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Re: NAF: Bits 'N' Pieces
From: POW-MIA InterNetwork
Date: February 10, 2003
"BITS 'N' PIECES
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES
FOR THE RETURN OF AMERICA'S MISSING SERVICEMEN
+ WORLD WAR II + KOREA + COLD WAR + VIETNAM + GULF WAR +
February 8, 2003
The National Alliance of Families extends its deepest sympathy to the families of Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, lost aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.
As We Approach Gulf War II - there is old business from Gulf War I that requires resolution. What Happened to Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher and where is he today? Unlike previous statements, recent statements coming from both Washington D.C. and the U.N. make no mention of the Gulf War Missing/Captured, or any of the Kuwait or other foreign nationals unaccounted for as a result of Gulf War I.
We, at the National Alliance of Families, are deeply concerned over the fate of Capt. Speicher, and the chances of his recovery. Unfortunately, war seems inevitable. Unless Saddam backs down the question of war is not "if" but "when." Another generation of Americans are poised to fight. We offer our prayers for their success and safe return.
Are We Heading For A Confrontation With North Korea - there is old business from the Korean War that also requires resolution. One must remember that in 1996 I.O. Lee, while working for DPMO, prepared an "Information Paper" which stated his belief, based on intelligence reports, that American POWs were still held in North Korea. He referred to a group of "10 - 15 Americans." This figure does not include the 4 listed "deserters."
Mr. Lee concluded his "Information Paper" by stating: "There are too many live sighting reports, specifically observations of several Caucasians in a collective farm by Romanian and North Korean defectors eyewitness of Americans in the DPRK to dismiss that there are no American POWs in North Korea."
Missing/Captured - we purposely used the U.S. governments terminology of "Missing/Captured" when we referred to Capt. Speicher earlier, as the "Gulf War Missing/Captured." Use of that status as required by DOD Directive is no where near as compelling as the phrase "Gulf War POW." That was the intention in changing the directive.
New Book On POWs In Red China - The following comes from former POW Steve Kiba. "At the end of our past wars, many thousands of our fellow American countrymen were indeed left behind, abandoned to a never-ending existence of pain & misery in some far-off, filthy foreign hellhole, & all but forgotten by the very same United States Government that sent them off to fight our vicious, godless enemies."
"On November 10, 1992, I testified before the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs regarding the Caucasian prisoners whom I had seen in Red China, & who, unfortunately, were never repatriated.."
"The gross ignorance of the vast majority of Americans, most notably that of our young people & too many of our educators, regarding this horrible act & their total lack of any knowledge what-so-ever about the Korean War are disgracefully appalling."
"The Flag - My Story: Kidnaped by Red China - reveals & emphasizes this disturbing, chilling message which ALL Americans, most especially our young people, need to hear. With the prospect of war looming ever closer with the passing of each day, it is imperative that our fellow American countrymen know that NOT ALL MIAs/POWs came home from those previous wars, & it is even more imperative that we NEVER AGAIN allow such an horrendous act to happen!"
We're putting "The Flag - My Story: Kidnaped by Red China," by Steve Kiba on our reading list. For more information on this book visit http://www.1stbooks.com
From The Good Guys -- We received the following information from the good folks at the Joint Commission Support Directorate "In an effort to share U.S. documents concerning American Citizens detained in the Gulag, we have contracted with the Library of Congress to create the 'Gulag Study Support Documents Database'. A user friendly database that allows the researcher quick access to a wide range of Gulag related documents. This database is designed to support ALL Gulag Research; a key part to this database will be the availability of WRINGER reports. NOTE: This is just the beginning; we will include hundreds more documents in the database over the course of the next year! LOC Gulag Database: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/tfr/tfrhome.html
Check It Out, We Did - We've checked out the new Library of Congress site housing JCSD documents, including the Wringer Report and supporting documents for the Gulag Site. Unlike the Vietnam POW/MIA Database, which only give a brief summary of the document, the JCSD site allows access to the full document. Downloading is easy, for off line reading. This site is a valuable source of information and well worth the time.
Was There A Second Tier Prisoner System in Vietnam - The Vietnamese admitted to holding Navy pilot Clemmie McKinney. Yet, no returned POW reported him in their prison system. The Vietnamese say they captured McKinney in April 1972 and held him until his death in November 1972. Forensic evidence indicates that McKinney died "no earlier than 1975."
The most important point here is that McKinney was held, out of the normal prison system. Who else was held in that Second Tier System? One possibility is Air Force Pilot Cleveland Harris. We first told you about Cleveland Harris on Sept. 26, 1998.
At that time we used this case to illustrate a major effort, during the mid- 70's, to reevaluate intelligence reports originally correlated to unaccounted for POW/MIAs and correlate them to accounted for POWs. This reevaluation of real time anyalsis helped to eliminate evidence of incident survival and possible capture for many servicemen. One such report originally correlated to Cleveland Harris described the capture of an American Pilot. (For full details see Bits Sept. 26, 1998.) Harris, along with Crossley J. Fitton, were shot down February 28, 1968.
On September 26th, 1974 the following information was reported to U.S. Military Interrogation Division. The report was prepared by the Liaison Officer and the approving authority was the Chief of the Collection and Liaison Section.
"...Five min later, source then went to crash site where he observed a group of armed Militia surrounding wreckage of Acft whose nose was deeply buried in the ground. He learned from Villagers at the scene that the pilot had bailed out and landed in VIC WJ972026 where he tried to hide in nearby brush, but was spotted by a villager. The pilot fired on the villager who fled for help. Approx five min later, local militiamen arrived and captured the pilot. The villager was so angry at the pilot that he beat him with a wooden stick. The Militiamen then intervened and asked the villager to stop beating the pilot who was taken to a Match Factory in Tan Chau (V), Khoai Chjua (D) Hai Hung (P). "
"Source then went to the factory where he observed the pilot sitting on ground dressed in local grey pants and shirt, and blindfolded with his arms and legs tied. Source also observed blood on PW's face but didn't notice a wound. One hour later, a district secty agent armed with a K-54 pistol arrived at scene by three wheeled motorcycle and talked to PW in English."
"Source could not understand conversation, as he did not know English. A moment later, a jeep carrying seven armed scty agents from Khoai Chau (D) unit arrived at the site and ordered the crowd to disperse for fear that other US ACFT might return to rescue downed pilot. After the crowd dispersed, the pilot was taken toward Hanoi by Jeep (NFI)."
"Source observed PW for approx one hr. form distance of 10M and provided fol limited description: Name: Unk, Rank and Branch of SVC: Unk, Nationality: American, Height: 5ft 7in, Weight: 165 lbs, Hair: Light Brown Short Wavy, Eyes: Light Brown, Race: Caucasian, Complexion: Light, Nose: Long Crocked, Build: Heavy, Age: Approx 23 yrs, Face: Long, Forehead: Straight Hair Line, Cheekbones: Normal, Chin: Long, Eyebrows: Blond, Footwear: Barefoot, Clothing Worn: NVN Grey Peasant Clothing, Health Condition: Good."
Based on the above information, the following comments were added to this report. "Records this office reflect that on 29 Feb 1968 Pers [data] flying an F-105F was downed Vic 205300N, 1054600E and is listed MIA. Source claimed he was unable to identify PW from Photo Album because incident took place so long ago."
On Oct. 23, 1974, a Defense Information Report stated - "PW observed by source was probably Lt. W.D. Key, USN (returnee) downed in this vicinity on 17 Nov 67. Key attempted to hide in a clump of trees, but the local civilians and militia quickly located his hiding place. However, contrary to sources comment that PW fired upon villager, Lt. Key, according to his debrief, did not use his weapon. Key generally fits the description provided by source 5'6" 153 lbs.; brown hair hazel eyes and was 27 years old at date of shootdown. Harris was shotdown on February 29, 1968. Key was shotdown November 17, 1967. Source reported incident as "approx June 68."
We contacted former POW Wilson Key, in September 1998, with the help of the POW Network. In response to an e-mail request for confirmation that he was the POW described, by the above intel report, Mr. Key wrote "The shootdown story is not mine. Some of the events are similar to mine, but I did not shoot my pistol, and I did not get beaten bloody. Also, I was not taken to a match factory. GBU, Denver Key"
We don't know if Cleveland Harris died as a result of the beating at the match factory, but if he did die from that beating he died in the custody of the North Vietnamese government, and therefore died in captivity. Yet, he was never listed as died in captivity. If he survived the beating, he was held by the Vietnamese at an unknown location, as a POW, and died at that location, as a POW.
We do not know how Crossley Fitton came into Vietnamese custody. We do know that the Vietnamese "found" and returned his remains in December 21, 1975. At the time we first wrote about Cleveland Harris, we had no information other than the fact that his remains were returned by unilateral repatriation on March 20th, 1985.
During one of our many research trips to the Library of Congress, we located a memo from the Dept. of the Army, United States Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii, dated 28 July 1987. The memo was in direct response to questions submitted by General Vessey. The subject of the information paper attached was "Earth Burial vs Above Ground Storage of Identified Remains Repatriated from the SRV 1981 thru 1986."
The purpose of the information paper was: "To provide the CILHI judgement on how each of the Subjects remains were "maintained" during the interval between death and repatriation." The information paper goes on to list the criteria used in determining an "earth burial," "above ground storage" or a "combination of earth burial and warehousing."
Among those listed, as warehoused, is Cleveland Harris, man, both alive and dead, in the hands of the enemy. The only question is, how long was he alive, and where was he held?
Guess Who Signed The Memo - If it took you more than one guess, you're not reading your Bits.
Why Does Johnie Webb Still Have A Job??
Blast From The Past - From Bits N Pieces, August 16, 1997.
"Lt. Gilbert L. Ashley Jr.-- ABANDONED === Lt. John P. Shaddick -------- ABANDONED
Lt. Arthur R. Olsen, ------- ABANDONED === Lt. Harold P. Turner -------- ABANDONED
Capt. Harold M. Beardall, ABANDONED === Maj. Kassel M. Keene,------- ABANDONED>
Airman Hidemaro Ishida, -------- ABANDONED
According to a recently declassified report, the servicemen listed at the beginning of this Bits 'N' Pieces were thought to be alive in enemy hands at the conclusion of the Korean War. The following is excerpted from an Associated Press Article, dated August 5th, 1997, by Robert Burns:
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Air Force had indications that dozens of missing American airmen were alive in Chinese or North Korean prisons two years after the Korean War, according to a newly declassified report. The report provides new details about how many men were left behind -- even after the exchange of prisoners -- and who these Americans were. It also describes a dramatic failed attempt to rescue five members of a B-29 bomber crew shot down six months before the war ended in July 1953...."
"The report, labeled "secret," said the five "were known to be alive in communist hands as of the close of the Korean conflict." The five never returned. Their names -- and most of the others mentioned in the newly released Air Force intelligence report -- are on a Defense Department list of 389 men from all services who are unaccounted for from the war and about whom the U.S. government believes China or North Korea had information. Both China and North Korea maintain they withheld no American POWs from the war...."
"China took control of the prisoner-of-war camps in North Korea in 1951, and in some cases transferred U.S. POWs to China for interrogations. Compelling but unsubstantiated reports have emerged in recent months suggesting a small number of U.S. servicemen from the war may still be in North Korea. For the first time since the end of the war, North Korea has begun addressing the issue...."
"The declassified Air Force report, dated Oct. 19, 1955, and prepared by the Escape and Evasion Section of the 6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron, offers no proof that any of the 137 men it mentions were still alive then; most of the cases were based on sketchy information from repatriated POWs, enemy propaganda broadcasts and intelligence sources in North Korea...."
"The strongest statement in the report pertains to the case of the five B-29 crew members: 1st Lt. Gilbert L. Ashley Jr., Airman 2nd Class Hidemaro Ishida, 1st Lt. Arthur R. Olsen, 2nd Lt. John P. Shaddick and 1st Lt. Harold P. Turner. Their B-29 was shot down about 10 miles south of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Jan. 29, 1953...."
"Although the site was behind enemy lines, a rescue attempt was made on May 24. It failed. The pilot of the rescue plane made radio contact with Ashley on the ground as they prepared to pinpoint the airmen's location and arrange a "snatch" pickup in which a harness and cord dropped to the men would be hooked by a cable extended from the rescue aircraft, allowing the men to be reeled in to safety. "The pilot reported that the voice was definitely that of the American who had previously been identified as Lieutenant Ashley," the report said. It said the rescue plane was damaged by machine gun fire, forcing them to abort the mission."
"Ashley and four crew members (Turner, Olsen, Shaddick and Ishida) were known to be alive in communist hands as of the close of the Korean conflict, July '53," the report said. It does not say how the Air Force knew this.
In his book "Soldiers of Misfortune," journalist Mark Sauter wrote that U.S. intelligence officials received a message, apparently from Ashley's North Korean captors, that was interpreted as confirmation the five were alive as of Aug. 4, 1953....
"The Air Force report also describes the case of Capt. Harold M. Beardall, who went down in North Korea aboard a B-26 bomber on May 21, 1951. It mentions several sightings of Beardall by other American POWs months after the shootdown. Beardall was said to have been "held separately from other Air Force" POWs in North Korea. His name was on Chinese hospital records of officers who were interrogated, it said. "Names of this type we feel are alive," the report says.
An unidentified source is quoted in the report as saying Beardall was tried as a war criminal, apparently by the Chinese. Such "trials" were held for many U.S. officers, and their "convictions" used as grounds for refusing to repatriate them.
>Maj. Kassel M. Keene, for example, who went missing on Nov. 19, 1951, was said to have been sentenced in July 1953 for assaulting a fellow prisoner. "According to the sentence, he was not to be effected (sic) by repatriation," the report said. Some men listed in the Air Force intelligence report were described as having been seen by other American POWs at Kaesong, North Korea, where U.N. prisoners were taken in preparation to be repatriated shortly after the end of the war.
The National Alliance Of Families Fourteenth Annual Forum is scheduled for June 26th - 28th, 2003. Our forum is conducted to coincide with the Governments annual POW/MIA Family Briefings. We urge all family members to attend this years government briefings, for Vietnam family members. The government will provide free airfare to two family members to attend the briefings. There is no charge or registration fee to attend the government briefings.
We are working on a hotel and will let you know where this year's meeting will be held, as soon as possible.
The Alliance is an all volunteer organization. Our meetings are open to all, without charge. At this time of year, we actively seek contributions to finance our forum. If you wish to contribute, donations may be mailed to:
National Alliance Of Families
P.O. Box 40327
Bellevue, Wa. 98015
Contact us here!
DOLORES ALFOND - National Chairperson
(dolores@nationalalliance.org)
425-881-1499
LYNN O'SHEA - Director of Research
(lynn@nationalalliance.org)
718-846-4350"
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