There had been an upsurge in kidnappings in the United States, some connected with radical political ferment, others apparently connected only with money. The most famous was probably that of Patty Hearst; but Reg Murphy's, as WFB puts it, gives us the rare opportunity "to have the insights of someone who was himself kidnapped who is trained to observe as a journalist observes." A fascinating exploration, starting with the issue of whether acceding to a ransom demand is "anti-social" or "absolutely essential." RM: "The kidnapper operates in an area of paranoia, of extreme tension ... under more tension even than the victim is, because he has to make everything work right, in the first place. In the second place, it's absolutely essential that he be able to communicate in some way with the family ... But he knows that as soon as he does that, he is walking

into the police ..."