NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES
OF AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
1005 NORTH GLEBE ROAD, SUITE 170, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22201
PH (703) 465-7432 www.powmialeague.org FAX (703) 465-7433
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: December 14, 2009
1,724 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,325 (VN-480 VS-835); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 59; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters Ð 7. (These numbers occasionally fluctuate due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented.
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 28, 2009, 1,997 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.25%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.15%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.25%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.84%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 55 (2.75%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 49 (2.45%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-05 06-10 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 5 55
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 December 14, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,724 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *859 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-2001 Clinton Administrations 361
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administrations 105
2009- Barack Obama Administration 5
According to JPAC, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 598 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 229 Americans accounted for in Laos since the end of the war have been the result of joint excavations. Four remains were recovered and turned over by indigenous personnel, one from Vietnam and five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 856* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 598 (653) Laos 229 (235)
China 3 Cambodia 31
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 922. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: November 14, 2009
1,727 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,325 (VN-480 VS-835); Laos Ð 346; Cambodia - 59; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters Ð 7. (These numbers occasionally fluctuate due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented.
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 28, 2009, 1,997 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.25%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.15%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.25%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.84%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 55 (2.75%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 49 (2.45%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-05 06-10 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 5 55
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 November 13, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,727 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *856 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-2001 Clinton Administrations 359
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administrations 104
2009- Barack Obama Administration 5
According to JPAC, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 598 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 226 Americans accounted for in Laos since the end of the war have been the result of joint excavations. Four remains were recovered and turned over by indigenous personnel, one from Vietnam and five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 856* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 598 (653) Laos 226 (232)
China 3 Cambodia 31
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 918. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: October 8, 2009
1,728 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,326 (VN-480 VS-836); Laos Ð 346; Cambodia - 59; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters - 7. (These numbers have changed again due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 28, 2009, 1,997 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.25%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.15%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.25%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.84%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 55 (2.75%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 49 (2.45%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-05 06-10 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 5 55
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 October 7, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,728 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *855 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-2001 Clinton Administrations 359
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administrations 103
2009- Barack Obama Administration 5
According to JPAC, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 597 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 226 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 855* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 597 (652) Laos 226 (232)
China 3 Cambodia 31
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 918. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: September 23, 2009
1,729 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,326 (VN-480 VS-846); Laos Ð 338; Cambodia - 58; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters - 7. (These numbers have changed again due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of July 15, 2009, 1,992 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.49%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.32%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.91%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 50 (2.51%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 44 (2.21%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 50
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 September 23, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,729 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *854 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-2001 Clinton Administrations 359
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administrations 103
2009- Barack Obama Administration 4
According to JPAC, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 596 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 226 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 854* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 596 (651) Laos 226 (232)
China 3 Cambodia 31
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 915. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: September 2, 2009
1,731 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,328 (VN-480 VS-848); Laos Ð 338; Cambodia - 58; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters - 7. (These numbers have changed again due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of July 15, 2009, 1,992 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.49%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.32%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.91%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 50 (2.51%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 44 (2.21%) concern Americans reported in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 50
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 September 2, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,731 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *852 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-2001 Clinton Administrations 359
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administrations 102
2009- Barack Obama Administration 3
According to JPAC, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 594 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 226 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 852* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 594 (649) Laos 226 (232)
China 3 Cambodia 31
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 915. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: May 11, 2009
1,740 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,335 (VN-481 VS-854); Laos Ð 340; Cambodia - 58; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters - 7. (These numbers have changed again due to investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.) 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of May 5, 2009, 1,992 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.49%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.32%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.91%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 50 (2.51%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 44 (2.21%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 50
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 May 5, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,740 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *843 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 264
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 97
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 587 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 224 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 843* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 587 (642) Laos 224 (230)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 906. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: May 1, 2009
1,741 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,334 (VN-479 VS-856); Laos Ð 342; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 May 1, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,741 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *842 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 264
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 96
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 586 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 224 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 842* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 586 (641) Laos 224 (230)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 905. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: March 1, 2009
1,742 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,334 (VN-479 VS-856); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 March 1, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,742 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *841 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 264
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 95
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 586 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 841* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 586 (641) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 900. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: February 2, 2009
1,742 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,334 (VN-479 VS-856); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 February 2, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,742 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *841 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 264
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 95
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 586 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 841* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 586 (641) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 900. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE:
January 2, 2009
1,742 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,334 (VN-479 VS-856); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 2, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,742 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *841 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 258
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 95
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 586 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 841* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 586 (641) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 900. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: December 15, 2008
1,742 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,334 (VN-479 VS-856); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did the Department of State September 7, 2004, July 15, 2005, August 8, 2006 and March 7, 2008. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-08 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 December 15, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,742 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *841 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 258
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 95
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 586 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 841* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 586 (641) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 900. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: November 5, 2008
1,746 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,339 (VN-479 VS-860); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi and Vietnamese PM Dung’s visit to Washington in June, 2008. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet in March 2008, a step the League welcomed. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 November 5, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,746 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *837 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 260
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 95
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 578 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 837* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 582 (639) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 900. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: October 15, 2008
1,750 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,343 (VN-479 VS-864); Laos Ð 343; Cambodia - 57; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 26, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 45 (2.26%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 October 15, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,750 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *833 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 260
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2008 George W. Bush Administration 91
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 578 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 223 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 833* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 578 (635) Laos 223 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 896. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: September 25, 2008
1,749 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,343 (VN-479 VS-864); Laos Ð 342; Cambodia - 56; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 8, 2008, 1,992 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.49%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.32%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.91%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 50 (2.51%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 44 (2.21%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 50
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 September 25, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,749 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *834 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 260
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2006 George W. Bush Administration 92
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 578 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 222 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 834* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 578 (636) Laos 224 (229)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 897. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: September 11, 2008
1,752 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,344 (VN-479 VS-865); Laos Ð 345; Cambodia - 56; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of September 8, 2008, 1,992 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.49%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.32%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.91%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 50 (2.51%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 44 (2.21%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 6 (0.30%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 50 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
36 3 0 1 0 5 5 50
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 September 8, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,752 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *831 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 259
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2006 George W. Bush Administration 90
According to CIL, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 577 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 222 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 831* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 577 (635) Laos 222 (227)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 894. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: August 28, 2008
1,753 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,345 (VN-480 VS-865); Laos Ð 345; Cambodia - 56; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of June 10, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 46 (2.31%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 5 (0.25%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 August 28, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,753 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *830 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 122
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 259
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2006 George W. Bush Administration 89
According to CILHI, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 576 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 222 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 830* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 576 (634) Laos 222 (227)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 891. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: August 4, 2008
1,754 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,345 (VN-479; VS-866); Laos Ð 346; Cambodia - 56; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of June 10, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 46 (2.31%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 5 (0.25%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 August 4, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,754 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *829 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 165
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 121
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 259
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2006 George W. Bush Administration 89
According to CILHI, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 575 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 222 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 829* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 575 (633) Laos 222 (227)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 891. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
For the latest information, call the League’s Office (703) 465-7432 and log onto the League web site: www.pow-miafamilies.org
STATUS OF THE POW/MIA ISSUE: July 4, 2008
1,757 Americans are still listed by DoD as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, though over 450 were at sea/over water losses: Vietnam - 1,348 (VN-479; VS-869); Laos Ð 346; Cambodia - 56; 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 earlier 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 have repeatedly been raised during League Delegations, most recently in September 2006, and have now been raised regularly 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 the vast majority pertain to returned POWs and Americans previously accounted-for, though recent commitments offer promise, if implemented..
Joint field operations in Laos are very productive. Over the years, the Lao regularly increased flexibility and the number of US personnel permitted in-country in an effort to improve field operations. The Lao approved an archival research program, but results thus far have been disappointing. 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 requested during his November 2006 visit to Hanoi. He also certified such to Congress on March 20, 2002, as did Secretary of State Powell September 7, 2004 and Secretary of State Rice July 15, 2005, and August 8, 2006. Research and field activities in Cambodia have received excellent support with a full-time DIA Stony Beach specialist working in 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 recognizes that legislation requiring 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. The Bush Administration also issued the required certification that Vietnam is “fully cooperating in good faith,” but added criteria Vietnam should meet, a step the League welcomed again in March 2008. These included the need to increase unilateral provision of POW/MIA-related documents and records on Americans missing in areas of Laos and Cambodia under wartime Vietnamese control, greater attention to locating and providing information on discrepancy cases, with priority on those last known alive in captivity or in immediate proximity to capture, and the need to locate and repatriate the remains of those who died while in Vietnamese control that can’t be recovered jointly and have not yet been returned. Senior officials from the Departments of State and Defense regularly press Hanoi for increased cooperation.
NATIONAL COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN ELIGIBILITY #10218
POW/MIA STATISTICS
Live Sightings: As of June 10, 2008, 1,993 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,942 (97.44%) have been resolved. 1,341 (67.29%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (2.26%) correlated to wartime sightings of military personnel or pre-1975 sightings of civilians still unaccounted for; 556 (27.90%) were determined to be fabrications. The remaining 51 (2.56%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 46 (2.31%) concern Americans in a captive environment; 5 (0.25%) are non-captive sightings. The years in which these 51 first hand sightings occurred is listed below:
Year Pre-76 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96-00 01-07 Total
37 3 0 1 0 5 5 51
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 July 3, 2008, the Defense POW/MIA Office lists 1,757 Americans as still missing and unaccounted for, 90+% of them in Vietnam or areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese forces operated during the war. A breakdown by year of recovery for the *826 Americans accounted for from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China since the end of the war in 1975 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 164
1989-1992 George H.W. Bush Administration 121
1993-1996 1st Clinton Administration 258
1997-2001 2nd Clinton Administration 94
2001-2006 George W. Bush Administration 88
According to CILHI, unilateral SRV repatriations of remains with scientific evidence of storage have accounted for only 181 of the 572 from Vietnam; two were mistakenly listed as KIA/BNR in Vietnam in 1968, but remains were actually recovered at that time. All but 6 of the 222 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 five from Laos. In addition, three persons identified were recovered in Vietnam before the end of the war. The breakdown by country of the 826* Americans accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975:
Vietnam 572 (630) Laos 222 (227)
China 3 Cambodia 29
*An additional 63 US personnel were accounted between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 889. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
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