News-Info-Alerts

Re: NLF Update

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: October 22, 2003

"Update Line
POW/MIAs - VIETNAM WAR: According to the Department of Defense, there are now 1,875 Americans missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, 1,429 in Vietnam, 383 in Laos, 55 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Over 90% of all Americans missing from the Vietnam War were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Hanoi's wartime control.

SRV DEFENSE MINISTER TO VISIT WASHINGTON: Although specifics are not yet available, the Vietnamese Minister of Defense is reportedly visiting Washington in mid-November for talks with the US Secretaries of State and Defense, as well as other US officials. POW/MIA accounting efforts will high on the list of subjects to be discussed, and the League is hopeful that agreement will be announced on use of a US Navy Salvage vessel to map, then excavate, aircraft crash sites along the coast of northern Vietnam where many US personnel were lost.

SRV FOREIGN MINISTER OFFERS ASSURANCES OF INCREASED COOPERATION: Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien visited Washington, DC, and Honolulu, HI, last week. In DC he met with Secretary of State Colin Powell. In HI, he met with Commander of US Pacific Command Admiral Tom Fargo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/MIA Affairs Jerry Jennings, BG (P) Que Winfield, USA, new Commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths. While meeting with JPAC and the League, Foreign Minister Nien pledged full cooperation on the Jennings-proposed archival research initiative, suggested expediting collection of relevant intelligence information from knowledgeable sources due to their advancing age, and offered support for resolving cases along Vietnam's coastline, raising use of a US Navy salvage vessel for this purpose. If implemented, these pledges offer great potential and were warmly received.

US HOSTING FOUR-PARTY TALKS IN BANGKOK: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/MIA Affairs Jerry Jennings is hosting POW/MIA consultations in Bangkok later this week to promote solutions to problems that continue to exist. The purpose is to generate useful discussions among all participants on archival research, access to witnesses for interviews, facilitating trilateral cooperation that lead to increased results on POW/MIA accounting. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia will each send delegations to meet with US officials. Jennings will be joined by the leader of the new Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, BG Que Winfield, USA, and scores of lower level US officials.

DASD MEETS IN MOSCOW WITH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS: DASD Jennings visited Moscow in mid-September for discussions with Russian officials of the bilateral Commission on POW/MIA Affairs. In addition to visiting military archives and promoting release of additional Korean War records, the US is seeking further movement on declassification of Vietnam War archives that may relate to US POW/MIAs. This was the principle subject of League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths' visit last December with former Prime Minister and KGB Chief Yevgeny Primakov. Russian responsiveness to the US on POW/MIA matters, in particular to DPMO's Moscow-based specialists, is increasing and encouraging.

JPAC NOW OPERATIONAL: As directed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, the personnel of the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI) and the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) merged on October 1st and became the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC. Admiral Tom Fargo, Commander of the US Pacific Command (PACOM), officiated at the activation ceremony held at the new PACOM headquarters at Camp Smith, HI. DASD Jennings and the League Executive Director attended representing the Defense Department and the POW/MIA families. This merger, in the works for nearly 18 months, offers promise for improved accounting efforts. The League is reassured on two primary concerns - full integration and use of DIA's Stony Beach Team of specialists and integrity of the CIL identification process - but will be closely monitoring all aspects of JPAC's operations.

FIELD OPERATIONS: Approximately 100 US team members from the new JPAC have deployed to Vietnam to conduct recoveries and work with DIA's Stony Beach team to interview sources of POW/MIA-related information. During these operations, PACOM Commander ADM Fargo will visit Vietnam, as will a Congressional Delegation.

LEAGUE REGIONAL MEETING TO BE HELD: A Region II meeting will be held this Saturday, October 25th, at NAS Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, near Philadelphia, PA. Family members and veteran leaders in DC, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD and VA were invited to hear US Government and League briefings on the issue. Call 703-465-7432 for info.

POW/MIA decals for windows are $20 per 100, and POW/MIA lapel pins are $3 each or 2/$5, by sending a check to the League office. For added information on any subject, please log onto the League's web site, www.pow-miafamilies.org, or call the national office at 703-465-7432.

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"