News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci
(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: DPMO Update

Date: April 22, 1998

Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update

FIRST OPERATION IN NORTH KOREA FOR 1998 BEGINS

The first joint recovery operation scheduled for 1998 began on April 21 in Kujiang County, North Korea. An eight member team from the U.S. ArmyÍs Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, (CILHI), accompanied by a contingent from the Korean PeopleÍs Army, established a base camp seven miles northwest of Kujiang from which search and recovery operations will take place. A DPMO military officer and a CILHI communication specialist will remain in Pyongyang to serve as a liaison and logistics team. The excavation area, located approximately 60 miles north of Pyongyang, is the site of a November 25-27, 1950 battle between the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army and forces from the 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, 8th U.S. Army. Over 50 American servicemen are unaccounted-for as a result of this fighting.

This is the first of five joint recovery operations scheduled for 1998 in North Korea. The second operation will begin on May 26 in the same general area in Kujiang Province. Between the first and second joint recovery operation, a joint DPMO-CILHI research team will be in Pyongyang conducting archival research at the Military Museum and the Peoples Grand Study Hall.

ARCHIVAL RESEARCH UPDATE

One of DPMO's most important archival initiatives is to visit the 12 Presidential Libraries with library holdings and special collections germane to POWs and missing personnel from all of the wars in which the U.S. has been involved.

DPMO archival researchers recently visited the new George Bush Library on the campus of Texas A & M University in College Station, TX. The Bush Library is one of the presidential libraries operated under the aegis of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Given President Bush's service as President, Vice President, Director of Central Intelligence, and Ambassador to both the People's Republic of China and the United Nations, the likelihood of having important archival material and documents relative to the POW/Missing Personnel issue was very high. Researchers reviewed 36 linear feet of file box space, including both classified and unclassified materials. No POW/MIA related information was found on this trip, however, archivists will return to search further records.