Newly Released 1973 FBI Document Sheds Light on Historical Terrorism Tactics

The declassified FBI document “Terrorism — Its Tactics and Techniques,” dated January 12, 1973, provides an analytical overview of the methods employed by terrorists during that period. The document, prepared for a National Symposium on Terrorism, draws from public sources and information provided by foreign police contacts to aid law enforcement in combating political violence. It outlines the primary tactics of terrorists, which include hijackings, kidnappings, murders, assassinations, massacres, and bombings. The document emphasizes the imitative nature of terrorist activities, where methods used in one region are quickly adopted in others. It also distinguishes between political terrorists, who have specific causes such as drawing attention to the Palestinian refugee issue or ending British jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, and urban guerrillas, whose ultimate aim is revolution.

The document details several high-profile terrorist incidents, including Palestinian guerrilla attacks in early 1972, the activities of the Black September organization, and the violence in Northern Ireland attributed to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It also touches on the influence of Carlos Marighella’s “Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla” in Latin America and the activities of the Tupamaros in Uruguay. The document further mentions the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) in Canada and the Meinhof-Baader gang in Germany, providing a snapshot of the global reach of terrorism at the time.