Their Darkest Day: Tragedy of Pan Am 103 and Its Legacy of Hope - Softcover

Matthew Cox; Tom Foster

Softcover

ISBN 10: 009920651X ISBN 13: 9780099206514

Publisher: Arrow Books Limited, 1992

Synopsis

An account of the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, chronicles the stories of the people who perished in the disaster

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

Flat but informative account of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, and of the tragedy's impact on the American families and friends of the victims, as well as on Lockerbie inhabitants who survived the rain of bodies and flaming debris that descended on their small Scottish town. Written by two reporters from the Syracuse, N.Y., Post- Standard, the narrative not only explores the details of the bomb's construction and placement but also provides biographical vignettes of many of the passengers, 40 of whom lived or attended school in Syracuse. Notified about the deaths of the 270 passengers and crew members, relatives of the victims, the authors explain, quickly organized and began lobbying for stricter airport security and for a full-scale investigation into the atrocity. Interestingly, the lobbying group eventually split acrimoniously over procedures and empowerment, and it soon became clear that the Scottish survivors were better able to get on with their lives after the initial shock than were the American family members. Some readers, in fact, while sympathizing with the Americans, may feel that their grieving and dwelling on morbid details were ultimately counterproductive. Cox and Foster's revelations concerning the laxity of Pan Am's security measures--warnings were ignored, and one security executive had a criminal record--and the airline's attempts at a coverup are shocking. They also report that a p.r. firm was called in by Pan Am to shift the blame to the German police, among others. But no one involved comes across as blameless, while ironies abound: Jaswant Batsuda missed the flight because he had sat drinking beer in the Heathrow lounge; Ella Ramsden kept a tight grip on her ``wee dog'' as her Lockerbie home was demolished around them. Impressively researched, if rather dully written. (Eight pages of b&w photos--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

Rarely have the deaths of 270 people remained so controversial several years after their tragic destinies. Almost four years after the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, American and British officials finally identified two Libyan operatives as prime suspects. Libya pleaded innocent and refused to cooperate in early 1992 but was ready to consider a neutral venue for a "fair" trial. This political nonsolution fell far short for the grieving families of the victims. For Cox and Foster, reporters for the Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York (35 of the passengers had been Syracuse University students), the evidence was readily available if one looked for it. They detail their findings and focus on how the victims' families combined their mourning with an unquenched thirst for the truth. These brave people insisted that guilty parties (and the finger pointed at Damascus and Teheran rather than Tripoli) be brought to justice, that law enforcment personnel develop human skills to add to their technical expertise, and that Washington and London address this issue head-on. This powerful and painful book is highly recommended.
-Joseph A. Kechichian, Rand Corp., Santa Monica, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow Books Limited
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 009920651X
• ISBN 13: 9780099206514
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 286