The Time A Bomb Went Off In The US Senate
By: Grant Piper
Tags: History, Politics, United States, Terrorism, This Day In History

A photo showcasing the damage of the explosion (Public domain)

The Time A Bomb Went Off In The US Senate

Late in the evening on November 7th, 1983, a bomb went off in the US Senate building causing over $250,000 in damage (roughly $650,000 today). It was a terrifying event which almost became a tragedy, though luckily no one was hurt. The explosion highlighted the relative lack of security around important government buildings in the capitol leading to permanent changes which persist today.

Background

Cover of “US Marines In Grenada” by US Marine Corps (Public domain)

Today, it seems inconceivable that someone could smuggle a bomb into a building such as the US Capitol but in 1983 it was possible. The area directly surrounding the Senate chambers, the atrium and forums, were completely open to the public. This allowed locals, tourists and, unfortunately, terrorists to enter the building without resistance.

The bombing was allegedly in response to actions by the United States military overseas. At the time, President Regan had ordered troops to be deployed to the socialist nation of Grenada in the Caribbean as well as Lebanon in the Middle East. Both efforts were propped up as democratic forces in the world battling the forces of socialism and unrest.

While the invasion of Grenada was widely accepted by the United States public, left wing groups were incensed that the president of a major world power would use their military to pick on and invade tiny socialist nations. The outrage led to a group known as The Armed Resistance Unit placing a bomb in the US capitol.

The Bombing

The Senate session had ran late and there was a floor gathering consisting of dozens of legislators, staffers and others crowding in the area directly surrounding the Senate chambers.

At 10:58PM the bomb went off rocking the building and sending dozens of people scrambling for cover. Luckily, the area in which the bomb went off was deserted at the time.

However, the large number of people still gathered at the time of the explosion caused many people alarm. The Senate’s own report on the incident says that “many lives had been spared”.

The bomb completely destroyed the area it was placed in and could have caused untold harm to human life if it had gone off closer to where the people had been gathered.

Instead, an old painting, some plaster and glass were the only things torn apart in the blast.

Aftermath

US Capitol dome (Public domain)

Today, security around the capitol is much tighter than it was at the time. Immediately after the bombing, the areas previously open to the public were closed and eventually remained permanently closed due to this incident. The Senate report reads of the measures:

The area outside the Senate Chamber, previously open to the public, was permanently closed. Congressional officials instituted a system of staff identification cards and added metal detectors to building entrances to supplement those placed at chamber gallery doors following a 1971 Capitol bombing.

The new measures kept the Senate safe and there have been no similar incidents since 1983. At the time of the bombing, this had been the third bombing in the 20th century of the US capitol building highlighting an era of political violence. A bomb was detonated in 1915, 1971 and 1983. In each instance, no one was hurt.

The 1971 bombing was committed by Weather Underground. The perpetrators of the 1983 bombing were eventually arrested in 1988 and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in the plot.