Romenesko

Washington, D.C.: Did you ever try to formulate an escape plan [after being kidnapped], or decide what your last actions/words would be if you about to confront sure execution? What did you place your odds of release/rescue versus execution at?
Phil Sands: Yes, I tried to formulate plans. Some simple (like, go to the toilet one night with the fat, slow guard, and run like hell) other complicated (steal guns, car keys etc etc). Last words: no. There's no point. I remember thinking: oh well, I'll be dead. It didn't seem like the end of the world and nor would it have been. I don't mean to sound cold, but that's how it felt. In a way it's nice to know that when death feels close, it's not as bad as you might think. It's just something, almost like having to get out of bed in the morning (to be a bit too blase about it). That's not the same, I'm sure, if you see someone else you love dying, but in terms of myself, I wasn't too deeply upset.