AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF TERRORISM REFERS TO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM FROM ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL TIMES THROUGH THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE POST-WORLD WAR II PERIOD. POLITICO-IDEOLOGICAL AND SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ARE DISCUSSED WITH LEGAL ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF TERRORISM. LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND LEGISLATIVE REMEDIES LEAD TO PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO THE CURRENT AND FUTURE TERRORIST PROBLEM. MOST OF THE TEXT CONSISTS OF UNITED NATION'S AND CONVENTIONS' REPORTS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE TERRORIST PROBLEM. THE 93 DOCUMENTS ARE GROUPED INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: 20TH CENTURY OVERVIEW; UNITED NATIONS AND NORTHERN IRELAND REPORTS; UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTIONS, DECLARATIONS, AND CONVENTIONS; INTERFERENCE WITH AIR TRANSPORT; CASES ON PIRACY, INTERFERENCE WITH AIR TRANSPORT, AND TERROR VIOLENCE; U.S. GOVERNMENT APPROACHES--NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL; EUROPEAN ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL TERROR VIOLENCE; INTER-AMERICAN ATTEMPTS AT TRANSNATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTROL OF TERRORISM; AND ACTIVITY OF THE UNITED NATIONS (1978). U.S. JUDICIAL DECISIONS ARE PRESENTED, WITH DATA ON WORLDWIDE HIJACKING ATTEMPTS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND AN INDEX TO THE COMMENTARY ARE INCLUDED. (WJR)