Screed 13: PATRICIA HEARST'S FIRST TAPE
Patricia Hearst's voice on the first tape was broadcast throughout the nation only a few hours after its being received at Station KPFA on February 12. Her voice was thin and strained, and it was immediately conjectured that she spoke under the influence of medical sedation or street drugs. Her discourse was also chopped into short sections by starting and stopping of the tape recorder.
The matter on the tape is important as expressing continuing concerns of the SLA. Miss Hearst's carefully schooled discourse disavows identity of the SLA with other groups (especially the August Seventh), insists on the character of the SLA as a legitimate army engaged in warfare, and hints at a numerous as well as carefully organized system of SLA units. Her great worry, or that of her abductors, came from the possibility that the police would try to take the secret prison by storm. From the very beginning, many people believed that the FBI and local police knew where she was being held, as well as the names of all her abductors, and the SLA seems to have believed this also. The "house in Oakland" to which she refers was raided by Oakland police after receipt
of a distress call.
Patricia Hearst's reference to the captivity of Remiro and Little as analogous to her own captivity begins the long period of confusion about what the SLA expected by way of prisoner-privilege and prisoner exchange. Remiro and Little were in San Quentin for security reasons, to protect them from possible attack by other prisoners in county jails. The fact that they were lodged in a famous state prison without having been tried for any crime was good propaganda, and was picked up in later screeds.
Mom, Dad,
I'm OK. I had a few scrapes and stuff, but they washed them up and they're getting OK. And I caught a cold, but they are giving me pills for it and stuff.
I am not being starved or beaten or unnecessarily frightened. I have heard some press reports, and so I know that Steve and all the neighbors are OK and that no one was really hurt.
And I also know that the SLA members here are very upset about press distortions of what's been happening. They have nothing to do with the August 7th movement. They have not been shooting down helicopters or shooting down innocent people in the streets.
I'm kept blindfolded usually so that I can't identify anyone. My hands are often tied, but generally they're not. I'm not gagged or anything, and I'm comfortable. And I think you can tell that I'm not really terrified or anything and that I'm okay.
I was very upset though to hear about police rushing in on that house in Oakland, and I was really glad that I wasn't there. And I would appreciate it if everyone would just calm down and try not to find me and not be making identifications, because they're not only endangering me but they're endangering themselves.
I am with a combat unit that's armed with automatic weapons and there's also a medical team here and there's no way that I will be released until they let me go, so it won't do any good for somebody to come in here and try to get me out by force.
These people aren't just a bunch of nuts. They've been really honest with me but they're perfectly willing to die for what they are doing. And I want to get out of here but the only way I'm going is if we do it their way. And I just hope that you'll do what they say, Dad, and just do it quickly.
I've been stopping and starting this tape myself, so that I can collect my thoughts. That's why there are so many stops in it.
I'm not being forced to say any of this. I think it's really important that you take their requests very seriously about not arresting any other SLA members and about following their good faith request to the letter. I just want to get out of here and see everyone again and be back with Steve.
The SLA is very interested in seeing how you're taking this, Dad, and they want to make sure that you are really serious and listening to what they're saying. And they t h i n k that you've been t a k i n g this whole thing a lot more seriously than the police and the FBI and other federal people have been taking it.
It seems to be getting to the point where they're not worried about you so much as they're worrying about other people. Or at least I am. It's really up to you to make sure that these people don't jeopardize my life by charging in and doing stupid things,
and I hope you will make sure that they don't do anything else like that Oakland house business.
The SLA people really have been honest with me and I really, I mean I feel pretty sure, that I'm going to get out of here if everything goes the way they want it to. And I think you should feel that way too and try not to worry so much. I mean I know it's hard but I heard that Mom was really upset and that everybody was at home. I hope that this puts you a little bit at ease so that you know that I really am all right. I just hope that I can get back to everybody really soon.
The SLA has ideological ties with the IRA, the people's struggle in the Philippines and the Socialist people in Puerto Rico in their struggle for independence, and they consider themselves to be soldiers who are fighting and aiding these people.
I am a prisoner of war and so are the two men in San Quentin. I am being treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention, one of the conditions being that I am not being tried for crimes which I'm not responsible for.
I am here because I am a member of a ruling class family, and I think you can begin to see the analogy. The people, the two men in San Quentin, are being held and are going to be tried simply because of the SLA and not because they've done anything. Witnesses to the shooting of Foster saw black men. And two white men have been arrested for this.
You're being told this so that you'll understand why I was kidnapped, and so that you'll understand that whatever happens to the two prisoners is going to happen to me. You have to understand that I am held to be innocent the same way the two men in San Quentin are innocent, [and] that they are simply members of the group, and had not done anything themselves to warrant their arrest. They apparently were part of an intelligence unit and have never executed anyone themselves.
The SLA has declared war against the government and it's important that you understand that they know what they're doing and [that] they understand what their actions mean. And that you realize that this is not considered by them to be just a simple kidnapping, and that you don't treat it that way and say "Oh, I don't know why she was taken".
I'm telling you now why this happened so that you will know and so that you'll have something to use, some knowledge
to try to get me out of here. If you can get the food thing organized before the 19th, then that's OK, and it would just speed up my release.
Today is F r i d a y the eighth and in Kuwait the commandos negotiated the release of their hostages and they left the country.
Bye.
