From: jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Larry Jewell)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: 'NamVet Newsletter, Vol.5, no.10 (2/7)
Date: 22 Aug 92 02:20:44 GMT


     doesn't respond adequately to your questions, we will help you 
     develop a game plan for the next steps to take.]
     
     We want to know your progress on these projects.  We would also 
     like to know what your Congressmen and Senators say in response to 
     your requests.  Also, if you have any questions concerning the 
     projects outlined above, or if you want to continue to help us in 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 14
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     our fight for the release of Americans held in foreign hands, 
     please contact:
                        P.O.W. Network/Mark Reinig
                        Box 68 - Skidmore MO  64487
        Voice: 816-928-3631  Fax: 816-928-3303  Modem: 816-928-3305
     
     EMERGENCY
     Following the completion of Operation Homecoming in 1973, Henry 
     Kissinger publicly stated that the discovery of any additional 
     American prisoners in Vietnam would require stern retribution by 
     the U.S. against Vietnam.
       In 1987, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Vernon Walters - 
     who had been Deputy Director of CIA when George Bush was Director 
     - said that it would be "detrimental" for the Vietnamese to 
     "surface" living American POWs. 
       In August, 1991, soon after returning from visiting Vietnam as a 
     part of a congressional delegation, Arizona Republican Congressman 
     Jim Kolbe stated in a radio interview that if American POWs should 
     "walk out" it would destroy relations between the U.S. and Vietnam 
     for "years or decades."
       Also in August 1991, Wyoming Republican Senator Alan Simpson 
     said that it would be foolish for the Vietnamese to still be 
     holding American prisoners as, if discovered, they would be 
     shunned as "pariahs of the earth and the foul stench of humanity" 
     for 50 years.  He also said that Vietnam's efforts toward 
     normalizing relations with the rest of the world may include 
     killing any POWs still alive to be "sure that there was no one 
     alive in order that then they would be accepted in the family of 
     nations."
       According to many knowledgeable observers, the recent sweeping 
     changes in Vietnam's top leadership came as a result of 
     frustration that the former group was unable to clear the way for 
     better trade and diplomatic relations with the West. If this is 
     true, the new leaders will be more likely to take aggressive 
     action to get Vietnam out of the POW/MIA dilemma - either as 
     Senator Simpson suggests, or by unilaterally releasing them.  It 
     is ESSENTIAL that the Vietnamese gain a better understanding of 
     the likely U.S. public reaction to each of those possible courses 
     of action. We MUST do everything we can to convince them that we 
     KNOW they have authority over living American POWs, no matter what 
     the Vietnamese choose to call them and no matter whether they are 
     held in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.  Lifting the U.S. trade embargo 
     against Vietnam and/or normalizing diplomatic relations will be 
     impossible until and unless those POWs are released.
       Furthermore, we must show the Vietnamese that statements such as 
     Kolbe's and Simpson's are LIES, and have been made to encourage 
     the Vietnamese to take action which might be in the best interest 
     of traitorous U.S. officials - who abandoned those men and lied 
     about their existence for 18 years - but will not be in the 
     interest of Vietnam.  We MUST show the Vietnamese that all they 
     have to do to get out of this mess is Come Clean - release ALL of 
     the Americans, no matter what their physical or mental condition. 
       [Make five copies of the following affidavits]: two [will be] 
     for individuals; two [will be] for organizations. One of each 
     includes a section which indicates that the SRV must open the 
     gates of the re-education camps to release those who are held 
     because they worked and fought by our side during the war.  If you 
     or your organization are unwilling to place this additional 
     precondition on lifting the trade embargo and normalizing 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 15
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     relations, execute the affidavit(s) which do not contain this 
     wording.
       Whichever applies to you or your group, sign it and send it four 
     places as soon as possible: (1) Mission of the SRV to the UN, 20 
     Waterside Plaza, New York, NY 10012; (2)&(3) one copy to each of 
     the two U.S. Senators from your state; (4) your Congressman.
       Also, reproduce the blank affidavits and send them to any and 
     all individuals or groups with which you have contact - and not 
     just POW or Veteran groups.  We want the Vietnamese to know more 
     about how ALL Americans feel about this problem.  Act quickly; 
     there is more danger AND more opportunity than ever before!
     
     HOW TO WRITE TO YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN
     Let them know of your concern for swift action on the POW issue. A 
     handwritten letter carries the most weight in a Congressional 
     office. Be specific. Ask only one or two questions per letter 
     (mail more than one letter!) and make sure you note that you 
     expect a response. If you receive no reply, write again and ask 
     why.  Follow-up with a short note to the local editor of the 
     newspaper, praising him if he responds or asking the question "Why 
     does he not respond" if no help is forthcoming.  Please let your 
     Congressman know that if you have taken the time to write a 
     personal letter, you expect no less of him, and form letters are 
     inappropriate when dealing with the POW issue.
     
     BASIC LETTER FORM: 
     Your Name
     Your Address
     Your City ST  ZIP
     
     Congressman's Name
     Congressman's address
     Washington DC ZIP
     
     Today's Date
     
     Dear Congressman Name:
     
     [BODY OF LETTER]
     
                                Sincerely,
     
                                Your Name
     
     OTHER PROJECTS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND AND BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE 
     POW ISSUE:
     
     JOIN the Insiders "telephone tree".  You will receive monthly 
     "targets" within the government to whom you will ask specific 
     questions and expect replies. This is a nationwide, well 
     coordinated effort to get the POW question to the officials that 
     can make a difference.
               ->Mike Van Atta, Box 302, Chatham, NJ 07928.
     
     JOIN the National Alliance of Families and support their efforts 
     to gain the release of men and documentation. This organization is 
     made up of families of the missing but has a membership for those 
     concerned, but not related to a POW/MIA.
                      ->National Alliance of Families
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 16
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

               5503 17th Avenue NW P-200 - Seattle WA 98107
     
     If you have a computer and modem available, you can access the 
     P.O.W. NETWORK. The NETWORK has hundreds of pages of documentation 
     available, information on Congressional activities, biographies on 
     our missing men, the capability of corresponding electronically 
     with anyone around the world interested in the POW issue and more.
               ->P.O.W. NETWORK, Box 68, Skidmore, MO 64487
             816-928-3304/Modem:816-928-3305/Fax:816-928-3304
     
     READ:
     1. Kiss the Boys Goodbye, by Monica Jensen-Stephensen (avail. at 
        library or call POW NETWORK)
     2. Indochina POW Timeline, by Dr. Jeffrey Donahue (available 
        through P.O.W. NETWORK)
     3. Unrepatriated American Prisoners of War, by John Nevin 
        (available through the P.O.W. NETWORK)
     4. Bamboo Cage, by Nigel Cawthorne (available only in Great 
        Britain - Ask your library, bookstore or contact the P.O.W. 
        Network)
     5. Senate Foreign Relations U.S. Policy Towards POWs Interim 
        Report and Addendum (see step 1 "What You Can Do To Help")
     
                                HOUSE BILLS
     H.R. 1147 - The Truth bill seeks full disclosure of live sighting 
                 reports.  These reports would be made public, with 
                 permission of the next of kin of the serviceman still 
                 POW or MIA.
     
     H.R. 2038 - The Truth bill amendment was attached to the 
                 Intelligence Authorization Bill and passed by voice 
                 vote in late June.  The bill must now go to the Senate 
                 for approval and then the President for signature.             
                 Should the Senate change the wording on the bill, the 
                 bill would be sent back to Congressional committee for 
                 a hearing and compromise.
     
     H.R. 1730 - The Missing Service Personnel Act seeks to change 1942 
                 laws that allow the presumptive finding of death 
                 hearings to proceed based strictly on the passage of 
                 one years time.  As it is written now, the law allows 
                 for a serviceman missing or prisoner of war to be 
                 declared dead after only one year, regardless of 
                 information received in that year, especially if that 
                 material is a live-sighting report, as those are 
                 classified and not entered as evidence.
     
     H.R. 1900 - The POW/MIA Rescue bill allows for asylum of any 
                 refugee bringing a living American out of S.E. Asia 
                 and to a representative of the United States 
                 Government.
     
                               SENATE BILLS
     S. 1127 - The Senate version of the Truth Bill. (see H.R. 1147)
     
                 AVAILABLE TO ALL CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS
     "The Tighe Report" - an in-depth, classified study on the issues 
     and facts surrounding the POW issue by former director of the 
     Defense Intelligence Agency, Ret. General Eugene Tighe. Open 
     
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     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     hearings were held on only part of the report.  Gen Tighe has 
     stated that he believes, based on the volume of evidence he had 
     seen, men were left behind in Vietnam. The Intelligence 
     Authorization Act of 1991, H.R. 5422, had a clause which required 
     the DIA to provide any member of Congress, upon request, access to 
     this report.
     
     The INQUIRY AND ADDENDUM, by the Committee on Foreign Relations is 
     an in-depth, 150 page, two part investigation into the POW/MIA 
     issue. It covers the Defense Intelligence Agency's handling of 
     documentation, proper routing and timeframe of follow-up on live 
     sighting reports, the "mindset to debunk", the Presidential 
     Priorities from WWI through the Gulf War as it relates to service 
     personnel left behind, etc. Based on documents, family interviews, 
     historical records and news articles.  Released in two parts, 
     November 1990 and June 1991.
     
     Excerpts from INDOCHINA POW TIMELINE By Dr. Jeffrey Donahue 
     Published by National Forget-Me-Not Assoc, Connecticut Chapter 
     
     March 25, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES:
     U.S. FEARS LAOS POWs WILL BE USED AS 'PAWNS'
     "U.S. officials said Friday that despite continued efforts, they 
     have been unable to learn anything more of the fate of an 
     undetermined number of American prisoners of war in Laos.
       The officials said no new light had been shed on the total 
     number or whereabouts of the Laos POW's. Concern mounted that the 
     Communists plan to hold them back as pawns in the continuing 
     struggle in Indochina.
       The question of Laos POW's has become an issue in the continuing 
     release of American prisoners by North Vietnam, with the United 
     States ordering a holdup in the withdrawal of its last troops from 
     South Vietnam until the Communists say when and where they will 
     turn over nine Americans - seven military and two civilians - 
     whose names appeared on a list of Laos POW's provided by the North 
     Vietnamese.
       In addition to the nine there are approximately 320 Americans 
     listed as missing in action in Laos.  Most of them are air-crewmen 
     downed during combat missions.
       U.S. sources believe that a substantial number of the missing - 
     perhaps as many as 100 - still may be alive. The conclusions are 
     based on inspections of crash sites by search teams and on 
     intelligence reports.
       Friday was also marked by the expiration of the formal 30-day 
     deadline for the formation of a coalition government in Laos. So 
     far there has been little progress toward setting up the coalition 
     under provisions of the cease-fire signed last Feb. 21, with 
     government officials accusing the Communist Pathet Lao of causing 
     the delay."
       [Soth Petrasy, the Pathet Lao spokesman] "broke a long silence 
     on POWs last month to say they were holding Americans and that 
     persons captured in Laos would be returned in Laos, despite U.S. 
     contentions that North Vietnam had agreed to release Laos POWs in 
     Hanoi.
       The Pathet Lao declined to give further details about prisoners. 
     In contacts since then, U.S. officials say they have been unable 
     to learn anything more.
       The list of nine American and one Canadian names was provided by 
     the North Vietnamese when the United States inquired why no Laos 
     
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     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     POWs were included in the 555 names turned over at the time the 
     Vietnam cease-fire was signed."
       COMMENT: This tells it all in Laos. The POWs held in Laos became 
     pawns in the uncertainty and confusion which characterized the 
     United States interpretation of the Agreement and subsequent 
     events regarding the POW/aid linkage. It is very important to note 
     that when the United States complained at the last minute about 
     the North Vietnamese failure to return POWs from Laos, the North 
     Vietnamese produced nine POWs who had been captured in Laos and 
     subsequently moved to Vietnam. Despite our awareness that there   
     were POWs imprisoned in Laos, which was affirmed by the North   
     Vietnamese and the Laotians themselves, not one of these POWs was   
     released; they were held back as pawns and as collateral. Also, 
     the nine POWs captured in Laos and released from Hanoi had been 
     held separately from the other POWs captured in Vietnam.  They had 
     never been integrated into the regular POW system. [For a personal   
     account of this isolation read Ernie Brace's book, A Code to Keep.
        According to Brace's testimony before the House Select 
     Committee on Missing Persons on April 9, 1976, all the prisoners 
     captured in Laos who ended up in the Hanoi prison system were 
     segregated from the other prisoners and held separately in a group 
     known as the `Lulu' group.  In January 1973, the Lulu group was 
     told of the Paris Peace Agreement but were informed they would not 
     be released until there was a peace settlement in Laos.  In March 
     1973, they were informed they would be released with the other 
     American POWs.]
       Two additional considerations warrant comment.  First, in April   
     1973, Soth Petrasy told my mother and father in person that the   
     Pathet Lao were holding over 100 American POWs.  Second, there was 
     a great discrepancy in our government's POW numbers in Laos. 
     Whereas the tally purportedly was 320 in 1973, today it is 
     approximately 560 (which implies that the live POW count was/is 
     175.) The real number is an ultra classified secret, because Laos 
     officially was a neutral country per the Geneva Protocols of the 
     early 1950's and the United States was not supposed to be involved 
     in the war there.
     
     March 26, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES: 
     NEW SNAG STALLS PRISONER RELEASE
     "North Vietnam told the United States Sunday it intended to 
     release the last group of American prisoners it holds at Hanoi's 
     Gia Lam Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, but said the U.S. demand 
     that it also release POWs captured in Laos `is beyond the 
     jurisdiction of the agreement [the Paris Peace Agreement].'"
       COMMENT: Here, North Vietnam told the United States 
     unequivocally that the POWs in Laos were the responsibility of the 
     Laotians and not the North Vietnamese.  In other words, if the 
     United States wanted the POWs from Laos returned it would have had 
     to deal with the Laotians and offer a similar aid package to Laos, 
     as well.
     
     March 27, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES:
     HANOI DRAGS FEET
     "Bui Tin, chief spokesman for the North Vietnamese delegation, 
     said the Pathet Lao `have assured us that the American POWs they 
     hold will be released' and that the Pathet Lao said they `are 
     making preparations for the release.'
       `It is for this reason we are insisting that the withdrawal of 
     U.S. troops and the release of the prisoners take place with no 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 19
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     relation to the POWs held by the Pathet Lao,' said Tin."
       COMMENT: The North Vietnamese reiterated that there were POWs in
     Laos and that the situation regarding these POWs was unrelated to   
     the withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam and the   
     prisoner exchanges in the two Vietnams; it was up to the United   
     States and the Laotians.
       Note that by this time everybody - the North Vietnamese, the   
     Laotians, the State Department and Defense Department - had   
     affirmed that there were POWs in Laos.  There could be no more   
     compelling proof than three separate governments saying there were   
     POWs in Laos.  However, not one of these POWs was released.  They   
     continue to rot in jungle prison camps today - some dying slow,   
     cruel deaths, and abandoned by their own country.
      [For a complete copy of the INDOCHINA-POW TIMELINE contact:
                P.O.W. Network  Box 68 Skidmore MO  64487]
     
     "POLITICS PREVENT POWS RETURN"
     Dennis Adamscheck M/Sgt - Retired Army Airborne / U.S. Air Force
      8297 Demenge Road, Cloquet, MN  55720 (218) 879-8292
       Recent pictures showing American servicemen in captivity in 
     Southeast  Asia have caused spokesmen for the U.S. government to 
     publicly state the  pictures are more than likely fakes and no one 
     is being held in  captivity.  This coincides with the government's 
     previous actions that declared missing in action servicemen and 
     those known to be POWs, dead (without evidence) after World War 
     II, Korea and Vietnam.  It is politically efficient because they 
     do not have to negotiate with their former enemies and can always 
     give a cover story to the American people if anyone does return.
       Some who returned after World War II from Soviet captivity were 
     swapped for Soviet spies apprehended in America.  This was the 
     case of 1963 returnee, Walter J. Ciszek, a Jesuit priest held in 
     Soviet slave camps for 23 years after his capture in 1940.
       Also released in 1963 was Fulbright student, Marvin Makinen, 
     (arrested in Moscow in 1961).  Homer Cox returned in 1954 and 
     William Verdine returned in 1955.  John Noble was returned to 
     freedom in 1955 after 9-1/2 years at forced labor in Soviet slave 
     labor camps.  Noble was released due to President Eisenhower's 
     intervention.  The State Department showed Noble files of some 700 
     Americans held in the USSR of whom reports of survival had been 
     received. (Some of these Americans are still in Soviet prisons and 
     slave camps today.)
       Upon Noble's release, he told the State Department about 
     Americans he had seen in captivity and evidence he received of 
     many more.  Noble also related seeing Al Dulgan, a missing U.S. 
     Embassy employee, in prison.  The State Department said that could 
     not be since the Dulgan case had been closed when the Soviets 
     reported that he died and was buried in the Soviet Union in 1948.  
     Al Dulgan did, however, return in 1971, more than 30 years after 
     being taken prisoner and 16 years after Noble reported seeing him.  
     The State Department had also tried to convince the Noble family 
     that John was dead.
       Americans were also held in China after the Korean War, as 
     bargaining chips to gain political favors.  Joseph King and Walter 
     Enbom were returned in 1957.  Steve Kiba, a 1955 returnee, stated 
     "While a prisoner of the Red Chinese after the Korean War, I saw 
     over fifteen Caucasian prisoners.  These fifteen men are in 
     addition to John T. Downey and Richard Fecteau, with whom our B-29 
     crew spent three weeks (December 7 to 28, 1954).  I reported these 
     sightings to our Air Force Intelligence, the CIA and the State 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 20
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     Department upon my return to freedom.  Their reaction was one of 
     indifference and I was admonished to forget not only the fifteen, 
     but also, Downey and Fecteau.  It was suggested that perhaps I had 
     imagined that I had seen these men."
       Richard Fecteau was returned in 1971 and John Downey in 1973, 
     over 19 years after Steve Kiba had reported seeing them in 
     captivity in 1954.
       Robert Garwood was released in 1979, 14 years after his capture 
     in Vietnam. He has stated he saw other Americans in captivity 
     prior to his release.  Rosemary Conway returned in 1975 and CIA 
     Pilot, Emmet Kay, returned in 1974. Kay had brought out 
     information about other Americans still held in Laos after the 
     Vietnam War.  Kay believes he was returned to freedom only because 
     he was ransomed for $12 million.  This information is included in 
     Nigel Cawthorne's book, "The Bamboo Cage", published in May, 1991 
     by Leo Cooper, Pen Sword Book Ltd of England. "The Bamboo Cage" 
     gives the full story of the American servicemen still held hostage 
     in Southeast Asia.  If anyone doubts that Americans are being held 
     in captivity, they should read the May 23, 1991, report by the 
     U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, entitled "An 
     Examination of U.S. Policy Toward POW/MIAs".  The report confirms 
     that approximately 30,000 Americans were knowingly abandoned to 
     their communist captors during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  
     Most were shipped to the Soviet Union.
       The Senate report reveals that in 1991 the daughter of the U.S. 
     Army Major Wirt Thompson found out that information existed 
     proving that her father had not been killed in action, body not 
     recovered, as previously reported by the U.S. government in 1944.  
     She had not been told that in 1955 a German repatriate reported to 
     the United States government that he had been imprisoned with 
     Major Wirt Thompson in the Soviet Labor camps.
       Are the government's current denials of POW pictures and the 
     possibility of Americans being held in captivity just another 
     political necessity?
      [Dennis Adamscheck is a POW researcher/writer.  He is a retired, 
     23 year veteran of the U.S. Army/Airborne and the U.S. Air Force.  
     Since the publication of this article Assistant Secretary of 
     Defense and Interagency Group official Carl Ford has made the 
     following statements concerning live prisoners of war:
     
     SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE August 8, 1991:
       Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security 
     Affairs Carl W. Ford has advised a House subcommittee the "body of 
     information pertaining to this case (involving the photograph of 
     the three captive American fliers) is quite extensive. There is so 
     much of it that it's hard not to take it seriously."
       COMMENT: This quote refers to the photograph of Lundy, Robertson 
     and Stevens, and came while the DIA was declaring the photo a 
     fake. 
     
     WASHINGTON TIMES August 7, 1991:
       Carl Ford Jr., the Pentagon's East Asia expert and the point man     
     on the missing-in-action issue, told the lawmakers his "personal     
     belief" is that a "small group, perhaps 10" Vietnam war pilots     
     remain in Southeast Asia, the sources said.
       Mr. Ford gave his opinion, which conflicts with the Bush     
     administration's recent public pronouncements, at a closed-door     
     meeting on Capitol Hill last week.  He met with senators concerned     
     about the way the Defense Department has handled the MIA issue.
     
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     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

       Mr. Cheney also attended the meeting.
       COMMENT: Carl Ford, besides his position in the Pentagon, is 
     also a member of the POW/MIA Inter Agency Group which is assigned 
     to handle government coordination on the issue.  For Ford to say 
     his "personal belief" is that there are "Americans in Southeast 
     Asia" cannot be taken lightly.  He has seen the reports and his 
     conclusion must mirror those reports.
     
     PANTAGRAPH and NEW YORK TIMES August 31, 1991:
       [Carl Ford] has said the case involving a LeRoy woman's brother 
     is strong, indicating he believes it may be possible Navy Lt. 
     Daniel Borah is alive.
       ...Ford said he is giving top priority to the case of Army Capt.     
     Donald Gene "Butch" Carr, a Texas soldier shot down in Laos two     
     decades ago.
       "All the people who've looked at this case believe this is the     
     one that, in fact, could be a case of an American in Southeast     
     Asia," Ford said of Carr.
       COMMENT: This is as close to a Pentagon admission that these are 
     authentic photos of men left in Laos.  While not publicly 
     admitting to live POWs, it is obvious players within our 
     government are going as far as they can to intimate the existence 
     of live POWs. As the President has said once proof is found, he 
     will act swiftly to obtain their release, we must press him on his 
     word.  It seems the president is now at odds with the Deputy 
     Assistant Secretary of Defense, and it is this secretary who has 
     been appointed to be point man for the administration on the POW 
     issue.]
     






























     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 22
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

                                 AFFIDAVIT
     
       I,  the  undersigned,  do hereby state and affirm that it is  my 
     carefully  considered  intention and pledge that I will exert  the 
     full  extent of my influence to ensure that the Government of  the 
     United  States follows that course of action which is in the long-
     term  best interest of the United States of America in the  matter 
     of  future  relations between the United States and the  Socialist 
     Republic of Vietnam.
       I  further  assert and affirm my belief  that,  under  currently 
     prevailing  circumstances,  it would be inappropriate and contrary 
     to the best interest of the United States to take any steps toward 
     the  normalization  of  relations with the Socialist  Republic  of 
     Vietnam   or  to  lift  or  otherwise  modify  the  current  trade 
     restrictions enforced against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by 
     the United States.
       However, should events unfold such that:
     (1) the  government  of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam  release 
         and/or provide an opportunity to return to the United States 
         of any and all American or former American citizens currently 
         living in Vietnam or any other area under the authority or 
         influence of the government of Vietnam, whether injured, ill, 
         maimed, mentally deficient or of good health;
     (2) the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release 
         from incarceration and/or detention all Vietnamese citizens 
         presently incarcerated or detained as a result of political or 
         military activities engaged in prior to May 1, 1975, and the 
         government of Vietnam further provide priority status for such 
         individuals for emigration through the Orderly Departure 
         Program;
     then and only then would the best interest of the United States be 
     most effectively served by --
         A. Normalization of the diplomatic relationship between the 
            United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 
            order to build a stronger, more favorable and lasting 
            relationship between the people of the United States and 
            Vietnam;
         B. Normalization of the trade relationship between the United 
            States and Vietnam including U.S. "Most Favored Nation" 
            trading status to be extended by the U.S. to Vietnam, which 
            would pave the way for U.S. companies, investors and 
            private citizens to participate in the economic 
            revitalization of Vietnam;
         C. The advance payment by the United States to the Socialist 
            Republic of Vietnam the sum of US$4 billion in return for a 
            20-year lease of port facilities located at Cam Ranh Bay, 
            allowing for the early closure of the U.S. base at Subic 
            Bay, Philippine Islands.
       It  is  my fervent hope -  in the interest of the  American  and 
     Vietnamese  people and our two nations -  that circumstances occur 
     which  will warrant my best effort to promote and help to build  a 
     strong,   lasting  relationship  between  the  United  States  and 
     Vietnam.
     
       Signed _____________________________        Date _______________
     
       Witness ____________________________        Date _______________
     

     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 23
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

                                 AFFIDAVIT
     
       I (We), the authorized representative(s) of ____________________ 
     do  hereby  state and affirm that it is the  carefully  considered 
     intention and pledge of _____________________________ to exert the 
     full  extent of its influence to ensure that the Government of the 
     United  States follows that course of action which is in the long-
     term  best interest of the United States of America in the  matter 
     of  future  relations between the United States and the  Socialist 
     Republic of Vietnam.
       ____________________________  further  asserts  and affirms  the 
     belief that, under currently prevailing circumstances, it would be 
     inappropriate  and  contrary  to the best interest of  the  United 
     States  to  take any steps toward the normalization  of  relations 
     with  the  Socialist Republic of Vietnam or to lift  or  otherwise 
     modify   the  current  trade  restrictions  enforced  against  the 
     Socialist Republic of Vietnam by the United States.
       However, should events unfold such that:
       (1) The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release 
           and/or provide an opportunity to return to the United States 
           of any and all American or former American citizens 
           currently living in Vietnam or any other area under the 
           authority or influence of the government of Vietnam, whether 
           injured, ill, maimed, mentally deficient or of good health;
       (2) The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release 
           from incarceration and/or detention all Vietnamese citizens 
           presently incarcerated or detained as a result of political 
           or military activities engaged in prior to May 1, 1975, and 
           the government of Vietnam further provide priority status 
           for such individuals for emigration through the Orderly 
           Departure Program;
       Then  and only then would the best interest of the United States 
     be most effectively served by --
           A. Normalization of the diplomatic relationship between the 
              United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 
              order to build a stronger, more favorable and lasting 
              relationship between the people of the United States and 
              Vietnam;
           B. Normalization of the trade relationship between the 
              United States and Vietnam including U.S. "Most Favored 
              Nation" trading status to be extended by the U.S. to 
              Vietnam, which would pave the way for U.S. companies, 
              investors and private citizens to participate in the 
              economic revitalization of Vietnam;
           C. The advance payment by the United States to the Socialist 
              Republic of Vietnam the sum of US$4 billion in return for 
              a 20-year lease of port facilities located at Cam Ranh 
              Bay, allowing for the early closure of the U.S. base at 
              Subic Bay, Philippine Islands.
       It is the fervent hope of _______________________________ - in 
     the interest of the American and Vietnamese people and our two 
     nations - that circumstances occur which will warrant the best 
     effort to promote and help to build a strong, lasting relationship 
     between the United States and Vietnam.
     
       Signed _____________________________        Date _______________
     
       Witness ____________________________        Date _______________
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 24
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     
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                       " Bring them home --- NOW !!! "
     












     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 25
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991



     ==================================================================
                                  In-Touch
     ==================================================================

                          In-Touch or Soft Touch
                          By Ray "Frenchy" Moreau
                     NamVet's In-Touch Section Editor
                         VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA
                              (703) 471-8010
     
     The elderly couple relaxed in their special chairs were fascinated 
     with what was appearing on the television screen.   It appeared as 
     though  nothing  could  shake them loose from the  modern  imagery 
     except  for a phone call.   Leo got up from his chair and  grabbed 
     the clattering device.  
     
     "Damn," he thought,"been saying to myself to silence this ringer."  
     
     "Hello."
     
     "Hello!! Is this Mr. Snapwood speaking?"
     
     "Yes!  Who is this please?"         
     
     "You don't know me, Mr. Snapwood,  but you will.   Do you remember 
     Albert Marion Snapwood?"
     
     "Yes, he is my nephew and he has been MIA since 1966."
     
     "We found him Mr. Snapwood... Is the Mrs. available?"
     
     Puzzled,  Leo  laid the receiver down and motioned for Jay to come 
     to the phone. 
     
     "Guy on the line says he found Albert... he wants to talk to you"
     
     Jay picked up the phone and again reiterated what Leo had said. 
     
     "Who is this?"
     
     "Mrs. Snapwood this is good news for your family.   We have reason 
     to believe that Albert is very much alive.   If we cannot prove he 
     is  alive  then we will make sure his name will be placed  on  The 
     Wall."
     
     The  above is an excerpt from a conversation my in-laws had just a 
     few weeks ago.   Somehow,  somewhere a new scam is crawling out of 
     the midst of toxic waste.  That scam,  although small,  is growing 
     and  is attacking our elderly.   They have suffered  enough.  Yet, 
     some  devilish fiends are trying to make easy money by preying  on 
     those that have loved one's presumed to be MIAs.  
     
     My in-laws know about the "In Touch" system.  Within its databases 
     all the information relative to each and every soldier, sailor, or 
     marine   that  has  been  killed,   POW  and  MIA  is   available. 
     Additionally, many offices in Washington, DC provide to the public 
     information about an individual if found.   The one question which 
     Jay  asked had stopped the would-be beggars from continuing.  That 
     question was simple and to the point - "How come my sister was not 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 26
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     notified? And, by the way, Albert's name  IS on the Wall".
     
     The guy hung up........
     
     Please educate your neighbors,  especially the elderly, concerning 
     the possibility of falling into the arms of a con artist. With the  
     latest  news about the possibility of the US Government's cover-up 
     about  the  MIA and POW's,  our families would be more attuned  to 
     getting assistance from these gutter bums.
     
                                - Frenchy -
     















































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 27
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

                         In-Touch.  What is it ???
     
                       Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau
                      NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor
                Herndon Byte eXchange/VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA
                               (703) 471-8010
     =================================================================
     
     |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
     |  There are some 43 million people in the United States whose  |
     |  lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam   |
     |  War.                                                         |
     |                                                               |
     |  Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, |
     |  and perhaps most difficult, war in our history.  More than a |
     |  quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead |
     |  or missing.                                                  |
     |                                                               |
     |  Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war.  |
     |  But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of  |
     |  those listed on the Wall.  They too paid a tremendous price, |
     |  not always recognized... many still do.                      |
     |                                                               |
     |  Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period |
     |  people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to |
     |  address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have     |
     |  been haunting them since the war.  Perhaps that is a measure |
     |  of the pain.                                                 |
     |                                                               |
     |  But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the      |
     |  building of the Memorial, has begun.                         |
     |                                                               |
     |  In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans         |
     |  Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on      |
     |  any given day, and far into the night, they call from all    |
     |  corners of the country.                                      |
     |                                                               |
     |  "If only I could find out..."                                |
     |  "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..."      |
     |  "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... "        |
     |  "Please, can you help...?"                                   |
     |                                                               |
     |  At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not   |
     |  spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate      |
     |  family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a     |
     |  responsive ear.                                              |
     |                                                               |
     |  Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply |
     |  never allowed full expression of their grief because of the  |
     |  fierce pressures of the time, are now coming forward,        |
     |  looking for someone who can help with their healing.         |
     |                                                               |
     |  We hear from children, now 15 - 25 years old, who are        |
     |  searching for bits and pieces of information they can        |
     |  assemble to help fill that empty place in their lives that   |
     |  is the father they never knew well, if at all. And they want |
     |  to talk to each other, to share their special needs and the  |
     |  unique experience of growing up with a father on the Wall.   |
     |  They understand each other all too well.                     |
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 28
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     |                                                               |
     |  Millions of Americans need to meet and talk because of the   |
     |  Wall, and only the Friends can help them.                    |
     |                                                               |
     |  Initial discussions with many other national organizations   |
     |  whose work brings them into contact with Vietnam veterans    |
     |  and their loved ones have attested to the need for IN TOUCH  |
     |  and their willingness to help.                               |
     |                                                               |
     |  Simply put, the Friends will draw on its special work at the |
     |  Memorial,  its acquired and available data bases and         |
     |  programs designed and integrated by Electronic Data Systems  |
     |  (EDS), and the commitment and concern of its volunteers to   |
     |  place people with a common association to a name on the Wall |
     |  to be in voluntary communication with each other.            |
     |                                                               |
     |  From there, we will let human nature take its good course.   |
     |  And let the healing begin.                                   |
     |                                                               |
     |  The starting point for the data base will be the more than   |
     |  twenty thousand names of people who have requested name      |
     |  rubbings from our volunteers in Washington. Each will be     |
     |  contacted and given the opportunity to participate by being  |
     |  listed in the IN TOUCH central data base file.               |
     |                                                               |
     |  Confidentiality is the keyword to cooperation and IN TOUCH   |
     |  will respect the integrity of all lists and records.  Lists  |
     |  will be unavailable for public use and will not be           |
     |  distributed for any commercial purpose.                      |
     |                                                               |
     |  By its nature, IN TOUCH must reach far beyond the veterans   |
     |  community in order to be successful. With professional       |
     |  guidance, the Friends will develop a program of on-going     |
     |  articles and other coverage in major media markets, high-    |
     |  lighting the personal experiences of people as they are put  |
     |  "in touch."  The International Vietnam Veterans Echo         |
     |  Conference via the Herndon Byte eXchange 1:109/316 node as   |
     |  the enter point for gathering and disseminating information  |
     |  will be used.  Aside from bringing the program  into public  |
     |  awareness, these articles and stories will serve as a val-   |
     |  uable tool for public education on a wealth of matters       |
     |  relating to the Vietnam era.                                 |
     |                                                               |
     |  As a preliminary test of the IN TOUCH project, the Friends   |
     |  has implemented a pilot project to test the design and       |
     |  demands of such a program.  Several hundred requests with    |
     |  full background information have been entered into a system  |
     |  designed to match requestor data with the existing Memorial  |
     |  data. Even with such a small sample, limited data and a      |
     |  fairly unsophisticated cross-indexing system, matches have   |
     |  been made and IN TOUCH has produced its first real           |
     |  connections.  The results have been as profoundly moving for |
     |  the participants as expected. And as gratifying for the      |
     |  Friends.                                                     |
     |                                                               |
     |  But it was clear that the information management system and  |
     |  the supporting hardware system would have to be more power-  |
     |  ful and more complex in order to handle thousands, perhaps   |
     |  hundreds of thousands, of requests.  Confidentiality of the  |
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 29
     Volume  5, Number 10                             October 24, 1991

     |  system and information must be paramount.                    |
     |                                                               |
     |  With well over 2,000 Vietnam veterans, Electronic Data       |
     |  Systems (EDS) became involved and has been generous in its   |
     |  assistance with designing the data management systems which  |
     |  will be critical to a successful program.  The Friends have  |
     |  reached a three-year working agreement with EDS which        |
     |  promises continuity and maximum potential for success in     |
     |  building an information bank that can truly help people in   |
     |  their search for others who knew a loved one.                |
     |                                                               |
     |  The Friends are delighted that Bob Hope has agreed to make   |
     |  a public service announcement which we can use on radio and  |
     |  television to help get the word out to the public on the     |
     |  availability of the service.                                 |
     |                                                               |
     |  The Friends are also pleased to note that Hewlett Packard,   |
     |  Zenith Data Systems, Borland International, FASTCOMM         |
     |  Communications Corporation and the First National Bank of    |
     |  Chicago have all contributed computer equipment, computer    |
     |  software, and office equipment to the project, so they are   |
     |  beginning to feel fully functional.                          |
     |                                                               |
     |  The Friends hear from people who have long been living with  |
     |  the pain of loss and looking for a way to heal.  For         |
     |  instance, the Friends recently received a letter from a      |
     |  woman who wrote:                                             |
     |                                                               |
     |       Dear Friends:                                           | 
     |           For quite some time I have been searching for a     |
     |       way to know my brother.  It seems hopeless at times.    |
     |       I was 12 when he was killed...  I had waited for the    |
     |       day he would come back to us.  He never did.  A part    |
     |       of me will always be 12 and continue to wait.           |
     |           Thank you for giving me hope that there may be      |
     |       a way to find him and bring him home to my heart..."    |
     |                                                               |
     |                          +   +   +                            |
     |                                                               |
     |           The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial        |
     |                     Electronic Data Systems                   |
     |           Herndon Byte eXchange TCOMMnet BBS 1:109/316        |
     |                                                               |        
     |+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
     


-- 
#Larry W. Jewell (ex-USN)     WWII-L Listowner    jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu # 
#"Sunday's horoscope is noteworthy because of its strange, sudden and wholly#
#unpredictable and inexplicable occurrences, affecting all phases of life." #
#--"Your Horoscope," L.A. Evening Herald Express, Saturday, Dec. 6, 1941.   #