U.S. searches for ‘Czech connection’ in Moro kidnap

Press, 29 April 1978, Page 8

U.S. searches for ‘Czech connection’ in Moro kidnap

NZPA Washington The Carter Administration is investigating whether there is a link between Soviet bloc agencies and the terrorist group that last month kidnapped the former Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, according to intelligence officials, the “New York Times” has reported.

The purpose of the inquiry, the officials said, is to determine the extent, if any, to which the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies may have provided money, arms, and training to the Left-wing terrorist group in Italy known as the Red Brigades. Mr Moro was kidnapped in an armed attack in Rome on March 16 and is still believed to be a captive of the terrorist group. The focus of the intelligence search is on what one official called the “Czech connection” — the allegation that the Prague Government has provided assistance to the Red Brigades and other West European terrorist groups, including the Irish Republican Army, the Dutch South Moluccans, and the West German Red Army Faction. The Soviet Union has denounced the Moro kidnapping and has hinted in press accounts that Western intelligence services might be

involved in the incident. In recent weeks, reports have appeared in the Italian press claiming that Czechoslovakia helped engineer the Moro kidnapping. These have been loudly denied in radio broadcasts from Prague and Moscow. Carter Administration interest in the case has been prompted by long-standing suspicion within the intelligence community of Czechoslovakian ties to European terrorists. There were strong suggestions that this was the case, said an intelligence official. Officials also said the Italian Government had recently asked for American help in

determining whether there, was any direct or indirect; foreign involvement in the! Moro kidnapping. Intelligence officials said that so far, no evidence had been found to tie Czechoslovakia or any other So-viet-bloc country to the epi-1 sode, but that an old link! between Prague and the Red Brigades existed. Some of I this information has been (supplied to the two Congres-; sional intelligence com-1 mittees and officials there! said that Czechoslovakia had provided a range of services! to West European terrorists' lover the last decade. This assistance, they said, included weapons of Soviet and East European manufacture, money, false documents, and help in travelling in and out of Western Eur-! ope. In particular, several terrorists, including members of the Red Brigades, are said to have visited a complex at Karlovy Vary, a resort spot near Prague. The centre is the home of Radio Prague, which broadcasts throughout Europe, and where the communist journal, “Problems of Peace and Socialism,” is edited and translated into 15 languages. According to Congressional officials, the complex also has facilities for producing false documents and for providing various forms of ter-

.rorist training They said, that Renato Curcio, a Red; ! Brigades leader who is now I lon trial for murder in Italy, . eceived training at Karlovy 11 Vary and that Giangiacomo. Feltrinelli. the millionaire publisher who founded the 1 (group was found dead by: I Italian police in 1972 with a I[ false passport bearing 22 (Czechoslovakian stamps. Administration officials! ; decined to discuss what type of training and assistance, I that these and other terrorist leaders might have re-j (ceived at Karlovy Vary. . I One official offered the I view that the complex at| Karlovy Vary was mainly | for indoctrinating radical leaders and had not been used to offer active support. ; for missions of violence in 'Western Europe. Administration officials! have been forced to examine: possible ties between the I Eastern bloc and Western European terrorism more closely because of legislation i under preparation of Capitol , Hill, which would require the Administration to impose sanctions on so-called “paper States” that provided : support for terrorists. > Officials also said the Italian Government had pressed the Administration for infori mation concerning possible ; foreign ties to the Red Bri- • gades and that Rome had complained that the Admin-

istration has held back on providing it. “They think we know more than we are telling them.” an official said. He said much of the information given to authorities in Rome was out of date and claimed that recent efforts to collect intelligence (on terrorist movements had been hampered by new restrictions placed on covert [operations

"To really find out what is happening you need to infiltrate agents into terrorist groups. This takes years anr' the agent often must get involved in committing crimes. This isn’t allowed anymore, so our intelligence on terrorism just isn’t very good.”

NZPA-Reuter reports from Rome that the Italian Communist Party yesterday launched a strong attack on the Red Brigades kidnappers of Mr Moro, reinforcing its stand against making any deal with the guerrillas. The Brigades remained silent about the fate of Mr Moro, four days after threatening to kill him if 13 of their detained comrades were not freed. The Government has rejected the demand. But the Brigades demonstrated they could still operate at will by shooting and wounding Fiat car executive, Sergio Palmieri, in an attack outside his home in Turin, on Thursday.