CHAPTER 11: THE KIDNAPPING OF PATTY HEARST

 

Patty Hearst and SLA Donald DeFreeze

 

The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was an American militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army. The group committed bank robberies, murders, and other acts of violence.

 

Patricia Hearst was born on February 20^th, 1954, an American newspaper heiress, later to become a socialite, an actress, a kidnap victim, and a convicted bank robber. She is the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, and great-granddaughter of millionaire George Hearst. She gained notoriety in 1974 when, following her kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), she ultimately joined her captors in furthering their cause.

 

On February 4^th, 1974, the nineteen year old Hearst was kidnapped from the Berkeley, California, apartment she shared with her fiancé, Steven Weed, by a left-wing urban guerrilla group called the Symbionese Liberation Army. When the attempt to swap Hearst for jailed SLA members failed, the SLA demanded that the captive's family distribute seventy dollars worth of food to every needy Californian, an operation that would cost an estimated $400 million.

 

Thus began one of the strangest cases in FBI history. The SLA, essentially a band of dangerous domestic terrorists led by a hardened criminal named Donald DeFreeze, wanted nothing less than to provoke a revolutionary war against the U.S. government and destroy what they called the capitalist state. Their ranks included women and men, blacks and whites, and rebels and extremists, from various walks in life. They’d already shot two Oakland school officials with cyanide-tipped bullets, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

 

The kidnapping of Hearst was meant to get the country’s attention, as Hearst was from a wealthy and powerful family, and their plan worked well. The kidnapping stunned the country and made front-page national news.

 

On April 3^rd, the SLA released a tape with Hearst saying that she’d joined their fight to free the oppressed, and that she had even taken a new name. Twelve days later, she was spotted on a bank surveillance camera wielding an assault weapon during an SLA bank robbery, barking orders to bystanders and providing cover to her confederates. Meanwhile, the FBI had launched one of the most massive, agent-intensive searches in its history to find Hearst and stop the SLA. Working with many partners, they ran down thousands of leads, but with the SLA frightening potential informants into silence, using good operational security, and relying on an organized network of safe houses, it was tough going.

 

Hearst later alleged that she had been held in close confinement, sexually assaulted, and brainwashed. In response, Hearst's father arranged the immediate donation of $6 million worth of food to the poor of the Bay Area. After the distribution of food, the SLA refused to release Hearst as they deemed the food to have been of poor quality. On April 3^rd, 1974, Hearst announced on an audiotape that she had joined the SLA and had assumed the name "Tania.”

 

A break finally came in Los Angeles, on May 16^th, when 2 SLA members tried to steal an ammunition belt from a local store and were nearly caught. The getaway van was discovered, which led authorities to an SLA safe house. The next day, the house was surrounded by L.A. police and a massive shootout ensued. The building went up in flames and six members of the SLA died in the blaze, including DeFreeze.

 

Hearst and several others escaped and began traveling around the country to avoid capture. FBI agents, though, were close behind. They finally captured her in San Francisco on September 18^th, 1975, and charged her with bank robbery and other crimes.

 

Hearst’s trial was as sensational as the chase. Despite claims of brainwashing, the jury found her guilty, and she was sentenced to seven years in prison.

 

From Hearst’s report, DeFreeze relied on harsh psychological techniques:

 

She was isolated and made to feel that no one was going to rescue her.

She was physically and sexually abused by various members of the gang.

She was told that she might die.

She was fed lies about how the gang was oppressed by the establishment.

She was forced to record messages that blasted those she loved.

 

For this reason, she is a well-known and often referenced example of a victim of Stockholm Syndrome.

 

Hearst was imprisoned for almost two years before her sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter. She was later granted a presidential pardon by President Bill Clinton in his last official act before leaving office.

 

The following movie was made based on the events;

 

“Patty Hearst” (1988), starring Natasha Richardson and William Forsythe.