Close-up on Terror

Whenever an airliner is hijacked or a terrorist bomb goes off, the civilized world is reminded that it still has no effective means of combating those who use random violence as a political act. Presidents threaten swift retaliation, but their words are seldom backed by deeds. For the most part they are stymied, paralyzed by the web of international relations and the fear that action will invite a still-more-drastic response.

Tonight at 9, viewers of public television (KCET in Los Angeles) will get a rare glimpse of the decision-making process at the highest levels of government during a terrorist crisis. “Fighting Terrorism: A National Security View” records a mock meeting of the National Security Council during a simulated airplane hijacking.

Former senior government officials--including Robert McFarlane, Brent Scowcroft, Eugene Rostow, Richard Helms and Adm. Thomas Moorer--play key roles on the council, and the audience gets to watch them debating policy alternatives and making recommendations to the “President” just as they once did in the White House.

It is a fascinating hour in part because it pulls back the curtain and lets us see discussions that are almost always held behind closed doors. It is also fascinating because it shows that these people have no better answers in private than they have in public. There is no secret solution that is being kept from us. In frustration someone at one point says, “When in doubt, do the right thing.” That is still all that the world can hope for.