September 17, 1996
Col.(ret.) Philip Corso, former advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Mr. Jan Sejna, former Czech general officer
Mr. Joe Doublass, Jr., defense analyst and author
BACKGROUND: Col. (ret.) Corso participated directly in the decision by the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower to leave live American prisoners of war in the hands of the North Koreans, Chinese and Soviets at the end of the Korean War. His testimony will focus on the circumstances surrounding that decision. Mr. Sejna, until his defection to the United States in February 1968, was a general officer in the Czechoslovak army who had held high-level, decision-making positions in both the COMMUNIST Party and defense establishment of his government. He remains the highest level COMMUNIST Official to ever defect to the United States. His testimony will focus on Czech and Soviet Union efforts to exploit US prisoners of war during the Korean, Cold War and Vietnam conflicts. Mr. Joe Douglass, is an author whose articles regarding then-General Sejna and what happened to missing US prisoners of war are attached.
Attached at Enclosure I are the following materials pertaining to this panel:
CORSO RELATED:
No.1A - White House Operations Coordination Board (OCB) memo, "Meeting of POW Working Group," regarding "FIG LEAF". 9 Nov. 1953
No.1B - Eisenhower Papers, "Telephone Conversation with Army Secretary Stephens," re: Missing POWs. 22 Dec. 1953
No.1C - Dept. of State, "Efforts to Secure the Return of American Personnel Who Might Still be in Communist Custody." 22 Jan. 1954
No.1D - "Complaint of Detention and imprisonment of United Nations Military Personnel in Violation of Korean Armistice Agreement," Henry Cabot Lodge, to UN Secretary General. 20 Dec. 1954 *S
No.1E - White House OCB Memo, "Interview with Rastvorov Concerning US POWs in the USSR." 31 Jan. 1955
SEJNA RELATED:
No.1F - DIA Memo, LTG. Clapper, and report into possible drug experiments on US POWs during Korean War by Czechoslovakian and Soviet personnel. 27 April 1992
No.1G - "Missing American POWs: What Happened?" (Part 1 and Part 2). By Joe Douglass, Jr.1995
Panel 2:
Mr. Garnett (BILL) Bell, former Special Assistant for Negotiations, Joint Task Force Full Accounting (JTFFA).
Mr. Jay Veith, POW-MIA researcher and analyst
BACKGROUND: These two witnesses will discuss the quality of the US investigation process in Southeast Asia including the integration of signals intelligence into that process. They will also provide perspectives on third country involvement with US Prisoners of war during the Vietnam era, as well as on the efforts of the US Government to investigate that involvement.
Documents related to this panel and attached at Enclosure 2 are listed below:
No.2A - North Vietnamese document, "Handling and Interrogation of Foreign Prisoners of War." 23 Feb. 1966
No.2B - CIA Intelligence Information Report, "Personal Views on Possible North Vietnamese Refusal to Comply Fully with Terms of Prisoner Exchange*S Agreement." 3 Nov. 1970
No.2C - DIA Document, "American Prisoners, Including War Wounded Allegedly Still Being Held in Vietnam." 1976
Panel 3:
Mr. J. Alan Liotta, Deputy Director, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Office (DPMO)
Mr. Norm Kass, Director, Joint Commission Support Directorate (DPMO)
Mr. Robert J. Destatte, Senior Analyst, Research and Analysis Directorate, DPMO.
Cdr. William G. Beck, USNR, Special Research, Joint Commission Support Directorate, DPMO
Accompanied by:
Mr. Danz Blasser, Analyst, Joint Commission Support Directorate
Mr. John McCreary, Analyst, Defense Intelligence Agency
and
DPMO Interviewers of former Soviet Journalist Ivan Loboda regarding Col. David Hrdlicka (Mr. Norm Kass and Mr. Anthony Litvinas, Analyst, Research and Analysis Directorate)
BACKGROUND: The focus of Department of Defense and DPMO testimony will include the transfer and exploitation of American Prisoners of war in Korea, as well as the status of investigations regarding POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia and the involvement of Cuban and Soviet block interrogators with American prisoners in Vietnam and Laos (Destatte and Beck); and the status of POW-MIA initiatives with the Russians (Kass). A recent New York Times article regarding sightings of US POW's in North Korea as recently as 1993 is attached. In June, the Military Personnel Subcommitee heard testimony from both Mr. Lee, a DPMO analyst, who reaffirmed his conclusion that at least two groups of live Korean-War era US Prisoners of war may still be still in North Korea, and Mr. Liotta.*S
Attached at Enclosure 3 are documents related to the issues to be discussed by this panel. The documentsa are summarized below:
No.3A - CIA Intelligence Information Report, "Preliminary Debriefing Site for Captured US Pilots (in North Vietnam) .... and Presence of Soviet and Communist Chinese Personnel at the Site." 1971
No.3B - DOD Information Paper: "American Unaccounted for in the Korean War." Oct.'87
No.3C - CIA MEMO, "Alleged Sightings of American POWs in North Korea from 1975 to 1982 9 Mar. 1988
No.3D - US Army, Seoul Korea, Message, "Rumor of US POWs Teaching English in KN [North Korea]" 2 Feb. 1989
No.3E - US Consul, Hong Kong, Message, "Reports of Americans Not Able to Leave [North Korea]. 3 Dec. 1990
No.3F - DPMO Background Paper, "Accountability of Missing Americans From the Korean War; Live-Sighting Reports." 26 Mar. 1996
No.3G - Transcripts, "North Korea DOD News Briefing." 17 Jun. 1996
No.3H - DPMO Letter to Carol Hrdlicka, regarding DPMO Interview with former Soviet journalist Ivan Loboda 28 Jun. 1996
No.3I - NY Times, "New Account Adds to the Mystery About Fate of American POW's in North Korea." 8 Sept. 1996
No.3J - Associated Press, "Officials to Probe Charges of Abuse In Program to Find MIAs." 12 Sept. 1996