THE SEARCH FOR AMERICA'S POWS
     A Bill Dumas Film: Featuring: Bob Dumas, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John McCain, Rep. Bob Dornan, Sen. Bob Smith, Joseph Douglass, Jr., James Lucier, Helie Lee, and more. Narrated by Ed Asner.
     As your POW-MIA State Chair, Ed Mentz, Sr., highly recommends the DVD format of this film. As Paul Harvey may say, "Now we know the rest of the story." After viewing you are free to make your own conclusions. It is time the public hears the POW family side of the story. This should be a must see film for all Veterans, their families, and the public. The DVD will be introduced at the POW tier for February. Request the full version be allowed for showing at the dinner (viewing time just over one hr. plus extra scenes). Click Here to order your copies.

VIETNAM WAR REMAINS RETURNED
     On October 18, an AP release out of Hanoi stated, The remains of five Americans killed during the Vietnam War were handed over to US authorities on Monday for repatriation and identification, the US embassy in Vietnam said. Until identified, the article should have stated that these remains may be those of U.S. personnel previously missing and/or unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The flag-draped “transfer cases” (portable caskets) were flown to Hickam AFB, HI, where JPAC/CIL will begin the ID process. The remains were recovered by JPAC, working with counterpart officials in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Over 90% of all Americans missing from the Vietnam War were lost in Vietnam itself, or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Hanoi’s wartime control.
     The article cited Vietnam’s June 2004 agreement to open up its national archives to help US efforts to account for its missing in action. Vietnam has repeatedly agreed to provide access to archives, and then failed to implement commitments for joint access. Most importantly, they failed to take actions on their own to provide archival records to US officials. The article also cited Vietnam’s late July agreement to allow US search teams access to their sensitive Central Highlands region after a three-year hiatus due to local unrest. The League welcomed this agreement and was encouraged, but later working-level talks found Vietnam backing away from, or at least postponing, implementation. Local Vietnamese officials reportedly were willing to quickly begin working with US specialists in these areas, but Hanoi-based officials put the brakes on access by US teams, indicating it was too soon. This is a familiar pattern: reach agreement; announce it; get US commendation; pocket it; back off; then start the step-by-step negotiations to implement.

MEASURING VIETNAM'S COOPERATION
     On September 7, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell issued the determination required by Public Law No. 108-199, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004. In addition to the language required by Congress certifying that Vietnam is fully cooperating in good faith (or the relationship would revert to the 1994, pre-normalization level), the 2004 determination stated: As we look to further strengthen cooperation, I look forward to Vietnam's implementation of its June 2004 commitment to increase U.S. access to POW/MIA-related information in its archives. I also urge Vietnam to improve tangibly its unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records, focused initially on archival data pertaining to Americans captured, missing or killed in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control. Vietnam should also focus greater attention on locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and to locating and repatriating the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that have not yet been returned. This determination provides crucial reinforcement of President Bush's March 20, 2002, certification defining the need for unilateral actions by Vietnam that, if taken, might actually be viewed as fully cooperating in good faith.

LEAGUE MEETS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE
     On September 14, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, League Executive Director Ann Mills Griffiths, Treasurer/Board Member Karen J. McManus and Policy Adviser Richard T. Childress met with Secretary of State Colin Powell. The purpose was to review the level of cooperation with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and to reinforce constructive efforts of the US-Russian Commission on POW/MIAs and its support staff, the Joint Commission Support Directorate (JCSD).

U.S.-RUSSIAN COMMISSION PUSHES AHEAD
     In October, a US delegation visited Moscow to meet with senior Russian officials and try to boost high level focus on and support for the work of this important Commission. Senior Russian official support has dwindled, thus Russian staff involvement has been reduced to nil; however, the US, especially Congressional leadership, is remiss as well. The highly qualified US support base, the Joint Commission Support Directorate (JCSD) is willing and able, but two US Senators and one US House Member (D) are urgently needed to fill Congressional seats on the US side. The League believes that this time the appointees must be committed and active, not absent. Since former Senator Bob Smith’s (R-N) departure, the one active Congressional member has been and is Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), a returned Vietnam War POW.

ARCHIVAL RESEARCH PROGRAM KICKS OFF WITH LAOS
     DPMO and DIA’s Stony Beach personnel recently began a training program for Lao officials to implement a multi-ministry program. Led by DPMO’s senior Lao analyst Dian Corneliussen-James, LtCol, USAF (Ret), the U.S. provided Lao specialists with specific information and training needed to ensure the best prospect for achieving the desired results. The training session followed POW/MIA consultations held in Vientiane October 7-8. The archival research program will proceed under DPMO’s guidance, with support from Stony Beach. The League looks forward to results from this well-developed initiative, but recognizes that archival records on nearly 85% of US losses in Vietnamese-controlled areas of Laos would more logically be available from Vietnam. In addition, Lao documents were removed from Vientiane and taken to Hanoi “for safe-keeping” and Hanoi has not yet returned them to the Lao Government, unless there was a breakthrough over the last week. Vietnam has repeatedly agreed to an archival research initiative, but still has not authorized release of incident-specific records on US losses in Laos or Cambodia. This obstruction continues despite the President's and Secretary Powell’s outline of actions needed. DPMO needs to make a solid case for unilateral Vietnamese provision of records believed to be available, especially on LKA cases in all three Indochina countries.

JPAC REVIEWING SUPPORT FOR UNILATERAL SRV EFFORTS
     JPAC is now conducting a top-down review of existing agreements on US support for unilateral SRV actions. The League has long called for such a review and been critical of the "unilateral process" implemented by JTF-FA, with support from DPMO. The League would welcome a decision by Vietnam to unilaterally respond to the President's call for specific actions to provide relevant records and locate and return remains that can't be recovered jointly in the field. (The League does not appreciate or accept attempts by US officials, current or former, to re-define joint field operations as unilateral actions by Vietnam. Common sense is that leads provided by the US that are investigated by Vietnamese officials are, by definition, joint operations. Yet, in an effort to demonstrate greater SRV cooperation, former US officials incrementally changed the definition of "unilateral" to the point that today, few involved in field operations even know the difference between the two, and no one was correcting the record. That record needs to be clear.

U.S. OFFICIALS SURVEY SRV VESSELS
     In early October, U.S. Navy specialists from the US Pacific Command (PACOM) and JPAC and DPMO officials participated in an effort with the Vietnamese Navy and central government authorities to find common ground and reach agreement on a safe and effective method for underwater surveys and recoveries of U.S. incidents along the coast of Vietnam. Despite assurances by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense during visits to the U.S. in 2003, the Vietnamese Government is now balking about using US Navy vessels, insisting on the use of its own ships, augmented by US personnel and equipment. This method was previously tried with nearly disastrous results, and all know that it is NOT the safest nor most efficient or effective way to proceed.

STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE
     1,842 Americans are still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,403 (VN-490; VS-913); Laos – 377; Cambodia - 55; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters - 7. The League seeks the return of all US prisoners, the fullest possible accounting for those still missing and repatriation of all recoverable remains.
     The League’s highest priority is accounting for Americans last known alive. Official intelligence indicates that Americans known to be in captivity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were not returned at the end of the war. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that these Americans may still be alive. As a policy, the U.S. Government does not rule out the possibility that Americans could still be held.
     Unilateral return of remains by the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) has been proven an effective means of obtaining accountability, as have joint field operations in recent years, though the first joint excavation in northern Vietnam occurred in 1985. A comprehensive wartime and post-war process was established by Vietnam to collect and retain information and remains; thus, unilateral efforts by Vietnam to locate and return remains and provide records continue to offer significant potential. Hanoi’s recent commitments to expedite interviews to obtain intelligence information and move forward on coastline cases, including working out a bilateral agreement for use of a US recovery ship, are welcome and appreciated. These topics were stressed during the League Delegation in February 2003 and have now been raised by US officials at the highest levels. Archival research, also a high priority with Vietnam, has produced thousands of documents and photos, but to date all except 1+% pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for.
     Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the year, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. Recently, the Lao approved an archival research program that will begin implementation this summer. Agreements between the U.S. and the Indochina governments now permit Vietnamese witnesses to participate in joint operations in Laos and Cambodia when necessary, but it is a time-consuming, expensive process that could be at least partially alleviated with a decision in Hanoi to unilaterally provide relevant documents, as President Bush stipulated in his certification to Congress, March 20, 2002, and Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004. POW/MIA research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support, including a full-time DIA Stony Beach representative working out of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.. Over 80% of US losses in Laos and 90% in Cambodia occurred in areas where Vietnam's forces operated during the war, but Hanoi has not responded to countless US requests for case-specific records on our losses in these countries. Records research and field operations are the most likely means of increased accounting for Americans missing in Laos and Cambodia.
     U.S. intelligence and other evidence indicate that many Americans can be accounted for by unilateral Vietnamese efforts to locate and return remains and provide relevant documents and records. Despite this reality, President Clinton regularly certified to Congress that Vietnam was “fully cooperating in good faith” to resolve this issue. The League disagrees, but recognizes that legislation requiring the certification includes punitive measures that would reverse political and economic relations to the level in place in 1994. The League supported steps by the US to respond to concrete results, not advancing political and economic concessions in the hope that Hanoi would respond. The Clinton administration lifted the trade embargo, established the US Embassy in Hanoi, normalized diplomatic relations, posted a US Ambassador to Vietnam, signed a bilateral trade agreement and established normal trade relations. President George W. Bush also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added language to outline steps Vietnam should take to improve cooperation, stating: “As we look to further strengthen cooperation, Vietnam's unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records should be improved, focused initially on archival data pertaining to Americans captured, missing, or killed in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control. Vietnam should also focus greater attention on locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and to locating and repatriating the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for answers

POW/MIA STATISTICS
     Live Sighting statistics are provided by the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO)
     Live Sightings: As of September 29, 2004, 1,956 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (99.28%) have been resolved. 1,341 (68.56%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.30%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (28.43%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 14 (0.72%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 13 (0.66%) concern Americans sighted in a captive environment; 1 (0.05%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 14 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:

Year	Pre-76	76-80	81-85	86-90	91-95	96-2000	01-05	Total
	11	2	0	0	0	0	1	14

     Accountability: At the end of the Vietnam War, there reportedly were 2,583 unaccounted for American prisoners, missing or killed in action/body not recovered. As of January 13, 2005, there are 1,843 Americans are still so listed by the Defense Department, over 90% of them in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the 741 Americans now accounted for follows:

1965-1974	War years: (recently identified)	2
1974-1975	Post war years:	28
1976-1978	US/SRV normalization negotiations:	47
1979-1980	US/SRV talks break down:	1
1981-1984	1st Reagan Administration	23
1985-1988	2nd Reagan Administration	157
1989-1992	George H.W. Bush Administration	115
1993-1996	1st Clinton Administration	252
1997-2001	2nd Clinton Administration	78
2001-2004	George W. Bush Administration	38

     According to CILHI, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 177 of the 518 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 3 of the 192 Americans accounted for in Laos have been the result of joint excavations. Four remains were recovered and turned over by indigenous personnel, one from Vietnam and three from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 741 Americans accounted for from the Vietnam War:

• Vietnam — 518 *
• Laos — 192 *
• China — 3
• Cambodia — 28