Family of Beirut Hostage Said Comforted by Reagan Meeting

A son of a Huntington Beach hospital administrator kidnaped last May in Beirut said a meeting with President Reagan last week helped ease the family’s concern over efforts to bring about his father’s release.

“It relieved the frustration that nothing was being done,” Eric Jacobsen said. “But the information was not passed on to give the impression that release was imminent.”

Two children of hostage David P. Jacobsen, Diane Jacobsen of Long Beach and Paul Jacobsen of Fullerton, attended the session last Monday in Washington between Reagan and the families of four of the six Americans kidnaped in Beirut.

Listened to Suggestions

Eric Jacobsen, 29, said Reagan expressed his sympathy and listened to the families’ suggestions, which included talking directly with the captors, he said. The families were told not to disclose the measures being taken to secure the release of the hostages, he said.

The Americans held hostage were kidnaped individually by militant factions in Lebanon. David Jacobsen, 54, was kidnaped by six armed men in Beirut on May 28 as he walked to his office at the American University Hospital in West Beirut. The group Islamic Jihad had originally claimed responsibility for the abduction but later issued a statement denying it had carried out the kidnaping.

Added to Frustration

The prompt resolution of other hostage situations, such as the hijacking of a TWA jetliner in June, has added to the frustration of families whose relatives have not been released, Jacobsen said.

While he does not advocate any military action to free the hostages, Eric Jacobsen said, “the U. S. can be more aggressive in its approach. We should establish direct contact with the captors.”

“The U. S. has a duty to take immediate action to establish peace in the Middle East,” he said. “We can’t turn our backs and take an isolationist approach. Only then are we going to resolve this continuing cycle of violence.”