78-08-A3

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Hearst

Transcript Patty Hearst is back in prison to serve a term for participating in a bank robbery and other crimes. There is no question about her participation in these events. She freely admitted it and apparently identified her fellow participants. Her only defense was that she had been kidnapped by a terrorist band calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Party and frightened by them into doing the things she did. That kidnapping occurred four years ago. She was in the hands of her kidnappers or with them, however you want to put it for almost two years. Since then, she has of course been involved in the trials which resulted in her conviction. During this latter period we were treated to frequent newsreel shots of Patty and her family and those high-priced lawyers. We saw her being pushed through crowds of press and photographers on her way to court appearances. There were countless columns, editorials and articles and always the drumbeat that as a rich little girl she was getting favored treatment. Is this really true? Would a girl from a family of modest means have been thrown into prison willy nilly without a fair trial? Let's recast the scenario and see how it looks if Patty Hearst is played by Patty "almost poor" who is brutally dragged from her home and spirited away by terrorists. We see news photos of her grief-stricken family in their modest home, but as months go by the press turns to other stories. The police, F.B.I. all the agencies of our justice system are helpless to find her. Then her suffering and bewildered family receives a message that she has renounced them and joined her kidnappers in their revolution. A photo months later shows her apparently engaged with them in a bank robbery. She is subsequently arrested and charged with this and other crimes. Her family hires the best lawyer they can afford (possibly after mortgaging their home) and the case comes to trial. Patty "almost poor" takes the stand and admits to her participation in the crimes. Then she goes back to the kidnapping (which a lot of people seem to have forgotten). Her lawyer asks her to tell in her own words what happened to her in those almost two years prior to her arrest. A jury listens intently as this lone girl tells how she was bound, blindfolded and crammed for an interminable time in a closet so small she sat for hours on end with her knees tucked beneath her chin. She told of being moved from one hideout to another, sexually abused, beaten, threatened over and over again with death because her parents were somehow enemies of society. Yes, she finally did as they ordered--because she was afraid; too afraid even to try and escape because she thought they'd find her and kill her. After all they were able to escape capture by all the power of the law. In our society the accused must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Every day rapists, muggers and even killers are freed because of technicalities or some questionable evidence. Isn't there a possibility that Patty "almost poor" was telling the truth? Is Patty Hearst in prison because her family has money? This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 78-08-A3 Production Date 06/05/1978 Book/Page RPtV-305 Audio Youtube? No
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