Mary Ann Harbert

Mary Ann Harbert (born 27 December 1945) is an American who was held captive in China from 1968 to 1971.

Early life and education Harbert was born in Arlington, Virginia. She grew up in Denver until she reached the age of twelve. After that, her father's employment with the U.S. Geological Survey took the family to Vernon, Texas, Glasgow, Montana, Austin, Texas, Lampasas, Texas, Boise, Idaho (where she first met McLaughlin), Safford, Arizona, Redwood City, California, Bend, Oregon, Delta, Utah, Carson City, Nevada and Salt Lake City.

On 21 April 1968, as Harbert and McLaughlin were sailing from Hong Kong to Manila, The Philippines, they crossed into Chinese waters near Dangan Island, south of Hong Kong where they were captured.

After they failed to report from Manila, Harbert's family notified the United States Coast Guard; however, after receiving no news of her, they assumed that she had been lost at sea.

Harbert reported that for most of her time in captivity she was held in a small farmhouse on a rural commune near Canton.

Release Due to improving U.S.-China relations Harbert, and Richard G. Fecteau, who had been captured on an aircraft forced down over China in 1952, were released on 13 December 1971, crossing the land border into Hong Kong where they were received by representatives of the U.S. consular officials. The consular officials had no knowledge of Harbert and were surprised by her release. Harbert and Fecteau were flown by helicopter to Kai Tak Airport and then boarded a United States Air Force aeromedical evacuation jet and flown to Clark Air Base, then Hawaii and then on to McGuire Air Force Base.

In an official statement made by Xinhua News Agency at the time of her release, the Chinese government said that McLaughlin had "behaved badly" during detention, "resisted investigation and, taking the warders unawares committed suicide on March 7, 1969" whereas Harbert had "admitted her mistakes". The statement implied that she, McLaughlin and Fecteau were all Central Intelligence Agency spies.