IV
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 278
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding United States policy towards
Vietnam.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 5, 1994
Mr. ACKERMAN (for himself and Mr. SKAGGS) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding United
States policy towards Vietnam.
Whereas the President has lifted the 30-year-old trade em-
bargo against Vietnam in the belief that doing so is the
‘‘best way’’ to ensure progress in resolving the fate of
Americans missing since the conflict in Vietnam;
Whereas the period of the Vietnam conflict and its aftermath
was one of the most distressing and painful periods in
our Nation’s history;
Whereas questions remain about the fate of several hundred
Americans missing in action;
Whereas, on July 2, 1993, President Clinton stated that fur-
ther steps in United States-Vietnam relations would be
•HCON 278 IH
based on ‘‘tangible progress’’ towards the fullest possible
accounting of those missing in action;
Whereas such ‘‘tangible progress’’ depends on further efforts
by the Government of Vietnam in the 4 key areas out-
lined by the President, including the recovery and repa-
triation of American remains, continued resolution of dis-
crepancy cases, further assistance in implementing tri-
lateral investigations with Laos, and accelerated efforts
to provide all POW/MIA-related documents;
Whereas the Congress deeply empathizes with the families
and friends of the missing American servicemen;
Whereas we owe nothing less than the ‘‘fullest possible ac-
counting’’ to these men and their families;
Whereas Vietnam’s criminal law is used to punish nonviolent
advocates of political pluralism, through charges such as
‘‘attempting to overthrow the people’s government’’ or
‘‘antisocialist propaganda’’;
Whereas the end of the Cold War provides an unprecedented
opportunity for democratic reform and improvements in
human rights throughout the world;
Whereas recent economic reforms and initiatives undertaken
by the Government of Vietnam can best be encouraged
and built upon through political liberalization;
Whereas the interests of the United States and the people of
Vietnam, and the international community would best be
served by having a friendly and democratic government
in Vietnam; and
Whereas greater respect for internationally recognized human
rights and a peaceful transition to democracy in Vietnam
would greatly reduce the threat of instability in South-
•HCON 278 IH
east Asia and enable the creation of a free-market econ-
omy in Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) progress towards the ‘‘fullest possible ac-
counting’’ for the Americans missing and unac-
counted for remains central to our Nation’s foreign
policy toward Vietnam;
(2) the ‘‘fullest possible accounting’’ of our
missing must remain the index by which further
progress in relations must be judged;
(3) the primary functions of the United States
Government liaison office in Vietnam should be—
(A) to facilitate efforts to achieve the ‘‘full-
est possible accounting’’, and
(B) to establish a section within that office
to assist families and friends of those missing
American servicemen in their efforts to ascer-
tain the status of their loved ones;
(4) the United States should support the proc-
ess of nonviolent democratic reform in Vietnam in-
cluding the goal of free and fair elections; and
(5) the United States should increase its sup-
port for Voice of America programming in Vietnam.
Æ