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| Um (etense oF Patty Nearst by Nancy Eswein | a Ee . , PRS Reena <p i nae The author, a sophomore classics major, atfended the same prep school as Patty Hearst « and became a good friend of her two years before... On February 4, 1974, when Patty Hearst disappeared from her Berkeley apartment, the United States experienced its first political kidnapping, For Patty's family and a few close friends that day marked the beginning of a nightnarish turn of events. ’ Her apparent participation in the S.L.A.‘s robtery of the Hibernia Bank and the dramatic tape recorded state- ment of her “conversion” have led many to speculate oe: whether Patty Hearst had really become the Tania of - Ong =°~sothe S.L.A. Although no new facts have teen hit upon a, in recent months, she frequently has been falsely portrayed and maligned by the press, while many still share the view of former Attorney General William Saxte, who labeled all bank robbers, includ- ing Patty, “common criminals.” Here at Lawrence and on the West Coast, I have heard people claim that someone of Patty's background rould have naturally jumped at the chance to join a revolution- ary group like the Symbionese Liberation Army. These people seem to have forgotten that Patty was a kidnap victim, As a personal friend of Patty Hearst before she was kidnapped, I have had the opportunity to gain some in- sight into her personality, attitudes, and ideas .- and I feel compelled to come to her defense. Tnus I intend to present a vackground sketch of the Paviy “A I knew and offer some thoughts on her mysterious <<. conversion to Tania, Late ee 1