November 2, 1986
I am pleased to announce that one of the Americans held hostage in Beirut has been released. David Jacobsen was released early this morning by his captors in Beirut. His family has been notified and will be joining him soon. I do want to express my personal appreciation to the various parties and intermediaries who have been helpful in arranging this release. We have been working through a number of sensitive channels for a long time. Unfortunately, we cannot divulge any of the details of the release, because the lives of other Americans and other Western hostages are still at risk.
Again I call on the captors of all hostages in Lebanon to release their innocent victims. No political goals are or will be achieved by resorting to extortion and terrorism. We hold the captors of the remaining American hostages in Lebanon responsible for the safety of those Americans. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those American hostages as we continue to work for their safe return.
Note: Larry M. Speakes, Principal Deputy Press Secretary to the President, read the statement to reporters at 10:32 a.m. in the Vista Mar Monte Room at the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Barbara, CA. Mr. Jacobsen, who was abducted on May 29, 1985, had been a hospital administrator in Beirut.