News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NLF Update Line

Date: November 26, 2001

"Update Line
STILL MISSING: According to the Department of Defense, there are 1,948 Americans still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Of the total, 1,469 are in Vietnam, 411 in Laos, 60 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Over 90% of all Vietnam War missing were lost in Vietnam or areas under its wartime control.

LAO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER IN DC: On November 10th, the Lao Deputy Prime Minister met in Washington, DC, with the League's Adviser and Executive Director, and others. The Minister takes a direct role in POW/MIA matters, having proposed the successful POW/MIA Seminar that was held last month and last week, he visited a joint field operations site. He agreed to the League's request to work on ways to implement an Oral History Program aimed at interviewing current and former Lao officials with relevant POW/MIA information. Such informal talks are often very helpful in removing obstacles and moving issues forward.

LAO FIELD OPERATIONS: Fifty US personnel from the CILHI and JTF-FA are now working with their Lao counterparts to conduct five joint recovery missions. This is the first time that five recovery missions have been undertaken at the same time in Laos, an encouraging development. In addition, a small US team was in Laos last week to discuss implementation of a unilateral Lao program focused on interviewing witnesses to US incidents.

SENIOR CAMBODIAN OFFICIAL IN DC: On November 11th, General Pol Saroeun, Chief of the Joint Staff, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and senior Cambodian official responsible for POW/MIA Affairs, also visited Washington. Just before this visit, he met in Hawaii with JTF-FA Commander BG Steve Redmann, USAF, during a visit to CINCPAC for meetings not directly related to POW/MIA matters. General Saroeun met informally with the League's Adviser and Executive Director and Dep. Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs Jerry Jennings. Cambodia recently proposed a series of unilateral investigations and interviews of current and former officials to develop leads on missing Americans.

CAMBODIA FIELD OPERATIONS: Due to security concerns related to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the US Ambassador postponed a joint field operation in Cambodia that had been scheduled for mid-October. The site to be surveyed involved last known alive cases and had been planned for a long time. Initially postponed until February, the League was pleased to learn that at the request of the Cambodian Government, JTF-FA has now rescheduled this activity for late December.

US SPECIALISTS TO MEET IN HANOI: US officials will meet in Hanoi December 12th for technical talks with their Vietnamese counterparts. BG Steve Redmann, JTF-FA Commander, will lead a team of US representatives from JTF-FA, CILHI, DPMO and Stony Beach.

TALKS HELD IN HANOI ON LKA CASES & UNILATERAL ACTIONS: US specialists were also recently in Hanoi for discussions related to last known alive discrepancy cases and proposed unilateral Vietnamese actions, as well as a joint forensic review. Such discussions have become routine between US officials and representatives of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

USG MEETS ON CASES: US specialists from JTF-FA, CILHI, Stony Beach, LSEL and DPMO will meet this week in Washington for discussions on cases of missing Americans on which new information has been obtained that may impact on a case. Whether acquired through investigation, excavation, survey or any other means, the case coordination process is conducted regularly, but infrequently in an effort to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks in the accounting effort. The general officer board that reviews last known alive cases will also meet this week to discuss a few cases on which evidence reportedly is persuasive that the individual died and should no longer be listed as an LKA discrepancy case. In such cases, the primary next of kin is notified of the decision.

LEAGUE BOARD MEETS WITH NEW DASD: The League Board of Directors met with DASD Jerry Jennings on October 26th and received a briefing on his mid-September trip to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Although board members had met Mr. Jennings in prior years at League annual meetings, the board was encouraged by his grasp of the issue and obvious commitment to intensifying serious efforts.

US-RUSSIAN COMMISSION: Retired Army MG Roland Lajoie, US Chairman of the US-Russian Commission on POW/MIAs, was recently in Russia with a small delegation for discussions with counterpart Russian officials. Commission Executive Secretary Norm Kass and Mr. Russ Thommason, of Senator Bob Smith's staff, accompanied BG Lajoie. It is hoped that their visit will bring renewed emphasis to the Commission's efforts that, in the League's view, offer significant potential for obtaining answers.

NOTES: The League's 33rd Annual Meeting will be held June 19-22, 2002, at the Crystal City DoubleTree Hotel in Arlington, VA. Registration and reservation forms will be available after the first of the year.

POW/MIA car-window decals are available at a cost of $20 per 100 by sending a check to the League.

THE LEAGUE HAS MOVED: The new League office at 1005 North Glebe Road, Suite 170, Arlington, VA 22201.

POW/MIA lapel pins are also available at $3 each or 2/$5.

For added information on any subject, please contact the League's web site at www.pow-miafamilies.org or call the national office at 703-465-7432. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a message.

The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1005 North Glebe Road
Suite 170
Arlington, Virginia 22201
(TEL) 703-465-7432
Federal Tax ID #23-7071242"