A Guide to the Dennis Pluchinsky Collection on Terrorism and Counterterrorism, 1956-2016 SC xxx

A Guide to the Dennis Pluchinsky Collection on Terrorism and Counterterrorism, 1956-2016 SC xxx


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James Madison University Libraries Special Collections

820 Madison Drive
MSC 1706
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Telephone: (540) 568-3612
library-special@jmu.edu
URL: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/

Special Collections Staff

Repository
James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
Identification
SC xxx
Title
Dennis Pluchinsky collection on terrorism and counterterrorism 1956-2016
Quantity
xx cubic feet, approximately 29 boxes, 1 flat file
Creator
Pluchinsky, Dennis A.
source
Pluchinsky, Dennis A.
Language
English , German , French , Spanish; Castilian , Greek, Modern (1453-) , Arabic , Italian , Armenian .
Abstract
The collection comprises communiqués, unclassified government documents, serial publications, news articles, photographs, printed and three-dimensional ephemera, and the donor's scholarship related to global terrorism and counterterrorism. The materials in this collection were created and collected by Dennis Pluchinsky over the course of the career as a senior intelligence analyst and professor.

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. Staff have taken special care to identify and remove classified and privacy protected information (PPI) found within this collection. However, in rare instances, PPI may be revealed during use of this collection. Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of PPI if found within this collection, and further agree not to publish or disclose such information for any purpose. Researchers agree to alert Special Collections staff if potentially privacy protected information is found within this collection. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Dennis Pluchinsky Collection on Terrorism and Counterterrorism, 1956-2016, SC XXXX, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Donated to Special Collections in multiple accretions between 2015 and 2016.

Processing Information

Post-it notes and envelopes containing donor-supplied descriptive information were photocopied and foldered with the related papers and photographs. The contents of a USB drive, comprising 16 Word documents and one PowerPoint presentation, was printed and filed rather than retained digitally.

Appraisal

Only select publications, printed materials, and other mass produced materials were retained. All media (VHS, DVD) were not retained.

A representative sample of objects and ephemera was retained.

Biographical / Historical

Dennis A. Pluchinsky is a graduate of Madison College ('73) and George Washington University ('78) who spent the bulk of his career as a senior intelligence analysist. From 1977 to 2005, Pluchinsky worked in the Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis, Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of State.

Starting in 1990, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses at several colleges and universities including George Washington University, George Mason University, Georgetown University, and James Madison University. His courses focused on terrorism, counterterrorism, ethnic conflict, and al-Qaeda and the global jihad movement.

In addition to writing multiple book chapters and articles, Pluchinsky co-wrote Europe's Red Terrorists: The Fighting Communist Organizations , co-edited European Terrorism: Today & Tomorrow , and wrote two volumes of Anti-American Terrorism: From Eisenhower to Trump — A Chronicle of the Threat and Response .

Due to the large and complex scope of organizations represented in this collection, neither a historical note on global terrorism generally nor information on specific groups is provided here. Researchers should consult collection materials or outside sources for historical information on specific organziations documented in this collection.

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises communiqués, unclassified government documents, serial publications, news articles, photographs, printed and three-dimensional ephemera, and the donor's scholarship related to global terrorism and counterterrorism. The materials in this collection were created and collected by Dennis Pluchinsky over the course of the career as a senior intelligence analyst and university instructor.

The bulk of the collection, including Pluchinsky's teaching and scholarly work, documents the activities, ideological agendas, and belief systems of specific extremist groups, particularly European communist organizations, but also groups active in Asia, North America, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Eco-terrorist groups are also included.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series:

Extremist, separatist, and resistance organizations and movements, 1956-2014 Teaching and scholarship Ephemera and objects

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Content Warning

This collection includes graphic images, photographs, and descriptions of terrorist acts.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Extremist, separatist, and resistance organizations and movements
1956-2014
Scope and Contents

The series documents the activities and beliefs of specific extremist, separatist, resistance, and terrorist organizations. Materials include communiqués in which groups issued statements to the media, specifically to take credit for terror attacks; interviews with former and current group members; trainings and internal communcations; newsletters and publications; and indictments and court documents. Photographs and schematic diagrams of terror attacks are included. Examples of terror attacks documented include assassinations and attempted assassinations, kidnappings, plane hijackings, bombings, and suicide attacks. Specific terrorist attacks documented in these materials include September 11 (2001); the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland (1988); the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics; the assassination attempt of President George H. W. Bush by Iraqi Intelligence Service in Kuwait (1993); and many others too numerous to list.

There are organizations in this series that have similar goals, aims, and belief systems. In some cases, groups spawned from or merged into other groups, were renamed over time, issued joint statements, or issued statements in support of another group's activities. As a result, researchers may want to consult materials from organizations with aligning political or social agendas.

Materials not specific to individual organizations include chronologies, glossaries, and indices as well as general information on tactics and ideologies.

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Ephemera and objects
1967-2016
Scope and Contents

The series includes printed and three-dimensional ephemera, objects, propaganda, maps, reward and wanted posters, clothing items, counterterrorism calendars, and newspapers. The newspapers are primarily complete issues and are significant in that their front page headlines document major acts of political violence, terrorism, or the capture of terrorist leaders. Pro and anti-terrorist sentiments are expressed on the ephemera.

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Teaching and scholarship
Scope and Contents

The series includes materials related to Dennis Pluchinsky's teaching, research, and scholarship. Many of the titled papers dated from 2007 to 2015 are research papers and commentaries presented by Pluchinsky at the National Intelligence Council's (NIC) Intelligence Community Associates Program.

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