Reagan Assures Upset Mother of Sailor Killed in Hijacking
President Reagan today telephoned the mother of the U.S. serviceman killed in a 1985 hijacking after she said in a television interview that her family had been “devastated” by Reagan’s inability to gain the extradition of the alleged hijacker to the United States.
Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Reagan telephoned Patricia Stethem to assure her that the United States is satisfied justice will be done in the case of Mohammed Ali Hamadi.
Mrs. Stethem had said on NBC-TV’s “Today” program that Reagan’s unsuccessful request to West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was halfhearted at best.
“Saying that he would be satisfied with whatever the German government did does not in my opinion seem like he made a personal appeal,” she said. “It was more or less like he was saying, ‘You take the responsibility.’ ”
The mother of slain Navy diver Robert Stethem said Hamadi would face far more certain punishment in the United States.
“Over there he could be tried, he could be sentenced, but there is nothing to say they couldn’t commute his sentence,” she said.
Fitzwater quoted Reagan as telling Mrs. Stethem, “I have the personal assurances of Chancellor Kohl that justice will be done. The chancellor has assured us that there will be no deal and they will not grant him clemency.”
A White House aide said Mrs. Stethem sobbed through much of the phone call. Fitzwater did not characterize her response.
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