don't say that. >> warren weinstein: okay. >> elaine weinstein: we miss you, we'll do anything to getyou safe. tell them not to touch you, to take care of you. he's gone. the first thing he says to me, not, "get me the hell out of here," but, "i'm sorry i did this to you." i mean, that i will never forget. >> stahl: they'd been married for 46 years, had two daughters and two grandchildren. warren often lived abroad without elaine, doing economic development work in places like burundi and cameroon, learning the local language and adopting the garb and customs of the country. they were not wealthy, and when the kidnappers demanded $4 million for his release, she was shocked. could you afford that? >> elaine weinstein: no. >> stahl: could you come close? >> elaine weinstein: no. if i needed $4 million, i would've come up with it. it's my husband's life. >> stahl: elaine contacted the f.b.i., which sent a team of negotiators that advised her to counter the kidnappers' $4 million ransom demand by starting low. she says they suggested $250. >> elaine weinstein: what do i know about negotia

s advice on how to answer warren that day: >> elaine weinstein: it's very dangerous to give them the money, warren. we won't have anything left. we will have to give them our entire life savings. they'll keep asking for money until we have nothing left to and i don't think they'll let you go. >> warren weinstein: the guy i'm with is saying if you give him the money, i think they'll bring me to islamabad. >> eric lebson: she delivered the message that she needed to deliver, even though she was listening to her husband in captivity being prodded to ask i don't know that i could do that. >> stahl: eric lebson worked on president obama's national security staff, specializing in pakistan. after the white house, he and to help elaine during the negotiations. >> lebson: this is an older woman who is now living by herself, dealing with this stress, and taking phone calls at 3:00 in the morning from kidnappers holding her husband. >> stahl: logs from the hostage team show that the calls would come in waves. on one night, the records show, the kidnappers called elaine 18 times between one and s

all. >> elaine weinstein: almost all the money and i got no warren. >> warren weinstein: my name is warren weinstein. >> stahl: over time, she watched her husband deteriorate in publicly released videos on al qaeda websites. he became more haggard; elaine would notice he had lost a tooth. >>warren weinstein: we may never see each other again. >> stahl: she came to realize warren had been transferred to a different group who didn't want money, they wanted prisoners released from pakistani prisons. but the u.s. government has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, which has left many hostage families feeling abandoned. still, she went to see top u.s. officials including secretary of state john kerry and deputy national security advisor lisa monaco to ask for help. >> elaine weinstein: do you're the strongest country in the entire world, do something. and they did nothing. >> stahl: elaine began worrying about another threat to warren: u.s. drone strikes. because the kidnappers were calling her from public phones, the f.b.i. believed that warren was being held in north waziristan, a pri

my name is warren weinstein. her husband deteriorate in publicly released videos on al qaeda websites. he became more haggard; elaine would notice he had lost a tooth. >>warren weinstein: we may never see each other again. >> stahl: she came to realize warren had been transferred to a different group who didn't want money, they wanted prisoners released from pakistani prisons. but the u.s. government has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, which has left manyng abandoned. still, she went to see top u.s. officials including secretary of state john kerry and deputy national security advisor lisa monaco to ask for help. >> elaine weinstein: do something. you're the strongest country in the entire world, do something. and they did nothing. >> stahl: elaine began worrying about another threat to warren: u.s. drone strikes. because the kidnappers were

don't say that. >> warren weinstein: okay. >> elaine weinstein: we miss you, we'll do anything to get you safe. take care of you. he's gone. the first thing he says to me, not, "get me the hell out of here," but, "i'm sorry i did this to you." i mean, that i will never forget. >> stahl: they'd been married for 46 years, had two daughters and two grandchildren. warren often lived abroad without elaine, doing economic development work in places like burundi and cameroon, learning the local language and adopting the garb and customs of the country. they were not wealthy, and when the kidnappers demanded $4 million for his release, she was shocked. could you afford that? >> elaine weinstein: no. >> stahl: could you come close? >> elaine weinstein: no. if i needed $4 million, i would've come up with it. it's my husband's life. >> stahl: elaine contacted the negotiators that advised her to counter the kidnappers' $4 million ransom demand by starting low. she says they suggested $250. >> elaine weinstein: what do i know about negotiating with these people? i don't have a clue. they told me t

>>warren weinstein: we may never see each other again. >> stahl: she came to realize warren had been transferred to a different group who didn't want money, they wanted prisoners released from pakistani prisons. but the u.s. government has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, which has left manyng abandoned. still, she went to see top u.s. officials including secretary of state john kerry and deputy national security advisor lisa monaco to ask for help. >> elaine weinstein: do something. you're the strongest country in the entire world, do something. and they did nothing. >> stahl: elaine began worrying about another threat to warren: u.s. drone strikes. because the kidnappers were the f.b.i. believed that warren was being held in north waziristan, a prime target area for the strikes. she says she told lisa monaco of her fears in january 2014. >> stahl: she had the foresight to worry that the bombing could affect her husband? >> lebson: of course. she said, "we believe warren is in north waziristan. please make sure you don't accidentally kill him." and it's exactly what happ

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this?

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups.

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now! >> steve kroft: michael fassbender and kate winslet are both up for oscars. >> fix it! >> what the? >>kroft: not because they are great actors, but because they had demanding roles in a very unusual movie that allowed them

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went throughver the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now!

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now! >> steve kroft: michael fassbender and kate winslet are both up for oscars. >> fix it! >> what the? >>kroft: not because they are great actors, but because they had demanding roles in a very unusual movie that allowed them to show just how good they are. >> tell me what's wrong with you this morning. >> i just knew that it was going to be electric to be in a room with michael fassbender and danny boyle and i promise you, it absolutely was. >> i'm steve kroft. >> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm bill whitaker. >> i'm scott pelley. minutes."luredaer iwayse rimptosen e yoart pumpwell. filoom)

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now! >> steve kroft: michael fassbender and kate winslet are both up for oscars. >> fix it! >> what the? >>kroft: not because they are great actors, but because they had demanding roles in a very unusual movie that allowed them to show just how good they are. >> tell me what's wrong with you this morning. >> i just knew that it was going

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now! >> steve kroft: michael fassbender and kate winslet are both up for oscars.

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it...

. >> leslie stahl: when warren weinstein was kidndnped in pakistan, the ordeal his wife elaine went through over the next several years revealed the level of desperation so many american families have experienced in trying to get their loved ones freed from terrorist groups. >>love you. >.stahl: were you prepared for this? >> how could you be prepared for this? you can't. >> i never had held life and death in my hands and i'm telling you i held his life in my hands. >> you're going to fix it... now! >> steve kroft: michael fassbender and kate winslet are both up for oscars. >> fix it! >> what the? >>kroft: not because they are great actors, but because they had demanding roles in a very unusual movie that allowed them

8x-gc@ x-z,< >> pelley: in the mail thisabout "the hostage," our story of an american, warren weinstein, who was abducted and held for ransom in pakistan and his wifets to free him. weinstein, an economic development worker employed by a government contractor, was an u.s. drone strike while being held by al qaeda. a florida viewer felt "60rt the f.b.i. advised mrs. weinstein on how to pay the ransom, while u.s. law forbids that. he hostage should not have been aired, you did not help other captives! broadcasting fbi and u.s. government positions only aids stuart, fl understand the pain, mourning and loss that mrs. weinstein feels, i firmly believe that anyone travelling on earth must do so of their own free will and with no expectation of rescue." new york, ny and then there was this: "any of us is sad when our citizens die abroad at the handssts .but the interview made our government seem to be responsible for his ransom." katherine nelson brookfield, wi i'm scott pelley.next week with a brand new edition of "60 minutes." tomorrow, be sure to watch "cbs bitty pretty one" by bobby day p