Inside Hanoi's Secret Archives
In the face of Hanoi's policy of withholding POW/MIA information, a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency operation called Swamp Ranger, led by former U.N. refugee officer Theodore G. Schweitzer, gained access to the People's Army archives and examined records of Americans who survived capture during the Vietnam War and some who did not. Schweitzer also obtained photos of U.S. prisoners, alive or dead. Though Vietnamese military officials were helpful, the civilian bureaucracy eventually withdrew cooperation, but not before Schweitzer had collected information on the fate of hundreds of missing American servicemen. McConnell's (Into the Mouth of the Cat) book demolishes the myth that Washington knowingly abandoned surviving POWs in Indochina. It also exposes fund-raising scams, bogus former POWs and others who attempt to take advantage of grieving relatives. The book offers vivid glimpses of Vietnam, especially the corruption, greed and negative impact of the current commercial boom on the resolution of the MIA issue. Photos not seen by PW. Military Book Club selection.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.