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:

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Articles
• Communiques
• Magazines (periodicals)
• Maps (documents)
• Newspaper clippings
• Newspapers
• Photographs
• Pluchinsky, Dennis A.
• Posters
• Serials (publications)
• Slides (photographs)

Content Warning

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