NCJ Number
80258
Date Published
1979
Length
452 pages
Annotation
These Senate committee hearings address concerns related to the proposed antiterrorism bill, including the responsiveness of the Federal structure to a terrorist crisis, the economic and military tools available as sanctions against countries aiding terrorists and the most effective means of imposing them, and the use of taggants in explosives.
Abstract
Those giving testimony and submitting prepared statements include Government officials from agencies concerned by terrorist activities; representativies from the Air Line Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association; an official of the National Rifle Association; and manufacturers of explosive taggants, arms, and ammunition. Efforts to combat terrorism that have been undertaken by the Departments of State, Treasury, and Transportation and by the Civil Aviation Security Service are mentioned. An airline pilot expresses concern over the recent use of small surface-to-air missiles to shoot down unarmed civilian airlines and suggests that the United States take sanctions, such as a halt in air service, against those nations which harbor or support terrorists. A representative of the National Rifle Association takes issue with Government proposals regarding explosive tagging on the grounds that adding a foreign substance to propellant powders may be unsafe for consumers and a technical impossibility. Also discussing the problems of terrorism and ways to combat it are representatives of the Department of Justice, aircraft manufacturers, and an official of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Many of the prepared statements include footnotes.