MOST MANUALS WHICH DEAL WITH GUERILLA WARFARE AND TERRORISM CHARACTERIZE THESE AS MILITARY PROBLEMS AND ARGUE THAT THEY SHOULD BE HANDLED BY THE ARMY. THESE MANUALS EMPHASIZE THE DUAL NATURE OF THE POLITICAL AND MILITARY STRUGGLE, JUST AS THE WORKS OF MAO TSE-TUNG AND CHE GUEVARA STRESS THEIR INSEPARABILITY. LATER WORKS ON URBAN PROTEST SHIFT THE FOCUS TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF IDEOLOGICAL GROUPS BY THE POLICE. DESPITE VARIATIONS AMONG INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS A BASIC THEME OF THESE BOOKS IS THAT SUBVERSIVE GROUPS HAVE AN ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE. THESE WRITERS CAST THE CAUSE AS A CONFLICT BETWEEN LEFT-WING GROUPS AND AN ELITIST GROUP IN POWER, INTIMATE THAT THE MASSES ARE MANIPULATED, AND CALL DEMONSTRATIONS, INDUSTRIAL STRIKES, AND RELATED DISSIDENT PROTEST FORMS OF URBAN TERRORISM. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THE POLICE MUST DETERMINE WHICH GROUPS ARE TO BE TOLERATED. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT THE STRATEGIES SUGGESTED FOR PHYSICALLY ISOLATING SUBVERSIVES AND TERRORISTS RESULT IN AN ABROGATION OF THE RULE OF LAW, ESPECIALLY IF PROPOSED EMERGENCY LAWS ARE ENACTED. OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR REPRESSION OF SUCH GROUPS SERIOUSLY INFRINGE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES. THE QUESTION IS ASKED, 'IF A POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT MUST RESORT TO COUNTER-INSURGENCY TO SURVIVE....DOES IT DESERVE TO EXIST?' REFERENCES ARE FOOTNOTED. (GLR)