News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: China Trip Report

Date: February 26, 2001

"DASD Jones China Trip Report 10-14 Jan 2001

SUBJECT: US-PRC Korean War Veterans Exchange Visit, January 10-14, 2001

PURPOSE: DASD Robert L. Jones traveled to Beijing, PRC from January 10-14, 2001 to accompany a group of six American veterans of the Korean War to meet with Chinese counterparts. Mr. Jones and his delegation also had opportunities to discuss accounting issues with his counterparts in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Red Cross Society of China, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The primary purpose of this trip was to initiate a US-PRC Korean War Veterans Exchange Program to support and augment oral history and archival research efforts underway in China. Engaging the PLA in the Korean War accounting process has been a chief DoD goal for a number of years, and the assignment of a PLA official as one of the points of contact for this visit is a significant accomplishment. While in Beijing, DASD Jones also met with the US Ambassador to the PRC, Ambassador Joseph Prueher, the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Mike Marine, and the senior Political Counselor at the embassy, Mr. Jim Moriarity.

Office call with Mr. Mike Marine, DCM, and Mr. Jim Moriarity, Political Counselor, AMEMB Beijing. DASD Jones briefed Mr. Moriarity on the four major components of DoD's interface with China on the POW/MIA issue. These components are the US-PRC Oral History Program; case-specific archival and research efforts to aid Korean, Cold, and Vietnam War accounting; the veteran exchange program; and continuing joint recoveries of US World War II airmen missing in western China. Mr. Moriarity provided a brief overview of the political climate in Beijing, and stated that he was pleased with the pace and direction of DPMO's China program. He noted that the DASD's ongoing dialogue with Mr. Chen Mingming had fostered a great deal of trust and openness on POW/missing personnel issues, and he felt that Chinese cooperation would increase as a result. He reiterated to the veterans that their visit was a historic event that would reap benefits across the US-PRC relationship. Mr. Marine echoed this sentiment, and added that the Chinese considered this a crucial visit in terms of establishing cooperative links with the new administration.

Opening Session/Roundtable Discussions at Red Cross Society of China

* Mr. Wang Xiaohua, Deputy Director of the Red Cross Society, greeted the US delegation and noted the significance of old foes meeting in peace and friendship. He introduced the five Chinese veterans taking part in the exchange, as well as the other Red Cross and MFA officials participating.   * Mr. Jones expressed the US government's gratitude to the Red Cross for hosting the keynote session of the exchange, especially during a time when the Society was heavily involved in disaster relief efforts in northeast China. The DASD also noted the growing cooperation between the US and China in the missing personnel accounting process, emphasizing the success of the initial US-PRC Korean War Oral History Program interviews of Chinese war veterans this past September. Mr. Jones expressed gratitude for the information provided by the MFA recently on two probable US World War II crash sites in Tibet. Mr. Jones introduced the US delegation, then turned the floor over to the veterans themselves.   * Mr. Xiang Xu, a retired PLA political commissar, made opening remarks for the Chinese veterans. Mr. Harley Coon, President of the Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA), responded for the US veterans. Remarks from both sides were extremely positive, establishing an amicable foundation for the roundtable discussions to follow. A large contingent from the international media corps in Beijing attended the session, but was ushered out following the opening comments. Media interest remained high throughout the visit.   * The US veterans opened the roundtable by expressing hope that this would be the first of many exchanges, and that the dialogue between veterans would increase the flow of information between the two sides about the Korean War. The veterans noted the precedent-setting nature of this visit, and thanked the Chinese veterans for their willingness to openly discuss difficult issues that remain important to the American people, such as POW/MIA accounting. The Chinese veterans mentioned that they did not have the benefit of organized, non-governmental veterans organizations like those in the US, and hoped to learn about such organizations from the US veterans.   * The US veterans keyed on several substantive areas of concern relevant to the Korean War accounting process. The US delegation asked about "other records," possibly held by the Red Cross Society and not within MFA or PLA channels, that might be found at outlying, regional sites. The Red Cross staff replied that they knew of no such records; but the Deputy Director promised to check on the existence of Red Cross Korean War archives. The Chinese veterans cited a yearly meeting in Beijing of former Chinese POW camp administrators, and the US veterans expressed an interest in having a US representative invited to a future session for oral history purposes. Chinese veteran Li Dechen, who was interviewed by DPMO researchers during the September 2000 oral history program visit, discussed his involvement in exhumations from POW camps during Operation Glory in 1954. He helped to assemble the list of names provided with some of the bodies during repatriation. Li also had a generalized knowledge of deaths en route to the camps, although he did not speak of any specifics or supporting documents. Li believes that most remains at POW camps were retrieved and repatriated during Operation Glory; but several Chinese veterans made it clear during the discussion that POWs not under their control at various points in the war could be buried at locations unknown to them. There was also discussion of flooding at camps along the Yalu River that likely swept away remains at certain burial sites.   * The Chinese spoke at length about the 21 US POWs who initially elected to stay behind at the close of hostilities. Nineteen of these did in fact return to the US. DPMO researchers are very familiar with one of the remaining two, Pvt James George Veneris. However, the Chinese also cited Cpl Howard Gayle Adams, who returned to the US, but appears to have resettled in China at a later date. The Red Cross Deputy Director introduced the "handler" of Veneris and Adams, who shared information on their current whereabouts.


DASD Discussions with Mr. Chen Mingming, Deputy Director of North American and Oceanian Affairs, PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- Red Cross-Hosted Luncheon. On Thursday, January 11, DASD Jones used the opportunity of a Red Cross-sponsored working lunch to discuss accounting issues with Deputy Director Chen. DPMO action officers also had direct discussions with counterparts from the Red Cross and the MFA. This is the first visit during which the Chinese identified specific counterparts from these organizations at the action officer level.

* Mr. Jones informed Chen that DPMO planned to sponsor a symposium on Korean War POW camps in the US in 2002, and asked his assistance in identifying Chinese academics to participate.   * DASD Jones stressed the importance of Chinese responses to the nearly 200 Korean War case-specific requests for information presented to PRC officials by the US government in the past decade. Of particular note are the 46 cases personally presented to Mr. Chen by Mr. Jones in the last two years.   * Chen reiterated that this was a historic meeting that would help remove misunderstanding and improve US-PRC relations. He cautioned the US to be realistic concerning specific outcomes-- he said that the very fact of direct talks with Chinese veterans makes this a significant event.   * Mr. Chen cited a number of examples of past PRC cooperation on accounting efforts (Vietnam and WWII), and asked the DASD when the US would send a team to investigate the two WWII crash sites in Tibet recently identified by the Chinese. Chen is prepared to provide additional assistance as needed. Mr. Jones said that although the operational calendar for this year is set, DPMO would work with the US Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii to schedule an investigative trip for this summer.   * Mr. Chen asked a number of questions designed to better acquaint him with the entities involved in POW/MIA accounting efforts in the US, and the resources committed to these efforts (a theme continued from Mr. Jones' previous visit).


Joint Veterans Tour of the Forbidden City. The Chinese veterans accompanied their US counterparts on a guided tour of the Forbidden City, providing an excellent opportunity for individual discussions about wartime experiences. The US veterans backbriefed DPMO researchers on these discussions.

DASD Jones Hosts dinner social for Chinese veterans and MFA, Red Cross, and PLA officials. On Thursday, January 11, DASD Jones hosted dinner for the Chinese delegation at the Capital Club in Beijing. Attendees included the PLA officer identified as DPMO's military point of contact for POW/MIA matters, LTC Liu Yujian. Ambassador Prueher attended the cocktail hour. DASD Jones used this opportunity to discuss with the LTC Liu the need for PLA cooperation in sharing any information available from records or other sources on the nearly 200 Korean War case-specific requests for information presented to PRC officials by the US government in the past decade. Mr. Jones stressed the purely humanitarian nature of the request, and that information having any possible bearing on the cases would be of value to American researchers as they piece together accounting puzzles.

Office call with Ambassador Prueher. DASD Jones discussed trip objectives and results with Ambassador Joseph Prueher at the US Embassy on Friday, January 12.

* DASD Highlighted superb support of AMEMB and USDAO Beijing for recovery operations in both China and DPRK.   * Mr. Jones stressed that opening avenues for PLA assistance on Korea cases is of primary importance because their archives likely hold a wealth of information on Korean War missing. SECDEF highlighted this on his recent visit.   * The Ambassador and the DASD discussed the importance of interface between USDAO and DPMO on debriefing matters. Mr. Jones assured the Ambassador the DPMO would work to increase the effectiveness of communications between players.   * Mr. Jones discussed the case-specific requests for information from the Chinese, including the Ltjg Deane case with which the Ambassador has been personally involved. The DASD impressed upon the Ambassador that DPMO has worked very hard over the past few years to find ways to get the Chinese to share information from their archives that will almost certainly aid our accounting efforts. This is a long-term confidence building process that involves officials from the MFA, the PLA, and the Red Cross. This veterans exchange is a significant step forward in this process, representing the first time that we have been afforded contact at the action officer level with points of contact from all three of these organizations. The DASD expressed appreciation for the Ambassador's continued advocacy in official forums whenever possible for release of info on any or all of the cases presented to the PRC.   * Briefed the Ambassador on archival research and academic exchange initiatives.   * Informed Ambassador Prueher that he would work with operational elements in the US to schedule an investigative trip this summer to the two Tibetan crash sites discovered by the Chinese.


Visit to the Korean War Exhibit at the PLA Military Museum. On the morning of January 12, the PLA provided a guided tour of the Korean War holdings in the PLA Museum. DPMO officials recorded information on several items of importance, including two blood chits, a set of dog tags, an American promotion certificate, a personal weapon, and photographs of US aircraft. These items have been included in DPMO databases for further research.

PLA hosted lunch. Following the Museum visit, LTC Liu hosted a lunch for the two veteran delegations. DPMO action officers were seated with both MFA and PLA counterparts, and discussed tentative proposals for upcoming events. The MFA recommended that DPMO consider the end of August to first of September for an investigative team to visit the Tibetan World war II crash sites. He indicated that the Chinese were prepared to provide guides and other services as requested by the US. DPMO officials raised the idea of a reciprocal PLA veterans visit to the US, and LTC Liu responded positively and indicated that he would probably be involved in such a visit. He looked forward to receiving timeframe and itinerary recommendations from DPMO.

Press Conference. DASD Jones and the six US veterans held a press conference at US Embassy facilities in Beijing for approximately 25 members of the international print and broadcast media. Ambassador Prueher opened the conference with a statement about the success of the visit and his appreciation to the veterans. He then introduced DASD Jones. Mr. Jones outlined the US-PRC initiatives underway to increase cooperation in the Korean War accounting process, and how this visit fits in with those initiatives. The DASD expressed hope that programs such as the veterans exchange would build confidence and increase information sharing between US and PRC organizations. He noted the importance of PLA participation in the exchange, and hoped that more such visits would follow. Mr. Jones also expressed gratitude for Chinese assistance in World War II recovery operations, and that two more operations were possibly on the horizon in Tibet. The DASD introduced the veterans and turned the floor over to reporters' questions. The questions were cordial, and sought mostly to ascertain the veterans' sentiments about the meetings with Chinese counterparts, and their judgment as to the value of the exchange. The veterans each expressed satisfaction with the exchange, and felt that increased cooperation in accounting programs would result. The veterans fielded questions for approximately 30 minutes. The press reports stemming from the visit and its concluding press conference have been overwhelmingly positive.'