Officials are also worried about possible terrorist strikes against dams and water treatment facilities. The FBI has been working closely with state and local water officials to identify potential targets and decrease their vulnerability to attack.

Munich perspective

Eisen said terrorism has been a real threat at every Olympics since 1972 when commandos from the Palestinian terrorist group Black September took the Israeli Olympic team hostage. Eleven Israeli athletes, one German policeman and five terrorists died in a botched rescue attempt.

The 30-year-old image of black-hooded terrorists on a Munich balcony remains a permanent image of Olympic terrorism. "Until that moment, terrorism was faceless," Eisen said.

And in much the same way, the television images of jets smashing into the World Trade Center have created the same permanent image in Americans' minds. "It was a lesson not for a lifetime, but forever," he said. "It was a wake-up call."

Eisen said it will be difficult to protect all the venues, all the events, all the athletes and everyone else from presidents to sports enthusiasts gathered in large crowds at an internationally televised event.

"But I don't think you need to be more concerned than anyone else in America today," he said. "I believe the best way to combat terrorism is not to give in. Life must go on. The best response is not to let them intimidate us."

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Monday's story: Chemical and biological threats.

E-mail: spang@desnews.com