Disturbing POW/MIA book

[Punisher05]

Fellow WIXers-

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not trying to kick over an anthill here. I know there are a lot of families that have suffered with knowing their loved ones were POW/MIA in Vietnam for over 30 years now...I just think this might be worth sharing.

I'm about halfway through the graveyard shift at the airport and I've been listening to Coast to Coast AM for the past three hours. They've been talking about American POWs that have been left in Vietnam and Laos for the past three decades.

I should take a second to explain that I'm probably the most closed-minded person you'll meet who is still breathing. With all due respect to other WIX bretheren, I don't believe in little green men, man-made global warming, or the shooter on the grassy knoll .

That being said, what I heard tonight made my hair stand on end.

The premise of the book (written over the past 10 years by former Congressman Bill Hendon and POW family member Elizabeth Stewart) is that the POWs returned in Operation Homecoming were only about half the total number. The other half (estimated to be around 700 or so) were to be returned when the USA paid some $4.7 Billion to North Vietnam. According to their theory, Watergate happened and Nixon reneged on the deal so the remaining 700 have been left in captivity.

I scoffed at first, but the evidence they gave was pretty alarming:

-Boat People HUMINT saying that they have heard US prisoners yelling to them

-Satellite photos showing Escape and Evasion codes cut into rice paddies (including a shot on the cover of the book)

-E & E codes detailing names / ranks of those shot down. One example was a EWO named Sarx who was shot down on Bat 21. If I have that slightly off I'm sorry, it's 3 AM.

-Files found by researchers in Brezhnev's files after the wall fell talking about the movement of US prisoners.

The list goes on. The book is called An Enormous Crime (http://www.enormouscrime.com/) and they said they will post all their research online within the next week or so.

I'm sure some of this info is old hat, but I thought I might pass it on. I'm certainly going to check the book out.

[tom d. friedman]

there has been alot of speculation regarding held p.o.w.s / m.i.a.'s dating back to korea. interesting stuff, & worthy of a look with a magnifying glass. the u.s. govt states that there are 800 thousand g.i.'s listed in either category since ww 2. while not related, a family group is trying to get the military to recover the remains of 4 pbm mariner crewmen who crashed in antartica in 1946. the u.s. govt has put a price tag on their recovery as not feasible. but those poor bastards hung their ass out for this country & payed the ultimate price.

[Bill Greenwood]

Punisher, like you I have no inside knowledge of this. However I am very dubious. Let's put on a little perspective. What are the MIA numbers from Korea vs the POW numbers in Vietnam? I can't recall these figures now, but I saw them some years ago and it was very evident that in a war, especially one fought in remote areas, jungles, mountains, sea, many men were killed and bodies lost or destroyed; not some sinister plot. N Korea held prisoners and they were almost all returned after the war. Why has the Vietnam POW/MIA been made such an issue? Is it because there are vast numbers from this war held/hidden compared to previous wars? I don't think so, I think it is public relations and politics? What is likely the reason for this new book? Most likely just to make money, not much better than the Nat Enqirer type gossip. It could be someone pushing a point of view? Take a look at the background of the author. Is he an established and respected researcher? Is he from some far right group? I don't know but I'd guess the answers to this shed a lot of light. What is the likelyhood that Nixon, a traditonal conservative who drug the war on as long as he could, is suddenly going to break with tradition and agree to ransom prisoners? He never cared about them during the years the war went on and on. And what is Nam's motive now? They want our trade $$$. Those Commies make pretty good capitalists when they see an opportunity, ie China and S. Korea. Nam has cooperated in finding American remains, why risk offending us on this? Some people say the Nam people are forgiving, and don't hold a grudge about the war; it may be true. Lastly this could be legit, but I think it is likely a cruel hoax on the familes of men long since dead. Since I wrote this I realized I may have a good source to reaearch the author. My son worked for a congressman, Anyway, before I even phone him, I will make a far out guess that Bill Hendon is not a neutral source. When I find out I'll post again.

[mennie]

I found more info on this subject with google.
Most about 30 POWs that were almost rescued in 1981. And some about POWs being sent to Russia. I have read about this before from the Korean war time.
But I also found numbers around 700.
There are already books that I found about the missing POWs: Larry J. O'Daniel and his two books, Missing in Action: Trail of Deceit and Trails of Deceit

This is what I have read so far:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/mia.html
http://www.geocities.com/larryjodaniel/1.html

[Punisher05]

Since I wrote this I realized I may have a good source to reaearch the author. My son worked for a congressman, Anyway, before I even phone him, I will make a far out guess that Bill Hendon is not a neutral source. When I find out I'll post again.

Bill-

Please do, I'm certainly interested in what he would find out. Last night he said he was on Regan's committee to look for POWs in the early 80's. Interestingly enough, he said that attempt to find information on them was forestalled by Republicans who were afraid they would end up with another Hostage Crisis on their hands if they pursued it. This time with the Viets holding our POWs for ransom. There were other quals, mostly years spent researching this stuff, but I've forgotten most of it simply because it was so early.

As far as how legitimate this may be, I have no idea. They claimed that the Viets are holding on to them more because "they're stuck with them" than "they want them".

Frankly if it were just based on the story I'd still be skeptical. I am anyway, but I'll probably check the book out. The author said last night that he didn't care if they made money off of it ("Go check it out at the library for all I care"), they just want people to read it.

Again, all to be taken with a grain of salt.

[Bill Greenwood]

My son checked out Bill Hendon, nothing conclusive found. He was a prof at U of Tenn, don't know what subject. He's a Rep from N. Carolina, served one term or maybe 2, was defeated in 2 elections. Worked in the Pentagon on the MIA issue. So there is not a whole to prove my thought on that. I still think it sounds like a phony issue. As I wrote do you see Nixon paying, and why would Nam hold them still? It doesn't ring true. If an author or lawyer etc. only presents one side of an issue it is not hard to sound good.