Associated with the high visibility approach is White House participation in decision making and crisis management and the possibility of a declaration of national emergency. Conversely, the low visibility approach may mean less White House involvement and reliance on nonemergency authorities. Planners must develop approaches that will accommodate both styles of Presidential response. • The guidance in this document is related to the Federal Response Plan for Peacetime Nuclear Emergencies (FRPPNE), April, 1977, in that terrorism could involve a nuclear device or radioactive substance. If the requirements in this guidance are met either by operational response plans developed under the FRPPNE or by other emergency plans of an agency, no further planning is required. The criteria to be employed in selecting the appropriate Federal response manager cannot be specified in advance, as they will reflect the personal, political, and management styles of the President. The decision will consider such variables as the functional areas affected, the political sensitivity of the crisis, the legal authorities available, and the working relationships that exist between the President, his staff, and the various Federal agencies. In the absence of established criteria for prior designation of Federal response coordinators, each Federal agency should maintain the capability to respond under each of the above options. There are two • The character of the Federal response will be determined in part by the extent to which the President desires to adopt a policy of high visibility and personal involvement in the response. extreme possibilities in this regard. The President may move in the most visible and direct manner and attempt to reassure the public that he and the Government are doing all that is required to cope with the emergency conditions produced by the terrorists. Alternatively, the President may attempt to decouple the act of terrorism from both the emergency conditions and the governmental response in order to avoid the impression that terrorists can create conditions requiring extraordinary measures. Associated with the high visibility approach is White House participation in decision making and crisis management and the possibility of a declaration of national emergency. Conversely, the low visibility approach may mean less White House involvement and reliance on nonemergency authorities. Planners must develop approaches that will accommodate both styles of Presidential response. • The guidance in this document is related to the Federal Response Plan for Peacetime Nuclear Emergencies (FRPPNE), April, 1977, in that terrorism could involve a nuclear device or radioactive substance. If the requirements in this guidance are met either by operational response plans developed under the FRPPNE or by other emergency plans of an agency, no further planning is required. V. RESPONSIBILITIES Executive Orders 11051 and 11490 outline the emergency preparedness responsibilities of FPA and other Federal agencies. These responsibilities when coupled with the Civil Emergency Preparedness Policy and Planning Guidance assure an integrated preparedness effort across a range of contingencies. Assignments In reviewing the Executive Order 11490 assignments as they relate to terrorism, agency planners should remember that responsibilities are assigned in four ways as follows: Some assignments are unique and specific to an agency. No other agency shares the assignment. This indicates a primary responsibility. Some assignments direct an agency to coordinate the planning of other agencies in a particular area. responsibility. · Some assignments direct two or more agencies to coordinate, cooperate, consult or participate on a coequal basis. This indicates a joint or mutual responsibility. Some assignments direct one agency to assist another agency in a particular area. This indicates a supporting responsibility. From the preceding, it is evident that agencies having primary, joint and supporting responsibilities for emergency preparedness measures can be identified. Since these measures extend to all conditions of national emergency and since terrorism is defined as one of these conditions, the responsibilities for various aspects of the terrorism contingency can also be identified. On this basis, the responsible agencies for the most likely targets defined in the policy section are: |