Panel Urges Death Penalty for Terrorists

President Reagan’s Task Force on Combatting Terrorism today said the death penalty should be established for the murder of American hostages anywhere in the world, and it called on intelligence agencies to increase their use of spies to penetrate terrorist organizations.

But the panel found no fault with existing Administration policies and proposed no major initiatives to combat the terrorist threat.

Vice President George Bush, who chaired the Cabinet-level panel that grew out of the TWA hijacking last year, said the group continues to support the concept of pinpoint strikes to retaliate against terrorists but would oppose “wanton destruction of human life in order to show some muscle” in the wake of terrorist attacks.

No Easy Answer

Asked how the United States should respond to instances of terrorism like the Rome airport raid just after Christmas, in which those responsible could not be identified, Bush said:

“There isn’t any simple answer to that one. We reiterate the policy of being willing to retaliate, but we’re not going to just wantonly destroy human life in order to show that we’ve done something.”

A declassified version of the task force report, which was given to Reagan as a classified document six weeks ago, recommends the increased use of spies and the closing of legal loopholes that now permit terrorists to escape U.S. law enforcement.

“U.S. intelligence gathered by technical means is adequate and pursued appropriately,” the report concluded. “At the same time, there is clear need for certain information that can only be gained by individuals. An increase in human intelligence gathering is essential to penetrate terrorist groups and their support systems.”

11 Incidents Studied

The task force reviewed 11 separate terrorist incidents abroad last year in which 23 Americans were killed and 160 wounded. But it warned, “There is great potential for increased attacks in our own backyard.”

“The United States itself is sometimes used as a safe haven for terrorists,” the commission reported, noting that present extradition treaties with other nations preclude turning fugitives wanted for “political offenses” over to other nations.