Captors Are Criminals, Ex-Hostages Reminded : Hijacking, Murder, Kidnaping Cited by Reagan as He Welcomes Home 30 of 39 TWA Victims

WASHINGTON —  President Reagan warmly welcomed 30 of the 39 hostages from TWA Flight 847 upon their return to the United States on Tuesday but issued a pointed reminder that their captors have committed the crimes of hijacking, murder and kidnaping.

“In the minds of your captors, you represented us,” Reagan told the freed hostages during a ceremony at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md. “Whatever the presumed grievance or political motive that caused these actions, let there be no confusion: A crime was committed against you. Hijacking is a crime, kidnaping is a crime, murder is a crime. And holding our people prisoner is a crime.”

Relatives Rush Forward

Before the President spoke, scores of relatives had rushed to greet the hostages as they arrived in hot, muggy weather. Several hundred other well-wishers pressed against ropes on the airfield, waving small American flags and cheering as the plane landed.

The 30 had spent more than two weeks in Beirut as captives of Muslim militants after their plane was hijacked as it left Athens airport. Of the remaining nine freed hostages, five stayed behind temporarily in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where they were flown after their release, awaiting the results of routine medical lab tests, and others made alternate arrangements to return to the United States.

Many of those returning to Andrews smiled and flashed “V” signs as they disembarked, and all of them appeared to be in good physical condition.

The President and his wife, Nancy, arrived at the air base from the White House aboard a Marine helicopter and boarded the red and white TWA L-1011 for brief, informal remarks to the hostages before they disembarked. Earlier, the Reagans had laid a wreath in Arlington Cemetery at the grave of Robert Dean Stethem, a 23-year-old sailor from Waldorf, Md., who was killed by the hijackers.

As he spoke at the formal welcoming ceremony, the President told the hostages: “Our joy at your return is substantial, but so is our pain at what was done to that son of America.” When cruelty is inflicted on innocent people, he declared, “it discredits whatever cause in whose name it’s done, and those who commit such deeds are enemies of peace.”

During their ordeal, several hostages, particularly spokesman Allyn B. Conwell of Houston, said they had learned from the hijacking and understood the grievances voiced by the Shia Muslim terrorists who held them.

After the ceremony Tuesday, Conwell, a 39-year-old oil drilling company executive who is based in the Middle East, said there had been “some misinterpretation” of his remarks. He said he was too tired to explain fully but intends to “clarify” the comments at another time.

Instead of Conwell, John A. Testrake of Richmond, Mo., the captain of the hijacked Boeing 727, served as spokesman at the ceremony. He read a brief statement thanking the President and the U.S. government for securing the hostages’ release and also offered a prayer of thanks. The 39 hostages released were proud and honored to know the nation was “behind us 100%,” he said.

Afterward, the first officer of Flight 847, Philip G. Maresca of Salt Lake City, said the hijacking was more frightening for the passengers than for the three-member crew--even though he was held at gunpoint during a television interview from the plane.

“We didn’t have time to think of the guns at our head,” Maresca explained. “It was the passengers with their heads between their knees” who had real reason to be afraid, he said, adding: “We were afraid--but not too concerned.”

After the initial danger, Maresca said, the crew soon realized that the hijackers were not going to kill them. “A lot of it was P.R.” (public relations), he said. “They (hijackers) were interested in getting in the paper.”

Reagan told the hostages that although he was happy they were “back safe and sound,” the homecoming would not be complete until seven Americans kidnaped on the streets of Lebanon, some as long as 16 months ago, are free. “They must be released,” he declared.

Similarly, Testrake said, “We hope that your efforts will bring back the seven remaining Americans still held very soon.”

Good Physical Condition

In Wiesbaden, meanwhile, U.S. officials announced further details on the ex-hostages’ day of debriefing and medical examinations.

Col. Robert W. Gilmore, director of hospital services at the U.S. Air Force Regional Medical Center, reaffirmed Monday’s medical announcements that the 39 were in good physical condition. He said the impact of their time in captivity was found to have differed, but he said doctors found what he called “common thread” that all had come through in “relatively good condition.”

Statistically, Gilmore said, he would expect two or three of the freed hostages to experience some emotional aftereffects, but these will probably be minor.

“Other than the uncertainty (about their fate), the hostages did not undergo much psychological stress,” he said.

Some Sleeplessness

Gilmore predicted that they will suffer from an overall fatigue and some sleeplessness. He said that six or seven of the hostages suffered physical abuse during the initial phase of the hijacking but that the injuries appeared to have been minor and are now reduced to bruises that are healing.

Times staff writers Tyler Marshall in Wiesbaden and Jonathan Eig and Karen Tumulty in Washington contributed to this story.