Steve Beleu,
director,
U.S. Government
Information
Division

Forward to the Terrorism Bibliography

Brad Robison, Library Director
National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma

"The events of September 11, 2001 will forever be etched in the psyche of mankind. Passenger airliners hijacked and then purposefully crashed into the twin towers of the New York World Trade Center . Moments later another commandeered plane slammed into the side of the Pentagon in Washington , D.C. while yet another plane crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside when brave passengers took the plane back from its captors and diverted it from hitting other populated targets.

These attacks were surprise attacks and unprecedented in their magnitude. It was a beautiful fall day, no hint of impending tragedy, no indication that the world was suddenly about to be thrust into unparalleled turmoil. Within a few frightening seconds, symbols of economic strength and power were reduced to rubble and thousands of lives were taken. Much like the April 19, 1995 truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building , in downtown Oklahoma City , citizens of America were left numb and awestruck by what was happening in their country.

Then in October, terrorism in a different form reared its ugly head. This time in the form of the distribution of anthrax spores through the U.S. Postal Service. Several lost their lives through these terrorist activities and widespread disruption took place across the U.S.

Certainly, terrorism is not a new phenomenon to the global community, as many have struggled with it for decades. Terrorism is therefore by no means solely an American problem. When it strikes, terrorism involves everyone. No one goes untouched. We saw it in Tokyo when the subways were contaminated with sarin gas. We saw it over the skies of Lockerbie , Scotland and in the towns and cities of Northern Ireland and in countries throughout Central America . We have seen it throughout the Middle East and in notable places in Europe . Terrorism touches everyone.

Here in the American Heartland we have been wrestling with issues involving terrorism since the Oklahoma City bombing. Throughout the state of Oklahoma various agencies are working together to do their part to prevent such horrific acts. One such agency is the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) located in Oklahoma City . MIPT strongly believes in the idea of partnering to “prevent, deter and or mitigate the effects of terrorism” and is fortunate to work side by side with numerous state, local and federal agencies including the U.S. Government Information Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries to insure that information regarding terrorism is readily accessible. This bibliography of federal documents is a valuable resource for any library and along with other valuable centers of information, such as the MIPT Library and website (www.mipt.org) will provide users with materials that will help them keep abreast of the critical issues involved in this effort."

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Oklahoma Department of Libraries