PLO May Target Americans in Revenge Attacks, Murphy Says

The Reagan Administration has received reports that the Palestine Liberation Organization may target Americans for attack because of alleged U.S. involvement in the assassination of a high-level PLO official, Assistant Secretary of State Richard W. Murphy said Tuesday.

In testimony before the House subcommittee on arms control, international security and science, Murphy said the United States had received such reports after last month’s assassination in Tunis of Khalil Wazir, the PLO’s second in command. Israeli agents are believed to have carried out the assassination of Wazir, commonly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Jihad.

The reports “were serious enough to not take a chance” by ignoring them, Murphy told reporters after the hearing. “There was no specific target but the reports had plausibility because of the Abu Jihad” killing, he said.

As a result, several U.S. ambassadors in Arab countries were asked to discuss their concerns with authorities there, Murphy said.

“There was no (U.S.) letter,” to Arab officials, Murphy said.

One Arab government conveyed the U.S. concerns to the PLO “and Arafat decided to go public with this,” Murphy said, referring to a news conference Tuesday in Baghdad in which the PLO chairman claimed that the U.S. government had threatened to kill PLO leaders if Palestinian guerrillas attack American citizens or targets.

“I assume you deny this?” Murphy was asked by Rep. Lawrence J. Smith (D-Fla.).

“Of course,” Murphy responded.