew resisted, and in the resulting melee, the nineteen-year-old flight attendant was shot and killed, and the pilot and another crew member were injured. The Brazinskases soon occupied the cockpit and compelled the pilot to land the plane in Trabzon, Turkey— effectively escaping the Soviet Union and the possibility of extradition. Thus begins the saga of skyjacking and statelessness that historian Erik Scott explores in “The Hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 244: States and Statelessness in the Late Cold War.” In this meticulously researched account, Scott depicts the first successful hijacking in the Soviet Union and the decades of its aftermath, including the perpetrators’ quest for asylum across Turkey, Italy, Venezuela, and finally the United States, with the help of lobbying efforts by the Lithuanian diaspora and the hijackers’ altered identities.
[Show full text]
Reagan Warns Plane Hijackers SPORTS Give in to Demands
Winfield leads Yanks; Mets fall again, 1B The Register Vol. 107 No. 299 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1878 MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1985 25 CENTS INSIDE Reagan warns plane hijackers SPORTS give in to demands. We do not encourage Speakes said Reagan was aware of a WASHINGTON (AP) - President Reagan other nations to do this." yesterday warned Moslem gunmen "for letter said to be signed by 32 people held During the meeting with Vice President More on the hijacking, aboard the hijacked TWA jetliner appealing their own safety" to free American hostages Bush, Secretary of State George P. Shultz, on * hijacked airliner in Beirut as the White page 4A and 5A to him to convince Israel to free the Shiite Secretary of Defense Caspar. W. Weinberger prisoners whose release is sought by the House reaffirmed U.S. policy of not giving and others, the president said he "remains in to terrorist demands. hijackers. The letter also urged Reagan to hopeful for an early peaceful resolution of Beirut and were being held at an undisclosed refrain from direct military action to free "The U.S. government policy as far as this incident," Speakes said. location. terrorist hijacking type of incidents remains the hostages. "I will not consider the matter resolved One passenger was killed by the hijackers The spokesman would not say whether the the same," presidential spokesman Larry until all passengers and crew are safe," Saturday and his body tossed onto the Speakes said following a hastily summoned letter was discussed during the 75-minute Speakes quoted Reagan as saying. He said tarmac at Beirut airport.
[Show full text]
International Co-Operation in the Use of Elite Military
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IN THE USE OF ELITE MILITARY FORCES TO COUNTER TERRORISM: THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR RESPECTIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE EVOLUTION OF LOW-INTENSITY OPERATIONS BY JOSEPH PAUL DE BOUCHERVILLE TAILLON A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 UMI Number: U615541 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615541 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7 0 XJl\lbj6S3 ABSTRACT J. Paul de B. Taillon "International Co-operation in the Employment of Elite Military Forces to Counter-Terrorism: The British and American Experience With Special Reference to Their Respective Experiences in the Evolution of Low-Intensity Operations." This thesis examines the employment of elite military forces in low-intensity and counter-terrorist operations, and in particular, placing the principal emphasis on the aspect of international co-operation in the latter. The experiences of Great Britain and the United States in such operations are the main elements of the discussion, reflecting their heavy involvement in such operations.
[Show full text]
Closing the Gaps on Hezbollah's Global Operations by Matthew Levitt
MENU Policy Analysis / Articles & Op-Eds Closing the Gaps on Hezbollah's Global Operations by Matthew Levitt Jun 18, 2014 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Matthew Levitt Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute. Articles & Testimony The group's large-scale criminal enterprises make it particularly vulnerable to measures such as Congress's recently introduced Hezbollah International Financing Act of 2014. wenty-nine years ago this week, a traumatic yet formative event occurred that prompted a major change in T U.S. policy on terrorism. On June 14, 1985, two Hezbollah hijackers took over TWA Flight 847 just after it took off from Athens en route to Rome. Over the course of 17 days, a short flight turned into a terrifying 8,500 mile journey around the Mediterranean that led to the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. The flight bounced back and forth between Algiers and Beirut, where the two original hijackers, Mohammed Ali Hamadi and Hassan Izz al-Din, were joined by other armed militants including the famed Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh. The passengers were moved to safe houses around Beirut, further increasing the severity of the Lebanon hostage crisis that was already underway in Lebanon. Ultimately, 39 hostages were freed on June 29 and sent to Damascus. That November, the hijackers were indicted by an American court on 15 different counts, though this would not deter them from further activity. Izz al-Din was later linked to the 1988 hijacking of Kuwait Air Flight 422 from Bangkok, and Hamadi was arrested in West Germany in 1987 after attempting to carry liquid explosives onto a plane departing from Frankfurt.
[Show full text]
Robert Dean Stethem, Jr ~ (Nov 17, 1961 – Jun 15, 1985)
In Honor of: ~ SW2(DV) Robert Dean Stethem, Jr ~ (Nov 17, 1961 – Jun 15, 1985) Funding for NavyDEP.com is provided by your purchases from PIRGifts.com & USNGifts.com INTRODUCTION TO Seabee SW2(DV) Robert D. Stethem, Jr. (Nov 17, 1961 – Jun 15, 1985) Rev: Stethem 1.0 Seabee SW2(DV) Robert Dean Stethem, Jr (Nov 17, 1961 – Jun 15, 1985) Since I am Navy veteran, and I will not sugarcoat this. WARNING, TISSUE ALERT! Note from Craig: Not everything is fun and games in the U.S. Navy. I made this post to teach future sailors about the Navy. We must never forget those that protect us. When your family members receives a phone call from you in boot camp it will come up with a “847 “ area code for Great Lakes on their phones. When it appears, they will jump with joy. Not many people know that this number, 847, actually brings a moment of silence from Navy veterans that served during the 1985 era. You see, that number was the actual flight number (TWA-847) when we lost a Navy sailor due to terrorism. It is one of the Navy's saddest moment. Seabee SW2(DV) Robert Dean Stethem, Jr (Nov 17, 1961 – Jun 15, 1985) Steelworker Second Class (Diver) Robert D. Stethem, United States Navy Sailor, was a murder victim due to terrorism. Born in Waterbury, Connecticut and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, he was one of three sons (his father and two brothers also served in the US Navy; his mother worked for the Navy as a civilian).
[Show full text]
Public Report of the Vice President's Task Force on Combatting Terrorism
If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. " PUBLIC REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT'S TASK FORCE ON COMBATTING TERRORISM ~ OQ ~ FEBRUARY 1986 ~ ~.... • • • 138789 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice • This document has been reproduced exactly as rec6ived from the person or organization onginating It. Pomts of view or opinions stated in thiS document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the oHlclal position or policies 01 the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this ~ material has been granted OY1 • • PUb lC DOmaln • ---"lce President of the u. s . to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NGJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system reqlJlres permission of the~owner • • • • • I.3Y7?f • • ~'NATJON OF, JUSTJ~~ LIN1BSTITUTE RARY" • Fellow Americans: • As 1985 closed, the world was shocked by yet another savage terrorist act. The violent attacks at the Rome and Vienna airports left 114 wounded and 18 dead, five of whom were Americans. One was a young American girl of eleven. Earlier in the year we saw the hijackings of TWA Flight 847 and the cruise ship Achille Lau'ro, where innocent Americans were brutally murdered by international outlaws. Such • vicious attacks are representative of what has become a growing trend toward interna~ tional terrorism over the past decade. Concerned about the increasing loss of American lives, as well as repeated terrorist threats against our citizens, last July President Reagan asked me to chair a Cabinet-level Task • Force on Combatting Terrorism. Comprised of 14 senior government officials with major responsibilities for our national program to combat terrorism, the Task Force spent the last half of 1985 reviewing and eValuating current U.S.
[Show full text]
215183076.Pdf
IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM TRENDS ON AERONAUTICAL SECURITY By CHRIS ANTHONY HAMILTON Bachelor of Science Saint Louis University Saint Louis, Missouri 1987 Master of Science Central Missouri State University Warrensburg, Missouri 1991 Education Specialist Central Missouri State University Warrensburg, Missouri 1994 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May, 1996 COPYRIGHT By Chris Anthony Hamilton May, 1996 IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM TRENDS ON AERONAUTICAL SECURITY Thesis Approved: Dean of the Graduate College ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all those who, support, guidance, and sacrificed time made my educational experience at Oklahoma State University a successful one. First, I would like to thank my doctoral committee chairman, Dr. Cecil Dugger for his guidance and direction throughout my doctoral program. Dr. Dugger is a unique individual for which I have great respect not only as a mentor but also as good and supportive friend. I would also like to thank my dissertation advisor Dr. Steven Marks, for his support and impute in my academic life at Oklahoma State University. I would also like to thank the Dr. Kenneth Wiggins, Head, Department of Aviation and Space Education for his continue and great support in many ways, that without, I will have never completed my educational goals. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Deke Johnson as my doctoral committee member, that has always a kind and wise word to get me through difficult days.
[Show full text]
Flight Attendant from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia This Article Needs Additional Citations for Verification
Flight attendant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2015) "Stewardesses" redirects here. For the 1969 3-D film, see The Stewardesses. "Cabin crew" redirects here. For the Australian dance music duo, see Cabin Crew. "Air hostess" redirects here. For other uses, see Air Hostess (disambiguation). Flight attendant of Austrian Airlines directing a passenger to his seat Flight attendants or cabin crew (also known as stewards/stewardesses, air hosts/hostesses, cabin attendants) are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft,[1] and on some military aircraft.[2] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Overview o 2.1 Responsibilities . 2.1.1 Cabin chimes and overhead panel lights o 2.2 Chief Purser o 2.3 Purser 3 Qualifications o 3.1 Training o 3.2 Language o 3.3 Height and weight 4 Uniforms and presentation 5 In advertising 6 Unions o 6.1 Discrimination 7 Roles in emergencies o 7.1 September 11, 2001 o 7.2 Other emergencies 8 In popular culture 9 Notable flight attendants 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links History[edit] Flight attendant, circa 1949–1950,American Overseas Airlines, Flagship Denmark, Boeing 377 Stratocruiser The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar positions on passenger ships or passenger trains, but it has more direct involvement with passengers because of the confined quarters on aircraft.
[Show full text]
1" OVERSIGHT of A(RPO'rt and AIRLINE Securily PROGRAMS
If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. } ,. 1" OVERSIGHT OF A(RPO'RT AND AIRLINE SECURIlY PROGRAMS (99-21) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBOOMMITTEE ON AVlATION OF THE OOMMITTEE ON PUBLIO WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-NINTH CONGRESS FmST SESSION JULy 11, 1985 u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1985 COMMI'ITEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION JAMES J. HOWARD, New Jersey, Chairman GLENN M. ANDERSON, California GENE SNYDER, Kentucky ROBERT A. ROE, New Jersey JOHN PAUL HAMMERSCHMIDT, Arkansas JOHN B. BREAUX, Louisiana BUD SHUSTER, Pennsylvania NORMAN Y. MINETA, California ARLAN STANGELAND, Minnesota JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota NEWT GINGRICH, Georgia HENRY J. NOWAK, New York WILLIAM F. CLINGER, JR., Pennsylvania ROBERT W. EDGAR, Pennsylvania GUY MOLINARI. New York ROBERT A. YOUNG, Missouri E. CLAY SHAW, JR., Florida NICK JOE RAHALL il, West Virginia BOB McEWEN, Ohio DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin RON DE LUGO, Virgin Islands DON SUNDQUIST, Tennessee GUS SAVAGE, lllinois NANCY L. JOHNSON. Connecticut FOFO I.F. SUNIA, American Samoa RON PACKARD. California DOUGLAS H. BOSCO, California SHERWOOD BOEHLERT, New York JIM MOODY, Wisconsin TOM DELAY, Texas ROBERT A. BORSKI, Pennsylvania SONNY CALLAHAN. Alabama JOE KOLTER, Pennsylvania DEAN A. GALLO, New Jersey TIM VALENTINE, North Carolina HELEN DELICH BENTLEY, Maryland EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York JIM LIGHTFOOT, Iowa WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI, lllinois DAVID S. MONSON, Utah MICHAEL A. ANDREWS, Texas J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia ROBERT E. WISE, JR., West Virginia KENNETH J. GRAY, Illinois CHESTER G. ATKINS, Massachusetts PETER J. VISCLOSKY, Indiana JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR., Ohio CATHY (MRS.
[Show full text]
Hezbollah Updated: February 6, 2013
Hezbollah Updated: February 6, 2013 Introduction Since its emergence in 1982, Hezbollah has waged an anti-Israel campaign and guerilla war against Israeli forces. The Lebanese-based U.S.-designated terrorist organization, which seeks to establish a Shiite Islamic state that encompasses both Lebanon and Israel, has been implicated in numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli and Western targets. Most recently, members of Hezbollah were implicated by Bulgaria in the July 2012 bombing of a bus of Israeli tourists in the resort city of Burgas. Hezbollah and its main international sponsor, Iran, have also been linked to a spate of attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli diplomats and other targets abroad in 2012. Hezbollah's ongoing campaign against Israel erupted in July 2006 when Hezbollah operatives killed eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapped two others stationed in Israeli sovereign territory. In response to the attack, Israeli forces launched a series of strikes intended to remove the Hezbollah threat from its border and cripple the military capabilities of the terrorist organization. Prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Hezbollah, backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, was responsible for the deaths of more Americans around the world than any other terrorist organization. An April 1983 suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed more than 60 people, including 17 Americans. The following October, a Hezbollah truck bombing killed 241 American marines at the multinational force barracks in Beirut. Hezbollah is also responsible for the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, during which a U.S. Navy diver was killed, and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.
[Show full text]
Who Was Imad Mughniyeh?
PolicyWatch #1340 Who Was Imad Mughniyeh? By Matthew Levitt and David Schenker February 14, 2008 Yesterday's assassination of arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh was welcome news in Washington, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, and, albeit quietly, Beirut and Baghdad. For Hizballah and Damascus, however, the loss of Mughniyeh -- who was a brilliant military tactician, a key contact to Tehran, and a successful political leader -- is a severe blow to their ongoing activities and operations. Early Life Imad Fayez Mughniyeh, also known as Hajj Radwan, was reportedly born in south Lebanon in 1962 and became a sniper in Yasser Arafat's forces in 1976. He has been implicated in some of the most spectacular terrorist attacks of the 1980s and 1990s, earning him a place on the FBI and EU's most wanted lists. He served as special operations chief for Hizballah's international operations and as the group's primary liaison to Iran's security and intelligence services. The first high-profile terror act linked to Mughniyeh was the 1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed sixty-three people. In the fall of the same year, he reportedly masterminded the twin truck bombings in Beirut that hit a building housing French paratroopers, killing fifty-eight, and a U.S. army barracks, killing 241 marines. Mughniyeh also engineered a series of high-profile kidnappings, including the CIA's Beirut station chief William Buckley (who was later killed), and AP correspondent Terry Anderson, who was held for six years prior to his release. Mughniyeh was also implicated in -- and subsequently indicted for -- the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, which resulted in the execution of U.S.
[Show full text]