TO ANALYZE AND EVALUATE TERRORIST ACTIONS AGAINST AMERICANS AND AMERICAN FACILITIES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, THIS STUDY BEGINS WITH AN OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONS ABROAD FROM 1970 TO 1978. SUBSEQUENT PARTS OF THE STUDY EVALUATE IN DETAIL THE TYPES OF TARGETS (BUSINESS, MILITARY, GOVERNMENT, DIPLOMATIC) HIT MOST FREQUENTLY, THE TACTICS USED IN SUCH OPERATIONS (ASSASSINATION, KIDNAPPING, BOMBING, AND FACILITY ATTACKS), AND THOSE COUNTRIES WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY HIGH-RISK AREAS FOR AMERICAN ACTIVITIES AND PERSONNEL. THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF INCIDENTS AGAINST AMERICANS OCCURRED IN 1973 AND 1974. MOST ATTACKS TOOK PLACE IN SIX COUNTRIES IN THE 1970-78 PERIOD COVERED BY THE STUDY: ARGENTINA, GREECE, ITALY, TURKEY, AND IRAN. MOST OF THE ATTACKS WERE BOMBINGS. A CHART SUMMARIZES TERRORIST OPERATIONS BY TARGET AND TACTICS. BUSINESS IS THE MOST FREQUENT TARGET OF TERRORISTS. KIDNAPPING AND FACILITY ATTACKS ALSO ARE POPULAR TACTICS AGAINST BOTH BUSINESS AND DIPLOMATIC INTERESTS. THE VARIOUS KINDS OF ATTACKS, BOMBINGS, FACILITY ATTACKS, KIDNAPPING, AND ASSASINATIONS ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, COMPARING ACTIONS AGAINST OTHER NATIONS, COMPLEXITY OF OPERATION, PERIOD OF HIGHEST OCCURRENCE, TARGET, AND COUNTRY. AMERICAN EXECUTIVES ARE MORE VULNERABLE, ACCORDING TO CONCLUSIONS OF THE REPORT, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT OBSERVE THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS THEIR FOREIGN COUNTERPARTS CONSIDER NORMAL. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS SEEN IN THE CURRENT PATTERN OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. CHARTS AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (RFC)