Series consists of records relating to World Bank Group security policy, planning, coordination, and response activities, and James L. Theodores's role leading this work as Field Coordinator (FC) between 1981 and 1987. Records include: official Bank policies and procedures on security in the field and other materials authored by Theodores and distributed to Bank staff; external publications on security and terrorism; undated and uncredited briefing papers on hijackings, letter and parcel bombs, and telephone threats; consultants' reports on World Bank Group security policy and planning; staff guidelines regarding street crime, burglary, vehicles and travel, and fire protection; reports and summaries of political incidents, security advisories, and incidents involving Bank staff; correspondence regarding specific travel bans; work program and other materials related to the Field Office Improvement Program developed by Theodores upon taking over the position of FC; and the FC transition program that resulted in the transfer of the Field Security System to the General Service Department's (GSD) Security Division upon Theodores's departure from the World Bank in 1987. Some records also relate back to Theodores's time as Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan (1977-1980) and the various security plans and guidelines he followed and enforced.
Series also includes records related to the hijacking of Pakistan International Airlines PK326 in March 1981. One of the hostages was World Bank staff member Jeffrey Balkind. Theodores served as the coordinator and major spokesman for the World Bank's informal Crisis Management Team during the hostage taking. Records include regular updates on the hijacking, primarily in the form of wires from the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan. Security updates authored by Theodores presumably for internal World Bank consumption are also included.
Records in this series related to the hijacking were subsequently used by Balkind for research purposes. A letter from Balkind to Theodores thanking him for the use of these records is included as is the packaging used to courier the records back to Theodores. The packaging is dated June 26, 1996. A complete draft of Balkind's unpublished history of the hijacking, "Life and Death on a Tarmac: The Hijacking of PK326" is included. Other chapters of the book that were reviewed and annotated by Theodores are also included, as is correspondence between Theodores and Balkind.
Records related to the May 1985 abduction of consultant Dr. Robert Williams, his wife Jenny Williamson, and their driver are also included. Williamson was engaged in work on a World Bank supervised project in Pakistan. Records include initial reports and notes on the incident and regular updates, including those made to senior staff World Bank staff.
