1.
LV PAN.. THE FOUR AMERICAN'S ENTER ROOM AND WALK TO TABLE
0.09

2.
SV CAMERAMEN
0.13

3.
SV MISS BATTLE SPEAKS (SOF)
0.58

4.
SV CAMERAMEN
1.00

5.
CU MR LOVETT SPEAKS (SOF)
1.12

6.
SV FOUR AMERICANS SEATED
1.17


TRANSCRIPT (SEQ 3) MISS BATTLE: "I LEARNED TWO DAYS BEFORE MY RELEASE THAT I WAS GOING TO BE RELEASED. MY INTERROGATION -- EACH PERSON IS ASSIGNED TO AN INTERROGATOR -- HE INFORMED ME OF THE RELEASE IN GENERAL TERMS, HE DIDN'T SAY WHEN IT WOULD TAKE PLACE. OF COURSE, I HAD ALREADY BEEN SENT TO BERLIN A WEEK AND A HALF BEFORE AND I HAD SORT OF ANTICIPATED THEM ANYWAY. AND THEN, THE FOLLOWING DAY, I WAS INFORMED BY SOMEONE FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE PRISON - THEY TOLD ME I WAS GOING TO BE RELEASED. AND ACTUALLY I WAS...YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS EXPECTATION IS... I CAN ONLY SAY I WAS GREATLY HAPPY."



TRANSCRIPT (SEQ 5) MR LOVETT: "AS OF YET, WE'RE REALLY QUITEDCONFUSED, VERY EXCITED AND HAPPY TO BE HERE, AND BELIEVE ME, YOU PEOPLE LOOK WONDERFUL..ALL OF YOU."




Initials PW/VS/MR/MM



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: FOUR AMERICANS -- THREE MEN AND A WOMAN -- HELD IN PRISON BY EAST GERMAN AUTHORITIES SINCE 1965, WERE RELEASED IN WEST BERLIN YESTERDAY (FRIDAY). THREE OF THE AMERICANS HAD BEEN IMPRISONED FOR AIDING THE ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF EAST GERMAN CITIZENS. THE OTHER WAS SENTENCED TO A TERM OF IMPRISONMENT AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN A MOTOR ACCIDENT IN WHICH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE HURT.

THE FOUR ARE MR. FREDERICK MARTHEWS, MR. MOSES HERRIN AND MISS MARY BATTLE, WHO WERE IMPRISONED FOR HELPING EAST GERMAN ESCAPEES, AND MR. WILLIAM LOVETT, IMPRISONED FOR A MOTOR ACCIDENT OFFENCE.

MR. HERRIN AND MR. MATTHEWS WERE SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IMPRISONMENT, MISS BATTLE RECEIVED A FOUR-YEAR SENTENCE AND MR. LOVETT WAS GIVEN 27 MONTHS.

AN AMERICAN LAWYER, MR. MAXWELL M. RABB, HAD BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS TO SECURE THEIR RELEASE, BUT IT CAME AS A SURPRISE TO ALL FOUR WHEN THEY WERE SUDDENLY SET FREE.

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN WEST BERLIN, MISS BATTLE WAS ASKED HOW SHE HAD BEEN GIVEN THE NEWS OF HER RELEASE....
MR LOVETT WAS ASKED HOW HE FELT.....