Ways to Punish Terrorists, Spare Innocent Elude U.S.

Vice President George Bush said Thursday that a task force he heads on combatting terrorism has failed to resolve the Administration’s central dilemma of how to implement its policy of “swift and effective retribution” against terrorists when innocent lives might be at stake.

“We haven’t been able to solve that problem, and I wish we could have,” Bush said as he made public an unclassified version of a report surveying the growing vulnerability of Western democracies to terrorism and recommending a series of mostly managerial steps to cope with the threat.

The report is the culmination of six months’ research that included interviews with more than a hundred experts, visits to a dozen foreign countries and personal discussions by Bush with congressmen, airline and media executives, diplomats and former Cabinet officials. A classified version was presented to President Reagan on Dec. 20 and provided the basis for the public document.

‘Surgical’ Attacks

Bush said that Administration policy remains the same and that military retaliation against terrorism would be mounted “where it could be surgically done.” But a broader attack that would endanger innocent bystanders is unacceptable, he said.

“We are not going to just wantonly destroy human life in order to show that we have done something,” Bush said. “We haven’t been able to get a four-point program that would apply to every terrorist situation.”

In a related development, the House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed an Administration-backed bill to strengthen security at U.S. embassies around the world. The $4.4-billion package, which includes money to build new embassies that could withstand car bombs, goes to the House floor next for action.

The Administration repeatedly wrestled with the question of whether military force is appropriate during a wave of terrorist incidents last year that included the hijacking of a TWA commercial airliner to Beirut, the takeover of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and bloody Christmas-season attacks at the Rome and Vienna airports.

Shultz-Weinberger Debate

The debate publicly divided Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger over whether a U.S. military response was warranted against Libya for its alleged role in sponsoring the airport attacks and harboring the terrorists who claimed responsibility. Later, it developed that at least some of the terrorists were based in Syria.

Shultz said that the United States “cannot wait for absolute certainty and clarity” before responding to terrorists. Weinberger argued that a show of force might provide “instant gratification” but could breed more terrorism in the future.

Bush conceded that his report has left that conflict unresolved. Also, he said the task force did not offer any major changes in existing Administration procedures because “our basic policies were sound.”

Of the 46 recommendations listed in Bush’s report, most have been implemented in recent months or have been widely discussed as practical measures to combat terrorism.

Intelligence Center

Bush called for the creation of a “consolidated intelligence center on terrorism,” which would do a better job of centralizing information within the government, plus an additional staff position on the National Security Council to monitor terrorist-related activities.

He said that the Administration would pursue legislation to make the murder of an American abroad a capital crime.

Bush also promised that the Administration would move to close extradition loopholes that preclude the turning over of fugitives wanted for “political offenses.”