Jacobsen Flies to Germany, Pleads for Other Hostages : Says Those ‘Guys Are in Hell’

David P. Jacobsen, freed from 17 months of captivity in Lebanon, flew to West Germany today and made an impassioned appeal for action to free the remaining American hostages in Lebanon, saying their circumstances are desperate.

“Those guys are in hell, and we’ve got to get them home,” Jacobsen said of Americans and other foreigners still held captive by Muslim extremists in Lebanon.

Jacobsen, who in a videotape released by his captors several weeks ago had criticized the Reagan Administration for what he termed inaction on the hostages, also said he is proud to be American.

“You probably saw me on video. I want to take this opportunity to thank the American government, President Reagan and the civil servants. I’m proud of what they have being doing for us these last many, many months. . . . They are great people,” he said.

Although the 55-year-old Jacobsen appeared tired, a U.S. medical spokesman said he is in good condition, shows no signs of physical abuse and has dealt with the stress of his ordeal “remarkably well.”

Freed Sunday

The Huntington Beach, Calif., resident was abducted in West Beirut by six men May 28, 1985. He was freed Sunday.

Jacobsen’s children flew from Los Angeles this morning toward a reunion with their father, ecstatic about his release but sad for the other Americans still in captivity.

“I feel better than I’ve felt in years,” Paul Jacobsen, 28, said before boarding a Washington-bound flight with his brother, Eric Jacobsen; his sister, Diane Duggan, and their three spouses.

But he expressed sorrow for the other hostages, saying, “I just pray those men will get out.”

The family said they will meet in Washington with State Department officials, who were to help them fly to Wiesbaden for the reunion.

Accompanied by Briton

Jacobsen, the director of the American University Hospital in Beirut, arrived at the U.S. military air station in Wiesbaden today aboard a Lear jet chartered by the State Department after being flown from Beirut to Cyprus aboard a U.S. military helicopter.

He was accompanied by British church envoy Terry Waite, who helped negotiate Jacobsen’s release.

Jacobsen held an airport news conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, before flying to West Germany, where he will have a thorough physical examination and be debriefed by U.S. authorities.

“The best things in life are free, and by God they are,” Jacobsen told reporters upon arriving in Wiesbaden.

The bearded Jacobsen looked tired and had bags under his eyes. He appeared to be on the verge of tears, and his voice broke as he said he felt all right.

‘Terry Is Fine’

In both Cyprus and West Germany, Jacobsen asked AP reporters to step forward. “On behalf of Terry Anderson this morning, I want to tell you Terry is fine,” he said.

Jacobsen was held in Lebanon with Americans Thomas Sutherland and Terry A. Anderson, the AP’s chief correspondent in the Middle East, by Islamic Jihad, a pro-Iranian Shia Muslim group. Jacobsen was the third American hostage freed by Islamic Jihad.

Five Americans and 13 other foreigners remain missing in Lebanon.

Waite, the Anglican Church envoy, said he hopes to return to Lebanon in his bid to free other hostages.

A statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s residence in London said Waite expects to stay in Wiesbaden until Tuesday and hopes to catch up on his sleep.

Two limousines drove Jacobsen and those accompanying him to the nearby U.S. Air Force hospital in Wiesbaden, located about half an hour’s drive west of Frankfurt.

Several dozen U.S. military personnel turned out to greet the freed American, while a banner hung from the flight control tower read: “Welcome Home, Mr. Jacobsen.”

“I can’t tell you how very, very happy I am here today. But it’s with really mixed feelings to be a free man again,” Jacobsen told reporters in Wiesbaden. He said his joy is “greatly lessened” by the continued captivity of the others.

He declined to go into details about efforts to free the hostages, but praised the Anglican Church envoy.

“Terry (Waite) was a man of hope in our darkest hour,” Jacobsen said.

‘Trust in the Lord’

In Cyprus, Jacobsen told the families of other American hostages to keep the faith that their loved ones will be freed.

“To Jean Sutherland and the daughters, to the family of Terry Anderson and families of the other American hostages, and to all the other hostages, I would like to just give you a message, a message that served me well,” he said.

“It is the last verse of the 27th Psalm: ‘I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord. Have faith. Do not despair. Trust in the Lord because there is goodness.’ ”

He added: “Keep faith. The guys will get out because of guys like Terry Waite.”

In Cyprus, Jacobsen joked with reporters who asked about his health, saying, “Does anybody want to challenge me to a six-mile jaunt around this airport?”

And he said: “Obviously it’s a great day for me. My joy is somewhat diminished by the fact the other hostages are being held in Lebanon. My thoughts are of Terry Anderson and Tom Sutherland. My sadness that they are not here is deep.”