108. Telegram From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts and Other Recipients1

310900. Inform Consuls. Subject: Libya SitRep No 1 as of 1200 EST, December 2, 1979.

1. (S) Entire text.

2. Embassy Tripoli was attacked about 10:00 a.m. (3 a.m. EST) on Sunday, December 2, 1979 by a mob of about several hundred (18–25 year-old men) shouting anti-American slogans. By 10:30 the mob was breaking windows and trying to batter down the front door, which did not give. The assault turned to removing the ground floor window grills, and breached the Embassy about 11:10 a.m. (4:10 a.m. EST) through a second floor balcony. The remaining staff retreated to the third floor vault and then left the building about 11:15 a.m. (4:15 a.m. EST) via a trap door and walked to the British Embassy, about 15 minutes away. All employees, American and local departed safely without injury. Fires were subsequently set in the Chancery and extinguished by the local fire department.

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The mob had arrived with placards at the time of an anti-American pro-Iranian revolution rally of several thousand people at Tripoli’s Green Square about a mile from the Embassy. Most members were in military fatigues which recently have become standard clothing for students and others in Tripoli.

After noon local time (7:00 a.m. EST) and following difficulty in contacting responsible Libyan officials, Charge Eagleton made a demarche to Libyan Foreign Secretary Turayki about the damage to the Embassy and the lack of adequate protection. He insisted on strengthened protection for the Embassy and residence of official Americans. Turayki assured Eagleton that the security of the Embassy and the American community will be taken care of. He stated that Libya continues to hold the positive positions taken in recent high-level bilateral correspondence.

At 4:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. EST) local time Libyan police were placed in front and at the rear of the Charge’s residence. At 4:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m. EST) Charge Eagleton was invited to Libyan Foreign Liaison Office to arrange access to the Chancery. He subsequently gained access and confirmed that security has not been violated although the first floor consular and economic/commercial areas have suffered extensive fire and water damage. We reoccupied the Embassy about 7:00 p.m. (noon EST).

Guidance has been prepared for the American business community advising it to thin down its staffs and to reduce its presence by sending out dependents to other countries until present tensions cease.

Libyan People’s Bureau (Embassy) head Ali el-Houderi was called in at 10:00 a.m. EST to receive the Department’s protest from Deputy Assistant Secretary Draper about the irresponsible conduct of the Libyan Government in handling the attack. The Embassy met with local American business leaders at 6:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. EST) to advise them on the situation.2

We have advised other North African and nearby posts to reduce classified files to a minimum, to be kept only in secure areas, and again to review with host governments specific arrangements for adequate protection, including designation of specific units. Rabat, Algiers, and Tunis and constituent posts are being considered urgently for a voluntary thinning out of staff and reduction in the number of dependents.

Vance
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790556–0065. Secret; Immediate. Sent to all diplomatic and consular posts, JCS, USCINCEUR, CINC-USAFE, CINCUSNAVEUR, Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, CINC-USEUR, U.S. Secret Service, and USNMR SHAPE. Drafted by Hester and approved by Smith.
  2. No record of Draper’s meeting was found. For the protest note, see Document 109. No record of a meeting with U.S. business leaders in Tripoli was found.