Uniting against terrorism - George Bush's address before an international conference on terrorism sponsored by Discover magazine on Jan. 20, 1987

US Department of State Bulletin,  April, 1987  

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Uniting Against Terrorism

Vice President Bush's address before an international conference on terrorism sponsored by Discover magazine on January 20, 1987.(1)

I appreciate the opportunity to addressthis important conference on terrorism. In light of recent events and the speculation surrounding the U.S. counterterrorism policy, you could not have scheduled your conference at a more appropriate time.

A few weeks ago I spoke about ourinitiative toward certain factions in Iran. And I mentioned then that a widespread perception exists that this Administration traded arms for hostages, thereby violating our own strong policy of making no concessions to terrorists. When all the facts are out, the American people can make up their own minds on that key question. But the American people should also know that the President is certain to this very day that he did not authorize "arms for hostages.'

At the same time you should knowthe concern that the President feels, that we all feel, when an American in terrorist hands is tortured and, in the case of William Buckley, killed. We will explore every channel, run down every lead. We will go the extra mile to free those American hostages.

I am here tonight to reaffirm ourpolicy--a policy that we have built through arduous work and courageous example.

When we intercepted the hijackersof the Achille Lauro and helped bring them to justice, we took tremendous risks on behalf of a terrorism policy that was born of great conviction. When we flew our bombers for hours through the night to attack Libya's training camps, we again put our policy on the line. It is, therefore, with a profound sense of loss that I view this existing perception that we have abandoned our policy of not negotiating with terrorists.

I believe we must reaffirm our policywith a better understanding that there is a very thin and delicate line between talking with terrorists and negotiating with terrorists. As Terry Waite [personal envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury] can surely attest, searching for ways to communicate with hostagetakers can be a ghostly business. Out of adversity comes opportunity. And we now have the opportunity to restore the credibility of our policy, give it new meaning, and move forward with a renewed commitment in our battle against the terrorist threat.

Having said that, let me read threesentences from the report on my task force on combatting terrorism. "Terrorism is a phenomenon that is easier to describe than to define. It is the unlawful use or threat of violence against persons or property to further political or social objectives. It is generally intended to intimidate or coerce a government, individual or groups to modify behavior or policies.'

Now let me reaffirm the policy thisAdministration will follow in combatting terrorism. Let me restate the strong, straightforward language that continues to guide our policy.

We do not make concessions to terrorists.We do not pay ransoms. We do not release prisoners. We do not encourage other countries to give in to terrorists. And we do not agree to other acts that might encourage future terrorism.

It was back in July of 1985 that thePresident asked me to chair a cabinetlevel task force on counterterrorism, and it was almost exactly 1 year ago this month that we issued our report. In all, the task force made 44 recommendations that constituted a unified strategy for fighting terrorism and that significantly improved our nation's capacity for addressing this threat.

The most important achievement ofthe task force was to bring together the various parts of the government to agree to broad rules for action. We settled festering problems of jurisdiction. We resolved policy issues regarding the seriousness of the terrorist threat and the range of actions appropriate to dealing with it. And we set these issues in the context of a broader strategy--a strategy that has brought home some big victories.

Recent Incidents

As a result, we have made great progressin thwarting potential terrorist attacks. While only successful terrorist acts receive front-page coverage, I'd like to draw your attention to some of the attempted attacks that we've helped prevent.

For example, in Turkey last April,security officers arrested Libyan-supported terrorists who were planning to attack the U.S. Officers' Club in Ankara during a wedding celebration. Those arrests were possible, in large part, because of our joint intelligence efforts. In Paris, at about the same time, officials thwarted a similar attack planned against citizens in a visa line at the U.S. Consulate. Again, we helped.

Of course, our ultimate objective isto join with other nations devoted to peace and freedom so that we can wipe this planet clean of terrorism. International terrorism demands an international response. And we have a long, long way to go. Believe me, I know this all too well.

In June of 1985 I stood on the hardearth at Andrews Air Force Base, and I received in the name of this country the body of a young man named Robert Dean Stethem. You remember that name. He was the Navy enlisted man who was shot to death by terrorists on TWA Flight 847. They tortured him and then they shot him in the head. They killed him because he was an American serviceman.