America's hostage fears

The families of the 24 crew believe that they are being held hostage

Relatives of those on board the American spy plane grounded in China have begun referring to them in emotive terms - as hostages.

US officials have been more circumspect, but there is plenty of history - from Vietnam to the Tehran Embassy siege and Beirut - to show how America reacts when its soldiers or civilians are seized abroad.

What is he thinking, what is he doing, where have they got him?

Tom Crandle
Father of crew member

Historically yellow ribbons are displayed to show solidarity with loved ones far from home and they are blooming at the base in Washington State where the E3P spy-plane crew were stationed.

James Causon, the father of one of the aircrew detained by the Chinese government, is very clear about his son's fate.

"I definitely think Sean is a hostage there. I think President Bush should have given them some type of ultimatum," he said.

'Detention' rather than 'hostage'

The US government prefers to use the word "detention".

The word "hostage" is enough to send a chill down the collective American spine, reminding them other incidences in the past where their nationals have been held abroad.

Americans abroad can find themselves being used as valuable bargaining chips.

Yellow ribbons drape the trees at the crew's base

Terry Anderson was one of 18 Americans kidnapped in the Middle East in the 1980s.

He was held prisoner in Beirut for 2,454 days in the 1980s, forced into the role of political pawn:

"I've been very close to being released several times over the past two years, but each time it seems that the US government uses its influence to stop any agreement from being made," he said at the time.

Torture fears

Dr Richard Crocket, Reader in American History at the University of East Anglia in England, thinks holding Americans hostage has proved successful for some hostile countries.

"There is a history of anxiety about Americans being prisoners of other nations - that was the case in the Korean War, where there were fears or anxieties about Americans being tortured or having their minds turned by the North Koreans and the Chinese," he said.

Of course, whenever it's something in which a foreign power is involved, I'm afraid for his life, no matter what they say.

Amanda de Jesus
Mother of crew member

The superpower as victim, the feeling of helplessness in the face of the actions of a foreign power is best expressed by Tom Crandle, one of the fathers of the detained crew:

"What is he thinking, what is he doing, where have they got him? I mean, things like that, they're unknowns and you can't find out. So that just really gets you, right in the stomach," he said.

The fears of the families of those service personnel taken captive are bound up in history and in isolationist foreign policy - a fear of the dangers posed by other countries.

Swift resolution

As Amanda de Jesus, the mother of Joseph Edmonds, one of the cryptology specialists on board explained:

"Of course, whenever it's something in which a foreign power is involved, I'm afraid for his life, no matter what they say."

Getting the crew back must be a Bush priority

But Tom Reid, of the Washington Post, thinks that the situation in China will not end up as a drawn-out hostage crisis.

He thinks a deal will be done, so President Bush escapes unscathed.

"We'll get our people back. Just looking at what we know of George W Bush so far, no matter what happens, he will declare a victory. So if we get our 24 people back and never see that airplane again, he'll declare it a great victory," he said.

But one thing is for sure if Mr Bush gets it wrong, and the crew remain detained indefinitely, he will find that Americans do not like to see their people incarcerated in a foreign land.