Since the inception of the various intelligence services, the veil of National Security has been used to protect, in some instances understandably, countless photos, documents, reports, briefs, notes, tapes, places, maps, sources and people. We must accept that at times, in order to protect certain intelligence assets, material must be kept secret. But, unfortunately, the catch phrase National Security, has become a catch all to secrete all but the most mundane or abstract materials, with respect to the issue of America's Prisoners and Missing.

There is no doubt in anyones mind, that in order to preserve the safety of US citizens as a whole, we must accept the clandestine, compartmentalized manner in which the former OSS, CIA, NSA, DIA, DOD, FBI, ONI, NRO, DEFSMAC and COMIREX and the other alphabet soup-group organizations do business. However, when there is no threat to the citizenry or our sovereign shores, what purpose does all this serve? Only to protect those who hide behind the specter of 'National Security.' -#1

The Pentagon, currently oversees approximately 2.75 million active security clearances.-#2 From intelligence Hearings, in 1985 and 1987, we know that there are roughly 13,000 Confidential, 2 to 2.2 million Secret and 454,000 Top Secret level clearances. This includes military, civilian 'GS' level employees as well as defense contractors, consultants, analysts and advisers. A security clearance covers not only the general Classified, Secret and Top Secret categories, but provides for hierarchical or special project -Need To Know- NTK compartmentalized clearances, as well.

A compartmentalized clearance or SCI- Sensitive Compartmented Information- of which there are about 30 categories, features a password, code word or set of alpha-numerics, that permits access to information not available to others without such an NTK or high clearance level. -#3

These clearances are used in the development, control, collection and analysis of signal and communication intercepts, photo-reconnaissance and satellite imagery. And it is precisely in this area that much of the problem in the Prisoner and Missing issue lies.

To fully appreciate the impact that National Security has realized, we must explore its scope. It is inordinately important to have a clear cut understanding of WHAT we are protecting, WHO protects it, and WHY.

What... Assets:

Washington's penchant for classifying virtually everything military, began in earnest prior to World War II. The infant photo-reconnaissance program of 1939, would by wars end, provide refined photo interpretation and target specialization from a virtual air armada. System development, both aeronautics and interceptive, MOS training and interpretive specialties began in back rooms and soon reached a state of the art. The strategic asset provided by reconnaissance, permitted Allied forces to utilize materials and personnel with optimum results. 'Know Your Enemy' had far more depth in meaning than mere poster art propaganda.-#4

The early 1950's, with the intensity of the mounting Cold War, with Korea blazing away, and with the metamorphosis of the OSS into the CIA, saw ever increasing sophistication in surveillance and recon. We had high-tech systems on-line and flying and it was now time to expand on our analytical objectives. Combining our airborne spy network, the relatively new, yet experienced CIA and President Harry S. Truman's paternity of the NSA in 1952, adversarial as well as allied weapons, commo, traffic, transport and development were prime ordinal eavesdropping targets.#5

An open sky attitude prevailed once the spectacular U-2, brainchild of the CIA, took flight in July 1955. With breathtaking details of activities in Cuba and the Soviet Union, the pictures and films found their way daily to the situation room of the White House. However, the season of the spy plane, ruled by the Black Lady, would come crashing down amongst the fuselage of Francis Gary Powers May Day 1960 shoot down by the Soviets over Sverdlosk. Brought down from its lofty perch by an SA-2, the U-2 was added to the growing Cold War shoot down list, another victim of dangerous, deep penetration missions that imperiled air crews. Because of the complex on-board intelligence gathering systems, these losses could no longer be explained away as errant weather reconnaissance missions, or 'balloons.'-#6

With the air breathers in the line of fire while skirting ever improving surface-to-air missiles, it was increasingly difficult and dangerous to venture into adversarial territory, and the political implications potentially devastating. So, it was now time to look toward the heavens. That black oblivion of space was well beyond the range of traditional interceptions such as anti-aircraft and surface-to-air missiles. But, most importantly, it was well beyond the range of the press, politicians and the public.

Beginning in 1954, and aggressively since 1962, the USG became the forerunner of sophisticated, state-of-the-art, Non-Penetrating Intelligence Gathering Systems. With the advent and blessing of the General Operations Regulation No. 80, of March 16, 1955, we were thus able to create a spatial junkyard unrivaled in any science fiction scenario, with an array of antennae, cameras and electronics beyond all imagination.-#7

The CIA, is employer of some of the best and the brightest mathematicians and scientific savants in the country, if not the world, under its Science and Technology Section. It is tasked with the development of sophisticated satellite systems such as Rhyolite, Keyhole, Spot, Aquacade and Big Bird, fro a broad spectrum of intelligence and information collection.-#8

The CIA, based on both its own operational needs and those of other agencies, creates many of the systems and defines its operational parameters. Defense contractors such as Hughes Aircraft, the Lockheed Corporation, TRW Systems Group and General Dynamics build them. The Air Force launches the system into space and the National Reconnaissance Office or NRO, in Sunnydale, California, stage manages the satellite while in orbit. Then, the National Security Agency and the National Photographic Interpretation Center, retrieve and analyze the data. And where does all the information go once it is spit out of gargantuan super-computers at the NSA? Into a code-worded file folder, inside a safe, within a vault, deep within the recesses of our government's serviant intelligence agencies. And that is the problem. The USG has invested countless billions, with estimates over 350 billion, to collect data that no one can see. And much of that data is over 30 years old.-#9

What... Products:

Intercepts, also known as SIGINT and COMINT, allow analysts to understand and determine communications, strategy, troop strength, traffic and enemy troop movements to name a few. With respect to Southeast Asian POWs, the voluminous intercepted exchanges reported that captured individuals were being transported to certain regions, by specific enemy units, along prescribed routes. So proficient at their jobs were the linguists, code-breakers and analysts, and so concise was the intelligence, that the analysts could easily estimate, with a reasonable amount of certainty, precisely what aircraft was lost, over what coordinates and most probably who the Americans were that were now in enemy hands. Coordinating their information and analyses with on-ground intelligence units such as the Special Operations Detachments or SODs, many crash sites were investigated shortly after the loss, and on site reports were then correlated to the intercepts. Some analysts even carried POW-MIAs by name. According to one analyst, less than 4% of the 400+ names he personally carried as probable or known POWs returned during Operation Homecoming in 1973.-#10

Satellite Imagery or PHOTINT, is the product of super high-resolution cameras that are capable of imaging an object only 8"-20.32 cm- in size, from 93 miles in orbit. It also includes infrared and thermal heat detectors for night surveillance and movement tracking, activity discovery as well as camouflage detection from multi-spectral photography, permitting close look detection of both personnel and materiel. From 1968 onward, the United States undeniably had the most sophisticated intercept and imagery systems available, and the finest analysts. Yet, so much of what happened on the other side of the world is a mystery. And not because the USG doesn't know, but because they're not telling.

What is truly intriguing is this...