144. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom1
328854. Subject: Libyan Assassination Campaign. Ref: A) London 25609,2 B) State 281548,3 C) Roy/Hooper Telcons,4 D) State 326043.5
1. (S) Entire text.
2. Department noted with considerable interest British expression of willingness to coordinate response to the renewal of the Libyan assassination campaign (ref A).
3. With respect to the Colorado shooting,6 the FBI continues to investigate but has not yet established a definite link to Libyan authorities. Nonetheless, nothing has emerged from that investigation which would alter the original assumption that the Colorado shooting was politically motivated.
4. We have warned the Libyans that any confirmation of official involvement in this shooting or any repetition of such an incident would have serious consequences for U.S./Libyan relations. In addition, we have asked the Libyans—voluntarily—to arrange for the departure from the United States of 19 students and one member of the People’s Committee of the People’s Bureau. The students are among the most active leaders of the revolutionary committees, twenty-two of which have been identified across the U.S. The People’s Committee member was the People’s Bureau link to these committees. To date there is no indication that these people have made any effort to leave the U.S. Voluntary departure is the only avenue for quick removal of the students from the US; an attempt to deport them would involve full appeal rights under US laws and could take up to three years.
5. We have requested the People’s Bureau (ref D) to give us an update on the status of those asked to leave and will assess where we go next upon receipt of the Bureau’s response.
[Page 347]6. For info addressees: You may draw upon paras 3–5 if you deem it appropriate to brief your host government.
7. For London: You may draw on paras 2–5 in briefing FCO and, as well, inform FCO of action we took re recent Libyan note (ref D). The Department will keep both the FCO and the British Embassy in Washington fully informed on this subject. In addition, the Department is quite willing to hold exploratory talks on coordination with FCO at the appropriate time (para 4 ref A). We are also quite interested in Oliver Miles’ idea for a joint US–EC statement. On this we would look to FCO for advice on how best to work out the modalities for such a statement but would be fully prepared to cooperate. Department remains convinced that this assassination threat is one which affects equally the United States and our European allies and that joint action of this sort could ultimately be one of the most effective approaches for dealing with this challenge.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800595–0269. Secret; Priority. Sent for information to Paris, The Hague, Brussels, Luxembourg, Rome, Bonn, Dublin, and Copenhagen. Drafted by Roy; cleared in NEA/AFN, NEA, EUR/NE, EUR/EX, and D/CT; approved by Newsom.↩
- Telegram 25609 from London, December 5, is in the National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800581–0071.↩
- See Document 141. ↩
- Not found.↩
- See Document 143.↩
- See Document 140.↩