Wednesday 25 October 2017

How Pan Am Flight 103 shook up some professional fields

[This is the headline over an article published today on the website of The Daily Orange, the newspaper of Syracuse University, thirty-five of whose students died aboard Pan Am 103. It reads in part:]

As the deadliest terrorist attack on United States citizens before 9/11, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 shook up practices in professional fields including the airline security and public relations industries.

The flight was carrying 259 people — including 35 Syracuse University students — from London before a bomb in the cargo hold exploded on Dec 21, 1988. The terrorist attack killed all on board and 11 people on the ground.

Activism by the parents and families of the victims was instrumental in influencing national security practices. In 1990, Congress passed the Aviation Security Improvement Act lobbied by some of the victims’ families to strengthen airport security measures.

William Banks, founding director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, said there was little security specifically devoted to airlines before the passage of the act.

Air marshals would ride on flights with a suspected security risk, airline personnel would be screened and cargo would occasionally be inspected.

These personnel and cargo security measures were increased as a result of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, with special attention from the US aviation industry.

However, Banks said, making these practices effective required international cooperation.

“Not every nation has uniform or excellent security,” he said. “With global travel, your airline security is only as strong as your weakest link.”

Banks said was international cooperation between countries to implement screening procedures similar to ones in the US. He added many of the current practices were created in response to the Pan Am Flight 103 and 9/11 attacks.

The incident also showed how the public relations field was underprepared in crisis management.

Maria Russell, a public relations professor in the S I Newhouse School of Public Communications, said spokespeople from Pan American World Airways and the US State Department lacked the training needed the handle the attack.

In the wake of the bombing, Pan Am implemented a “buddy system” where each family was assigned a liaison for communication with the airline.

The liaisons were unprepared and untrained for interaction with families who had lost loved ones, she said.

“That ended up infuriating the families more than making the families appreciate the effort,” Russell said. (...)

Of the public relations strategies Russell examined, she said the spokespeople in Lockerbie were most prepared and professional. Briefings were held every morning and afternoon to disseminate information and keep the public up to date.

It’s been said that one positive point of Pan Am Flight 103 was the involvement of Superintendent Angus Kennedy, a policeman from the Scottish city of Glasgow who acted as a police spokesperson and guided families through media interaction.

“They were incredible in how they responded to the families, the media, with so much common sense,” Russell said. “Basically: How would you like to be treated if this were you?”

2 comments:

  1. With respect to the families of the PanAm 103 victims

    DOSSIER LOCKERBIE,2017 (with help of google translation German/English)

    After filtering out the investigations in the Lockerbie case PanAm 103, in the ultimate evidence scam, with a MST13 timer fragment (PT35) to the detriment of Libya it can be seen that the main expert at RARDE, Dr. Hayes with his employee Allen Feraday (RARDE) for the Criminal act, are responsible, and must be indict with for this.

    It started with the questionable finding of a carbonized "Slalom Shirt" on January 13, 1989 in the area of Lockerbie (see: the manipulated police label PI'995 with 7 signatures).

    Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Ross Ferry (Scottish Police) informed the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) in Germany on 9, May 1990, that the Original MST-13 fragment was detected in January 1990 in a shirt. (BKA Report nr. ST'33-068507/88)
    Not earlier (12, May 1989) as claimed unter oath from Witness Expert (number 586) Dr. Thomas Hayes (RARDE) at the court in Kamp van Zeist 2000 !
    All the details up to the alleged discovery of an MST13 timer fragment (PT35) in a slalom shirt, on January 16, 1990, in the lab at RARDE, by expert Dr. Hayes can now be classified as a "Secondary Prelude".

    The fact is that Dr. Thomas Hayes, as a witness in the "Lockerbie trial", at the court in Zeist 2000, under oath, made deliberately false, decisive statements and an important additional page No.51 has forged, so that then the former Gaddafi regime in Libya and Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, could be involved in the "PanAm103 Bombing"

    On the first evidence was with the black carbonated MST13 Timerfragment (PT35) supposedly discovered in a slalom shirt at RARDE, is not enter on it here, because before sawing the fragment (PT35) in two pieces (PT35/A) and (DP31/a) on April 27th 1990, at company Siemens in Munich, Dr. Hayes, apparently have realized that with the first fragment (fabricated from a prototype circuit board, fabricated from 8 layers of fiberglass)-Libya could not be brought in conjunction with the bombing of PanAm 103...

    continuation below >>>

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  2. continuation >>>

    The focus today is mainly - or only - the following fact:

    From 15 May 1990, a second MST13 timer fragment had to be created under the same marking (PT35) - this time consisting of 9 layers of fiberglass, not black carbonized, but both sides covered with green "Soldermask"; same as the circuit boards used in the MST13 timers, delivered before to Libya, (Photo HV)
    For a forensic comparison of the (PT35) fragment with a MST-13 timer (TOGO timer "K-1") before delivered to Libya - headed by SIO Chef Stuart Henderson, accompanyd amongst others, with Dr. Thomas Hayes and Allen Feraday, before the beginning of June 1990, they went to Washington and visited the experts of the FBI Laboratory.

    Through a now "declassified" FBI-Security Report No. 262-23, issued August 20, 1990, shows that the FBI officials - from Dr. Thomas Haye's, with the new brought, MST13 Timerfragment (PT35) again was discovered in the "Slalom shirt" - were deliberately deceived !

    Extract from FBI report:
    The Scottish Police have determined, after extensive investigation, that the green circuit board (PT 35) is (only) single sided (with tracks) and composed of nine (9) layers of glass cloth, type 7628.
    A solder mask has been applied to both sides of the board. The solder mask appears to be a wet epoxy base type that was either screen printed or brushed on to the board.

    This time it was clear that by the forensic comparison between the "TOGO MST13 Timer" (K-1) and the "fake" MST13 Timer fragment (PT35) were identical and
    then Libya and Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, could finally be burdened ...

    Extract from FBI Report:
    Personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Explosives Unit discovered a similarity between then circuit board fragment (PT 35) and a printed circuit board, which is a component part of an electronic timer recovered In Africa in September, 1986 (now referred as specimen K-l). On June 22, 1990, a side by side comparison of specimen K-l and PT 35, resulted in a positive identification of PT 35, as being similar to spaciman K-l. In essence, it has been determined that tha PT35 circuit board fragment originated from a circuit board that was like or identical to specimen K-l circuit board.

    This accusation will lead the Scottish Police, "Operation SANDWOOD" after an investigation, to the evidence of fraud of the 20th century ...

    by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd Telecommunication Switzerland, www.lockerbie.ch > and on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edwin.bollier

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