CHAPTERS II, III, AND IV ANALYZE THE RELEVANT CUSTOMS AND PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AS WELL AS THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND TREATIES WHICH APPLY TO THEM. CHAPTER II DEFINES THE NATURE OF DIPLOMATIC INVIOLABILITY AND IDENTIFIES SOME OF ITS MAJOR LEGAL PERQUISITES; CHAPTER III EXAMINES STATE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF HOST GOVERNMENTS FOR THE PROTECTION AND SECURITY OF ALIENS IN GENERAL AND OF DIPLOMATS IN PARTICULAR; AND CHAPTER IV REVIEWS THE LEGAL STATUS OF POLITICAL ASYLUM, ESPECIALLY AS IT HAS EVOLVED IN LATIN AMERICA, AND THE EXTENT AND LIMITATIONS OF EXTRADITION. CHAPTER I SETS THE PHENOMENON OF DIPLOMATIC KIDNAPPING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF URBAN TERRORISM, WHILE CHAPTERS V, VI, AND VII DEALS WITH ACTUAL CASE STUDIES OF RECENT DIPLONAPPINGS AND SOME OF THE POLICY PROBLEMS CREATED BY THEM FOR THE DIPLOMATS AND GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED. CHAPTER VIII DRAWS TOGETHER THE LEGAL PRECEPTS AND THE POLITICAL REALITIES IN AN ATTEMPT TO ELICIT FROM THEM SOME POSITIVE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE GOVERNMENTAL ACTION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...TWH