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National League of Families [of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia] 7/24/92 [OA 5810]
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National League of Families [of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia] 7/24/92 [OA 5810]
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MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13632
Folder ID Number:
13632-007
Folder Title:
National League of Families [of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia] 7/24/92 [OA 5810]
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26
18
3
5
1310
July 23 / Administration of George Bush, 1992
agency. With your help, we can reach our
Colombia in their valiant fight against these
goal.
violent international criminal organizations.
George Bush
We will continue that support and coopera-
tion, especially to strengthen the Colombian
The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
judicial system.
Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of the Army, the Acting Secretary
of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force,
the Attorney General, the Secretary of the
Remarks to the National League
Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the
of Families of American Prisoners
Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of
and Missing in Southeast Asia
Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human
in Arlington, Virginia
Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, the Secretary of
July 24, 1992
Transportation, the Secretary of Energy, the
Thank you all. Sue, thank you very much.
Secretary of Education, the Secretary of
And Ann, I'm just glad to be back with you
Veterans Affairs, the Administrator of the
and this organization. To members of the
Environmental Protection Agency, the
board, my respects; to the family, friends.
Administrator of General Services, the
Let me first start off by saluting two
Administrator of the National Aeronautics
former NSC hands, Bud McFarland and
and Space Administration, the Administrator
Dick Childress over here who have worked
of the Small Business Administration, the
very hard on all of this, and also the chairman
Director of the United States Information
emeritus, George Brooks.
Agency, the Chairman of the Postal Rate
Let me begin by thanking you for the op-
Commission, the Director of the Institute of
portunity to speak again to what has got to
Museum Services, the Chairman of the
be one of the bravest and most dedicated
Council on Environmental Quality, the
groups of Americans in this country.
Acting Director of the Office of Policy
We live in a marvelous time, a time of tre-
Development, the Director of the Office of
mendous opportunity. We've seen the end
Management and Budget, the Director of the
of the cold war and the collapse of imperial
Office of Science and Technology Policy
communism and a new birth of freedom
from Moscow to Managua. America's cour-
age, America's vision, America's values have
indeed changed the world.
Statement by Press Secretary
And yes, the cold war may be over, but
Fitzwater on the Escape of Pablo
the noble cause that took your fathers, your
Escobar
sons, and your husbands away from home is
July 23, 1992
with us still. Our work must not end and will
not end until you have answers about your
Pablo Escobar escaped from prison when
loved ones.
Colombian authorities attempted to move
Over the past 20 years, the National
him to a more secure facility. This is unfortu-
League of Families has seen the issue of your
nate at a time when President Gaviria was
missing swept up in international or domestic
trying to control the prison and put an end
politics, manipulated by foreign govern-
to Escobar's criminal activities. Escobar and
ments, exploited by con men, sensationalized
his ilk represent a threat to law-abiding, civ-
by the media. All that time, you never lost
ilized societies throughout the hemisphere,
sight of what you were looking for: good faith,
and they must be brought to justice.
an honest effort to resolve your uncertainty,
This incident underlines the difficulties le-
to find answers to the agonizing question that
gitimate governments have in halting drug
you live with every day.
trafficking and placing drug traffickers before
Sometimes you may have wondered
the bar of justice. We have strongly sup-
whether your Government had forgotten
ported President Gaviria and the people of
you. When President Reagan and I took of-
George Bush, 1992
Administration of George Bush, 1992 / July 24
1311
fight against these
fice in '81, we made your ordeal our top pri-
I would say this: To suggest that a Com-
tinal organizations.
ority. We knew that with all the uncertainties
mander in Chief that led this country into
oport and coopera-
you live with, the one thing you should be
its most successful recent effort would con-
hen the Colombian
sure of is that your Government really cares.
done for one single day the personal knowl-
You're talking to a person that was shot
edge of a person held against his will, wheth-
down himself in combat. Fortunately, I
er it's here or anyplace else, is simply totally
wasn't taken prisoner, but I was shot down
unfair. Now, to say I understand the agony
in combat. I understand a little bit what that
that I've reheard here today is true. I do.
nal League
means. I understand what it means. And so
But I do not like the suggestion that any
an Prisoners
we set out to meet with you to ask your ad-
American anywhere would know of a live
east Asia
vice.
American being held somewhere against his
When we took office, no policy-level nego-
will, whether it's here or the allegation being
tiations with Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia
over in the other part of the world. Iran, the
had been held for several years. Despite the
suggestion was made that we left people
ank you very much.
fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam
being prisoner in Iran so to win an election.
0 be back with you
implied recognition, despite the fears of oth-
Now, what kind of an allegation is that to
o members of the
ers that the POW-MIA issue was a cold war
make against a patriot? What kind to make
family, friends.
fantasy, we took your advice and entered into
against-it is not.
ff by saluting two
high-level negotiations.
So I would simply say to you: I care about
id McFarland and
When we took office, some saw this issue
it. We are trying, and we're going to continue
e who have worked
as a matter between this Nation and Viet-
to try. And I understand the divisions here.
d also the chairman
nam, not part of the broader relations be-
I understand the divisions we hear in these
tween the U.S. and the Soviets, China, and
hearings. I understand the agony that people
sing you for the op-
our friends in ASEAN, the ASEAN coun-
feel. But I would also like to ask that you
to what has got to
tries. We took your advice and urged our
understand where I'm coming from on this
and most dedicated
friends as well as our adversaries to help us
issue. I think most of you do. I'm going to
is country.
find the answers.
continue to try.
time, a time of tre-
Let me add that I am gratified to hear the
We talked about Presidential commissions
Ve've seen the end
ASEAN ambassadors are here today. I salute
and congressional committees indicating that
collapse of imperial
them over there. They are cooperating with
they felt Vietnam had done all it could, and
V birth of freedom
us. Their countries deserve credit for their
once again, we took your advice. We refused
ua. America's cour-
understanding, for their help, and for their
to accept the fact that the book was closed.
merica's values have
fellowship with you, the families.
It's no secret to any of you that for many
d.
Most important of all, when we took office,
years now, significant lobbying has taken
ar may be over, but
we came up against a string of official
place in opposition to this policy. Some of
,k your fathers, your
it comes from those same voices we've heard
statements
away from home is
since the seventies, people who want us to
must not end and will
[At this point, there was a disruption in the
pretend Vietnam never happened. Some
answers about your
audience.]
comes from people who seek to smooth over
No, no, no, this is very emotional, under-
sticking points that stand in the way of com-
vears, the National
standably emotional.
mercial opportunities. Others say, "Look, the
een the issue of your
The thing that I would say to you, how-
war is over. Let's move on." And that is
national or domestic
ever, as a veteran, and one who still wears
something we can and will never say. Now,
by foreign govern-
my Navy wings from time to time is, I hope
for us, the POW-MIA issue is not a sticking
men, sensationalized
you understand how I feel about patriotism,
point, not some bad dream we shake off, not
time, you never lost
about service to my country. And I will put
a footnote from a forgotten time we can sim-
oking for: good faith,
my record up against anybody here.
ply ignore.
Ive your uncertainty,
The POW-MIA issue is something entirely
onizing question that
[At this point, there was a disruption in the
different, something more. This I want you
audience.]
to understand: It is a question of justice, of
ay have wondered
And I just-would you please be quiet and
oaths sworn, of commitments kept, and a na-
ment had forgotten
let me finish. Would you please shut up and
tion's test of its own worth measured in the
leagan and I took of-
sit down.
life of one, lone individual. This we know:
1312
July 24 / Administration of George Bush, 1992
The wounds won't heal, the American family
warded until just recently. The
U.N.-spon-
will not be whole, as I said earlier, so long
sored settlement plan in Cambodia, the his-
as the brave men remain missing.
toric changes in the lands that used to be
In my Inaugural Address as President, I
the Soviet Union, have opened the way for
did say that "goodwill begets goodwill." In
unprecedented access. We will push hard to
the spirit of that statement, we developed a
translate this access into answers.
detailed road map for Vietnam, a road map
I know you've lived through hopes and
that addresses our objectives as well as that
then hopes dashed before. Unfortunately,
Government's desire in terms of diplomatic
and it breaks my heart to see this happen,
and economic relations with the United
we have seen false reporting. I think we
States.
would all agree there have been some scam
Let me be very clear: Without further
operations that divert manpower and sap our
positive movement on the POW's and MIA's,
resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty
we cannot and will not continue to move for-
of those who would exploit that issue for per-
ward with Hanoi.
sonal gain.
Now, the other side of this is where they
Nevertheless, we are determined not to
have moved, we've responded. When the
allow such incidents to discourage us. We're
Government of Vietnam pledged greater co-
going to continue to pursue and openly re-
operation, including field operations, we
ceive information from all sources and con-
greatly increased our manpower, even
tinue to treat each report, every report, as
opened a permanent office in Hanoi. While
the breakthrough that just might end the or-
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint
deal of one single American family.
investigations, these activities have not pro-
I think our efforts have produced some re-
vided the concrete results that we seek. Make
sults. For 241 families, the uncertainty has
no mistake, we want to continue and expand
ended. For others, too many others, the
our joint efforts. And I'll never accept joint
questions linger. Every day now, it seems,
activities as a substitute for real results. Your
the news purports to unearth some great new
long years of uncertainty must end, and I am
revelation of fact, facts that you've known for
pledged to end them in any way I can.
20 years and facts we've shared with you for
Now as a measure of simple human de-
a decade.
cency, I call on the Government of Vietnam
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
again to repatriate all recovered and readily
There are Americans who did not return
recoverable remains. I call on the Govern-
home at the end of hostilities and Americans
ment of Vietnam to act without delay.
last known to be alive. Accounting for these
I can say in return the United States stands
men remains this highest priority. Although
ready to move forward on the road map that
there's not proof that any Americans are now
we've laid out. My message is the same to
alive, in the absence of firm answers, our as-
the other nations of Indochina. In Laos, our
sumption will always be: Let facts direct our
joint field operations have produced defini-
policy, and let hope be our guide.
tive answers, but the process remains pain-
So the policy remains: full disclosure, full
fully slow and cumbersome. We recognize
disclosure of all relevant information to fami-
the reality that most of our men unaccounted
lies. We're going to continue to cooperate
for in Laos were lost in areas under Vietnam-
fully with congressional committees to en-
ese control.
sure the access they must have to perform
Our relations with Laos have grown from
their oversight role.
wary distrust in those early eighties, to a
But there are some things we're not going
broader, more open relationship. We cannot
to do. However loud the critics may com-
let this momentum wane. I address the Lao
plain, we will not publicly release any infor-
leaders when I say our relationship can grow
mation that would jeopardize ongoing intel-
further and will, if and when they provide
ligence or negotiating efforts to account for
the cooperation we now seek.
your missing loved ones.
Our years of trying to seek cooperation
Let the critics complain. We have got to
from Cambodia and the Soviets were not re-
get this job done. As President, I take it to
of George Bush, 1992
Administration of George Bush, 1992
1313
ntly. The U.N.-spon-
be an article of faith, a solemn covenant with
n Cambodia, the his-
So all I'm asking-all I'm here to say is
those who serve this country: The United
ands that used to be
I am the President, and I am the Com-
opened the way for
States will make every possible effort always,
mander in Chief. Some of you believe it, and
take every possible action to account for
We will push hard to
some of you may not, but we are going to
those taken prisoner or missing in action. Our
answers.
get this job done, and we are going to ac-
through hopes and
aim remains the fullest possible accounting
count for every single person who is missing.
efore. Unfortunately,
for our POW's and MIA's and nothing less.
I'm going to keep on it. I don't care how
to see this happen,
And I want you to know that comes to you
long it takes.
with conviction.
eporting. I think we
Thank you very, very much. Thank you.
have been some scam
Let me just say something about this gen-
hanpower and sap our
tleman sitting here. Tell me your name
Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. at
not fathom the cruelty
again-Jeff. I can't pretend to know the grief
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel. In his remarks,
loit that issue for per-
that you carry in your heart. My experience
he referred to Sue Scott, chairman of the
in combat was a little different. My wingman
board, and Ann Mills Griffiths, executive di-
e determined not to
was shot down the first-disappeared the
rector of the National League of Families of
discourage us. We're
first mission I was on. We had maybe some-
American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast
ursue and openly re-
Asia.
thing like 7 out of our squadron of 15 killed.
all sources and con-
bort, every report, as
I understand what combat is, but because
just might end the or-
of the way Barbara and I feel about our fam-
ican family.
ily, I can't try to say that I understand the
.ve produced some re-
grief that you carry with you every day, the
Points of Light Recognition Program
the uncertainty has
anguish of uncertainty. So I don't want to
x many others, the
try to put myself with everybody here who
The President named the following individ-
y day now, it seems,
has suffered for a long time on an equal plane
uals and institutions as exemplars of his com-
hearth some great new
in that sense. That's not what I'm trying to
mitment to making community service
that you've known for
do.
central to the life and work of every Amer-
e shared with you for
ican.
But I can remember that day that I men-
one we all agree on:
tioned to you 50 years ago, when I was a
who did not return
scared kid, 20 years old, I think, floating
July 18
stilities and Americans
around just a couple of miles off a Japanese-
Accounting for these
held island. I remember the uncertainty at
Thomas Floyd, of Spartanburg, SC
est priority. Although
that moment. I can remember, when I wasn't
July 19
my Americans are now
wondering if anyone would find me at all,
my worry was who's going to find me.
Joseph Thompson, of Topeka, KS
of firm answers, our as-
e: Let facts direct our
July 20
our guide.
So what I'm trying to say is, I can identify
ns: full disclosure, full
with those who served. I can identify with
Volunteers of Reaching the Youth of San Anto-
nt information to fami-
their sacrifice. I can identify as a father who
nio, Inc., (RTYOSA), of San Antonio, TX
continue to cooperate
lost a child with the family implications, but
July 21
.al committees to en-
again I'm not trying to put myself on the
must have to perform
same plane with those who have suffered a
Barbara Catherine Connelly, of Shirley, NY
lot.
July 22
things we're not going
Volunteers of Ginghamsburg United
Meth-
But what I want to tell you is-I mean
the critics may com-
what I tell you in terms of priority-I know
odist Church, of Tipp City, OH
licly release any infor-
there's doubt here, and I know people are
July 23
pardize ongoing intel-
efforts to account for
saying, as this gentleman said right from the
Volunteers of Frontline Outreach, Inc., of Or-
heart, "Go over there and bring them back."
lando, FL
S.
Do you think if I knew of one single person
plain. We have got to
and where he is and how it was that I
July 24
President, I take it to
wouldn't do that? Of course, I'd do that.
Don Davidson, of Lupton, MI
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
STOUFFER CONCOURSE HOTEL
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
1
SUE. ANN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, FAMILY MEMBERS
AND FRIENDS. LET ME SALUTE TWO OLD N.S.C. HANDS -- BUD
MCFARLAND AND DICK CHILDRESS. AND ALSO MY OLD FRIEND,
YOUR CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, MR. GEORGE BROOKS.
LET ME BEGIN BY THANKING YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK AGAIN TO ONE OF THE BRAVEST AND MOST DEDICATED
GROUPS OF AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE LIVE AT A TIME OF TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY. WE'VE
SEEN THE END OF THE COLD WAR -- -- THE COLLAPSE OF
IMPERIAL COMMUNISM -- AND A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM, FROM
MOSCOW TO MANAGUA. AMERICA'S COURAGE -- AMERICA'S
VISION -- AMERICA'S VALUES -- HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD.
YES, THE COLD WAR MAY BE OVER, BUT THE NOBLE CAUSE
THAT TOOK YOUR FATHERS, YOUR SONS, YOUR HUSBANDS AWAY
FROM HOME ... IS WITH US STILL.
OUR WORK MUST NOT END. OUR WORK WILL NOT END --
UNTIL YOU HAVE ANSWERS ABOUT YOUR LOVED ONES. //
- 2 -
OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF
FAMILIES HAS SEEN THE ISSUE OF YOUR MISSING RELATIVES
SWEPT UP IN INTERNATIONAL OR DOMESTIC POLITICS,
MANIPULATED BY FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS / EXPLOITED BY CON
MEN / SENSATIONALIZED BY THE MEDIA. ALL THAT TIME, YOU
NEVER LOST SIGHT OF WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR: GOOD
FAITH -- AN HONEST EFFORT TO RESOLVE YOUR UNCERTAINTY,
TO FIND ANSWERS TO THE AGONIZING QUESTION YOU LIVE WITH
EVERY DAY.
SOMETIMES YOU MAY HAVE EVEN WONDERED WHETHER YOUR
GOVERNMENT HAD FORGOTTEN YOU. / WHEN RONALD REAGAN
AND I TOOK OFFICE IN 1981, WE MADE YOUR ORDEAL ... OUR
PRIORITY. WE KNEW THAT -- WITH ALL THE UNCERTAINTIES
YOU LIVE WITH -- THE ONE THING YOU SHOULD BE SURE OF
...
IS THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT CARES.
SO WE SET OUT TO MEET WITH YOU -- TO ASK YOUR
ADVICE.
- 3 -
WHEN WE TOOK OFFICE, NO POLICY-LEVEL NEGOTIATIONS
WITH VIETNAM, LAOS OR CAMBODIA HAD BEEN HELD FOR
SEVERAL YEARS. DESPITE THE FEARS OF SOME THAT
NEGOTIATING WITH VIETNAM IMPLIED RECOGNITION -- DESPITE
THE FEARS OF OTHERS THAT THE POW/MIA ISSUE WAS A COLD
WAR FANTASY -- WE TOOK YOUR ADVICE / AND ENTERED HIGH-
LEVEL NEGOTIATIONS.
WHEN WE TOOK OFFICE, SOME SAW THIS ISSUE AS A
MATTER BETWEEN THIS NATION AND VIETNAM -- NOT PART OF
THE BROADER RELATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND SOVIET
UNION, CHINA AND OUR FRIENDS IN ASEAN. WE TOOK YOUR
ADVICE / AND URGED OUR FRIENDS AS WELL AS OUR
ADVERSARIES TO HELP US FIND ANSWERS.
AND LET ME ADD THAT I'M GRATIFIED TO HEAR THE ASEAN
AMBASSADORS ARE HERE TODAY. THE ASEAN COUNTRIES
DESERVE CREDIT FOR THEIR UNDERSTANDING, FOR THEIR HELP
-- AND FOR THEIR FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU, THE FAMILIES.
- 4 -
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: WHEN WE TOOK OFFICE, WE
CAME UP AGAINST A STRING OF OFFICIAL STATEMENTS,
PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSIONS AND CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
INDICATING THAT THEY FELT VIETNAM HAD DONE ALL IT
COULD. ONCE AGAIN, WE TOOK YOUR ADVICE AND REFUSED
TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE BOOK WAS CLOSED.
IT IS NO SECRET TO ANY OF YOU THAT FOR MANY YEARS
NOW, SIGNIFICANT LOBBYING HAS TAKEN PLACE IN OPPOSITION
TO OUR POLICY. SOME OF IT COMES FROM THOSE SAME VOICES
WE'VE HEARD SINCE THE '70'S -- PEOPLE WHO WANT US TO
PRETEND VIETNAM NEVER HAPPENED. SOME COMES FROM PEOPLE
WHO SEEK TO SMOOTH OVER STICKING POINTS THAT STAND IN
THE WAY OF COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
OTHERS SIMPLY SAY, "THE WAR IS OVER. / LET'S MOVE
ON." //
THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN NEVER SAY. ///
- 5 -
FOR US, THE POW/MIA ISSUE IS NOT A STICKING POINT.
NOT SOME BAD DREAM WE SHAKE OFF. NOT A FOOTNOTE FROM A
FORGOTTEN TIME WE CAN SIMPLY IGNORE.
THE POW/MIA ISSUE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT - --
SOMETHING MORE: IT IS ... A QUESTION OF JUSTICE. OF
OATHS SWORN -- -- AND COMMITMENTS KEPT: A NATION'S TEST
OF ITS OWN WORTH -- MEASURED IN THE LIFE OF ONE, LONE
INDIVIDUAL.
THIS WE KNOW: THE WOUNDS WON'T HEAL - -- THE
AMERICAN FAMILY WILL NOT BE WHOLE -- so LONG AS BRAVE
MEN REMAIN MISSING. //
IN MY INAUGURAL ADDRESS AS PRESIDENT, I SAID THAT
"GOODWILL BEGETS GOODWILL." IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT
STATEMENT, WE DEVELOPED A DETAILED ROADMAP FOR VIETNAM
-- A ROADMAP THAT ADDRESSES OUR OBJECTIVES, AS WELL AS
THAT GOVERNMENT'S DESIRES IN TERMS OF DIPLOMATIC AND
ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES. LET ME BE
FURTHER
CLEAR: WITHOUT ^ POSITIVE MOVEMENT ON POW'S AND MIA'S,
CONTINUE TO
WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT a MOVE FORWARD WITH HANOI. //
- 6 -
WHERE VIETNAM HAS MOVED, WE'VE RESPONDED. WHEN THE
GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM PLEDGED GREATER COOPERATION --
INCLUDING FIELD OPERATIONS -- WE GREATLY INCREASED OUR
MANPOWER, EVEN OPENED A PERMANENT OFFICE IN HANOI. AND
WHILE WE'VE SEEN AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF JOINT
INVESTIGATIONS -- THESE ACTIVITIES HAVE NOT PROVIDED
THE CONCRETE RESULTS WE SEEK. MAKE NO MISTAKE: WE
WANT TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND OUR JOINT EFFORTS. I WILL
NEVER ACCEPT JOINT ACTIVITIES AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR REAL
RESULTS. YOUR LONG YEARS OF UNCERTAINTY MUST END. //
AS A MEASURE OF SIMPLE HUMAN DECENCY -- I CALL ON
THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM TO REPATRIATE ALL RECOVERED
AND READILY RECOVERABLE REMAINS. I CALL ON THE
GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM TO ACT -- WITHOUT DELAY. //
I CAN SAY, IN RETURN, THE UNITED STATES STANDS
READY TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE ROADMAP WE'VE LAID OUT.
- 7 -
MY MESSAGE IS THE SAME TO THE OTHER NATIONS OF
INDOCHINA. IN LAOS, OUR JOINT FIELD OPERATIONS HAVE
PRODUCED DEFINITIVE ANSWERS, BUT THE PROCESS REMAINS
PAINFULLY SLOW AND CUMBERSOME. WE RECOGNIZE THE
REALITY THAT MOST OF OUR MEN UNACCOUNTED FOR IN LAOS
WERE LOST IN AREAS UNDER VIETNAMESE CONTROL.
OUR RELATIONS WITH LAOS HAVE GROWN FROM WARY
DISTRUST IN THE EARLY 1980'S TO A BROADER, MORE OPEN
RELATIONSHIP. WE CANNOT LET THIS MOMENTUM WANE, AND I
ADDRESS THE LAO LEADERS WHEN I SAY OUR RELATIONSHIP CAN
GROW FURTHER, AND WILL -- IF AND WHEN THEY PROVIDE THE
COOPERATION WE NOW SEEK.
OUR YEARS OF ATTEMPTING TO SEEK COOPERATION FROM
CAMBODIA AND THE SOVIETS WERE NOT REWARDED -- UNTIL
JUST RECENTLY. THE U.N.-SPONSORED SETTLEMENT PLAN IN
CAMBODIA -- THE HISTORIC CHANGES IN THE LANDS OF THE
OLD SOVIET UNION -- HAVE OPENED THE WAY FOR
UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS. WE WILL PUSH HARD TO TRANSLATE
THIS ACCESS INTO ANSWERS.
- 8 -
I KNOW YOU'VE LIVED THROUGH ALL THIS BEFORE.
UNFORTUNATELY -- AND IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE THIS
HAPPEN -- WE HAVE- SEEN FALSE REPORTING, EVEN SCAM
OPERATIONS, THAT DIVERT MANPOWER AND SAP OUR RESOURCES.
I SIMPLY CANNOT FATHOM THE CRUELTY OF THOSE WHO WOULD
EXPLOIT THIS ISSUE FOR PERSONAL GAIN. NEVERTHELESS, WE
ARE DETERMINED NOT TO ALLOW SUCH INCIDENTS TO
DISCOURAGE US. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE AND OPENLY
RECEIVE INFORMATION FROM ALL SOURCES. WE WILL CONTINUE
TO TREAT EACH REPORT -- EVERY REPORT -- AS THE
BREAKTHROUGH THAT JUST MIGHT END ONE FAMILY'S ORDEAL.
OUR EFFORTS SINCE 1981 HAVE PRODUCED RESULTS. FOR
241 FAMILIES, THE UNCERTAINTY HAS ENDED. FOR OTHERS -
- TOO MANY OTHERS -- THE QUESTIONS LINGER. AND EVERY
DAY NOW, IT SEEMS, THE NEWS PURPORTS TO UNEARTH SOME
GREAT NEW REVELATION OF FACT -- FACTS YOU'VE KNOWN FOR
20 YEARS. FACTS WE'VE SHARED WITH YOU FOR A DECADE.
WELL, THE KEY FACT IS ONE WE ALL AGREE ON:
- 9 -
THERE ARE AMERICANS WHO DID NOT RETURN HOME AT THE
END OF HOSTILITIES -- AMERICANS LAST KNOWN TO BE ALIVE.
//
ACCOUNTING FOR THESE MEN REMAINS OUR HIGHEST
PRIORITY. // AND ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT YET HAVE PROOF
THAT ANY AMERICANS ARE NOW ALIVE, IN THE ABSENCE OF
FIRM ANSWERS -- OUR ASSUMPTION WILL ALWAYS BE: LET
FACTS DIRECT OUR POLICY. AND LET HOPE BE OUR GUIDE.
//
OUR POLICY REMAINS: FULL DISCLOSURE -- FULL
DISCLOSURE OF ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION TO FAMILIES. WE
WILL CONTINUE TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES -- TO ENSURE THE ACCESS THEY MUST HAVE TO
PERFORM THEIR IMPORTANT OVERSIGHT ROLE.
BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE WILL NOT DO -- HOWEVER
LOUD THE CRITICS MAY COMPLAIN. WE WILL NOT PUBLICLY
RELEASE ANY INFORMATION THAT WOULD JEOPARDIZE ONGOING
INTELLIGENCE OR NEGOTIATING EFFORTS TO ACCOUNT FOR YOUR
MISSING LOVED ONES -- AMERICA'S MISSING HEROES.
- 10 -
I REPEAT: LET THE CRITICS COMPLAIN. WE HAVE A JOB
TO DO. //
AS PRESIDENT, I TAKE IT TO BE AN ARTICLE OF FAITH -
- A SOLEMN COVENANT WITH THOSE WHO SERVE THIS COUNTRY:
THE UNITED STATES WILL ALWAYS MAKE EVERY POSSIBLE
EFFORT -- TAKE EVERY POSSIBLE ACTION -- TO ACCOUNT FOR
THOSE TAKEN PRISONER OR MISSING IN ACTION. OUR AIM
REMAINS: THE FULLEST POSSIBLE ACCOUNTING FOR OUR POW'S
AND MIA'S -- NOTHING LESS. //
LET ME CLOSE TODAY WITH A FEW WORDS FROM THE HEART.
//
NO, I DON'T KNOW THE GRIEF YOU CARRY WITH YOU. I
CAN'T CLAIM TO UNDERSTAND THE ANGUISH OF UNCERTAINTY -
- OR THE SOLACE OF HOPE.
- 11 -
BUT I CAN REMEMBER THE DAY -- ALMOST FIFTY YEARS
AGO NOW -- WHEN I WAS A SCARED KID, ALONE IN A RAFT,
PADDLING AGAINST THE CURRENT TO KEEP FROM WASHING
ASHORE ON AN ENEMY ISLAND. I CAN REMEMBER -- WHEN I
WASN'T WONDERING IF ANYONE WOULD FIND ME AT ALL --
WORRYING ABOUT WHO MIGHT FIND ME FIRST. //
I WAS FORTUNATE. / I KNOW THAT.
AND I LEARNED FIRST-HAND WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW THAT
AMERICA WILL NEVER ABANDON ITS FIGHTING MEN, WHATEVER
THEIR FATE. ///
YOU HAVE MY WORD: AMERICA WILL NEVER FORGET.
AMERICA WILL STAND WITH YOU -- UNTIL AMERICA'S HEROES
HAVE COME HOME. //
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING ME WITH YOU. GOD BLESS
YOU -- AND MAY GOD BLESS THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH,
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
# # #
Document No. 339422ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/23/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
---
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NAT'L LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
SUBJECT:
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - 7/24/92 - 9:30am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
\
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
F
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
F
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
MCGROARTY
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
2 JUL 23 All : 05
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY over
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS TO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
I. SUMMARY
On Friday, July 24 at 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Ballroom of
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, you will
deliver remarks to 600 members of the National League of Families
of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes / teleprompter) focus
on this Administration's efforts for full accounting of each
American POW and MIA.
McGroarty/Bunton
July 23, 1992
10:00 a.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Ann, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
We live at a time of tremendous opportunity. We've seen the
end of the Cold War -- the collapse of imperial communism -- and
a new birth of freedom, from Moscow to Managua. America's
courage -- America's vision -- America's values -- have changed
the world.
Yes, the Cold War may be over, but the war that took your
fathers, your sons, your husbands away from tome ...
did not end.
Must not end. Will not end -- until you le. -n the fate of your
loved ones. //
Over the past 20 years, the National L gue of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
2
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I took office in 1981, we
made your ordeal
our priority. We knew that, after years of
neglect -- with all the uncertainties you live with -- the one
thing you should be sure of
is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
Despite the fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam implied
recognition -- despite the fears of others that the POW/MIA issue
was a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-
level negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our riends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
And let me just add that I'm gratified o hear the ASEAN
ambassadors are here to meet with you today The ASEAN countries
deserve credit for their understanding, for their help -- and for
their fellowship with you, the families.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
3
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. / Let's move on."
//
That is something we can never say. ///
For us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not some
bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten time we
can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something different --
something more: it is a question of justice. A nation's test of
its own worth -- measured in the life of one, lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains missing.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that sta ement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap hat addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's des res in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
4
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. I will never accept joint efforts as a substitute for
real results. Your long years of uncertainty must end. 11
As a measure of simple human decency -- I call on the
Government of Vietnam to repatriate all recovered and readily
recoverable remains. I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relati ship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao 1 ders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will -- i and when they
provide the cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
5
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. Unfortunately
-- and it breaks my heart to see this happen -- we have seen
false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower and
sap our resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain. Nevertheless,
we are determined not to allow such incidents to discourage us.
We will continue to pursue and openly receive information from
all sources. We will continue to treat each report -- every
report -- as the breakthrough that just might end one family's
ordeal.
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return ome at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be a ive. //
Accounting for these men remains our highest priority. 11
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of fact or firm answers -- our
assumption will always be: Let hope be our guide.
6
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing intelligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
//
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: the fullest possible
accounting for every POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from 1 the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry W th you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertai y -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
7
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America
will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until America's heroes have come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY oner
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS TO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
I. SUMMARY
On Friday, July 24 at 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Ballroom of
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, you will
deliver remarks to 600 members of the National League of Families
of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes / teleprompter) focus
on this Administration's efforts for full accounting of each
American POW and MIA.
McGroarty/Bunton
July 23, 1992
10:00 a.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Ann, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
We live at a time of tremendous opportunity. We've seen the
end of the Cold War -- the collapse of imperial communism -- and
a new birth of freedom, from Moscow to Managua. America's
courage -- America's vision -- America's values -- have changed
the world.
Yes, the Cold War may be over, but the war that took your
fathers, your sons, your husbands away from home
...
did not end.
Must not end. Will not end -- until you lea in the fate of your
loved ones. //
Over the past 20 years, the National L gue of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
2
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I took office in 1981, we
made your ordeal
our priority. We knew that, after years of
neglect -- with all the uncertainties you live with -- the one
thing you should be sure of
is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
Despite the fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam implied
recognition -- despite the fears of others that the POW/MIA issue
was a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-
level negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our riends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
And let me just add that I'm gratified O hear the ASEAN
ambassadors are here to meet with you today. The ASEAN countries
deserve credit for their understanding, for their help -- and for
their fellowship with you, the families.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
3
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. / Let's move on."
//
That is something we can never say. ///
For us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not some
bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten time we
can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something different --
something more: it is a question of justice. A nation's test of
its own worth -- measured in the life of one, lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains missing.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that sta ement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap hat addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
4
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. I will never accept joint efforts as a substitute for
real results. Your long years of uncertainty must end. //
As a measure of simple human decency -- I call on the
Government of Vietnam to repatriate all recovered and readily
recoverable remains. I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao 1. ders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will -- and when they
provide the cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
5
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. Unfortunately
-- and it breaks my heart to see this happen -- we have seen
false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower and
sap our resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain. Nevertheless,
we are determined not to allow such incidents to discourage us.
We will continue to pursue and openly receive information from
all sources. We will continue to treat each report -- every
report -- as the breakthrough that just might end one family's
ordeal.
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return ome at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be a ive. //
Accounting for these men remains our highest priority. 11
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of fact or firm answers -- our
assumption will always be: Let hope be our guide.
6
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing intelligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
//
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: the fullest possible
accounting for every POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertai: :y -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
7
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America
will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until America's heroes have come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY oner
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS TO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
I. SUMMARY
On Friday, July 24 at 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Ballroom of
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, you will
deliver remarks to 600 members of the National League of Families
of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes / teleprompter) focus
on this Administration's efforts for full accounting of each
American POW and MIA.
McGroarty/Bunton
July 23, 1992
10:00 a.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Ann, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
We live at a time of tremendous opportunity. We've seen the
end of the Cold War -- the collapse of imperial communism -- and
a new birth of freedom, from Moscow to Managua. America's
courage -- America's vision -- America's values -- have changed
the world.
Yes, the Cold War may be over, but the war that took your
fathers, your sons, your husbands away from home
...
did not end.
Must not end. Will not end -- until you lea in the fate of your
loved ones. //
Over the past 20 years, the National L gue of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
2
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I took office in 1981, we
made your ordeal
our priority. We knew that, after years of
neglect -- with all the uncertainties you live with -- the one
thing you should be sure of
is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
Despite the fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam implied
recognition -- despite the fears of others that the POW/MIA issue
was a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-
level negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our f riends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
And let me just add that I'm gratified o hear the ASEAN
ambassadors are here to meet with you today. The ASEAN countries
deserve credit for their understanding, for their help -- and for
their fellowship with you, the families.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
3
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. / Let's move on."
//
That is something we can never say. ///
For us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not some
bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten time we
can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something different --
something more: it is a question of justice. A nation's test of
its own worth -- measured in the life of one, lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains missing.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that sta ement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap hat addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
4
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. I will never accept joint efforts as a substitute for
real results. Your long years of uncertainty must end. //
As a measure of simple human decency -- I call on the
Government of Vietnam to repatriate all recovered and readily
recoverable remains. I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao 1. ders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will -- ...E and when they
provide the cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
5
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. Unfortunately
-- and it breaks my heart to see this happen -- we have seen
false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower and
sap our resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain. Nevertheless,
we are determined not to allow such incidents to discourage us.
We will continue to pursue and openly receive information from
all sources. We will continue to treat each report -- every
report -- as the breakthrough that just might end one family's
ordeal.
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return ome at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive. //
Accounting for these men remains our highest priority. 11
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of fact or firm answers -- our
assumption will always be: Let hope be our guide.
6
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing intelligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
//
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: the fullest possible
accounting for every POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry W: th you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertai. y -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
7
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America
will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until America's heroes have come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #
TEL:
Mar 26'01
15:54 No. 003 P.01
BUSH
QUAYLE
92
Office of Strategic Information
Facsimile Transmittal
TO:
STEVE PROVOST
COMPANY:
FROM:
Fred Steeper
David Hansen
x
Debra Keel
Jennifer Averbuch
Stave Kelsey
Laura Miller
DATE:
7/23/92
PHONE NUMBER: (202) 336-7944
NUMBER OF PAGES (including cover sheet)
2
FAX NUMBER:
456 - 2983
Comments and Instructions
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Paid for by Bush-Quayle '92 Primary Committee, Inc.
Printed on Recycled Paper
TEL:
Mar 26'01
15:54 No. 003 P.02
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM
TO: Steve Provost
TO:
David Hansen
From: Hansen
FROM:
Jake Jacobson
RE:
Comments on the President's Remarks to the National League
of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Action in
Southeast Asia
Overall, I think these remarks are well constructed to highlight the President's
strongpoints and specific areas of credibility we identified. My specific
comments are:
The historic "Roadmap" for normalization is mentioned, but nowhere is it
specifically tied to resolution of the POW-MIA issue. The first time the
roadmap is mentioned, it is worth mentioning that the first step in that
roadmap is cooperation on this issue. It is probably also worth
mentioning that, despite slow progress, the Administration is hanging
tough on this point.
The President refers to our "joint field operations", which might be too
vague or jargony a term. The description that received such an
overwhelmingly positive response in our survey was "opened a
permanent investigative office in Hanoi, and conducted fifteen separate
on-the-ground investigations".
I'd check this -
A concept that could be brought forth more clearly is the idea that the
we took
country has a commitment to these soldiers and their families, that we
someone's
owe them nothing but our maximum efforts, and that morally we have no wond
choice but to honor that commitment.
on This
When the President says that he "can not fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain" he also has an
opportunity to pledge to do everything in his power to protect these
IV
families against that kind or cruelty.
This tests well with all
vets - we'd like of
innoculate ourselves
with them as tenel. come
MIA-POW - types will be
difficult do satis fay.
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
Dan Mc Granty
- See ns 3,5, 6
- I thank we well box ourselves
in v/ "every one There are
cases of sdchers/air men lost
in circumstances (Such as over
water ) in when we'll
not likely ever get ferther
information "Fullest possible"
1sn't every me.
- I trieda a fixon P 5 of HE
last Known alve- Brent may
have insom thoughts on that pount.
Jim
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
92 JUL 23 P12: 17
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY oner
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS TO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
I. SUMMARY
On Friday, July 24 at 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Ballroom of
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, you will
deliver remarks to 600 members of the National League of Families
of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes / teleprompter) focus
on this Administration's efforts for full accounting of each
American POW and MIA.
McGroarty/Bunton
July 23, 1992
10:00 a.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Ann, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. 1]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
We live at a time of tremendous opportunity. We've seen the
end of the Cold War -- the collapse of imperial communism -- and
a new birth of freedom, from Moscow to Managua. America's
courage -- America's vision -- America's values -- have changed
the world.
Yes, the Cold War may be over, but the war that took your
fathers, your sons, your husbands away from ome ...
did not end.
Must not end. Will not end -- until you le. in the fate of your
loved ones. //
Over the past 20 years, the National L. gue of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
2
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I took office in 1981, we
made your ordeal
our priority. We knew that, after years of
neglect -- with all the uncertainties you live with -- the one
thing you should be sure of
is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
Despite the fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam implied
recognition -- despite the fears of others that the POW/MIA issue
was a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-
level negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our I riends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
And let me just add that I'm gratified O hear the ASEAN
ambassadors are here to meet with you today. The ASEAN countries
deserve credit for their understanding, for their help -- and for
their fellowship with you, the families.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
3
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. / Let's move on." //
That is something we can never say. ///
For us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not some
bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten time we
can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something different --
something more: it is a question of justice. A nation's test of
its own worth -- measured in the life of one, lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains missing.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that sta ement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap hat addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's des res in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
4
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. I will never accept joint efforts as a substitute for
real results. Your long years of uncertainty must end. 11
As a measure of simple human decency -- I call on the
Government of Vietnam to repatriate all recovered and readily
recoverable remains. I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. / /
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relati ship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao 1 ders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will -- and when they
provide the cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
5
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. Unfortunately
-- and it breaks my heart to see this happen -- we have seen
false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower and
sap our resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain. Nevertheless,
we are determined not to allow such incidents to discourage us.
We will continue to pursue and openly receive information from
all sources. We will continue to treat each report -- every
report -- as the breakthrough that just might end one family's
ordeal.
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
when they passed at
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
of American control.
There are Americans who did not return ome at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be a ve
//
Accounting for these men remains our highest priority. //
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of fact or firm answers -- our
and facts dreet
assumption will always be: Let hope be our guide
our policy.
6
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing intelligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
//
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: the fullest possible
accounting for [every] POWS and MIAS -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry W th you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertai y -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
7
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America
will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until America's heroes have come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 22, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR DAN McGROARTY
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: National League of
Families of American Prisoners and Missing in
Southeast Asia
We have reviewed the attached presidential remarks and
have no suggested changes from a policy standpoint. We approve
of the draft in its present form.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
92 JUL 24 A9: 32
Document No. 339422ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/22/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: THURS. 7/23 9:00am
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
SUBJECT:
PRISONERS & MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - 7/24/92 - 9:30am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
MCGR RTY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Dan Mc oarty, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 9:00 a.m., THURSDAY, JULY 3, with a copy
to this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
02 JUL 22 All : 03
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether you: government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I to office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority. After years of neglect -- with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
2
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietn m never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth ol r sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportur ties.
Others simply say, "The war is over. I it's move on." //
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end
-
- so long as even one brave American remains unaccounted for.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a S bstitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. //
I continue to believe: Our own informa ion suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unila erally and
instantly. Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UNITED NATIONS
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to S e this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, hat divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for perso al gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Learning the fate of these men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of firm answers -- our assumption will
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not c -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly elease any
information that would jeopardize ongoing in elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing lo' d ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: a full accounting for every
POW and MIA -- nothing less. 11
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. 11
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all --- worrying about who might find me first. 11
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until every hero has come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on ea th, the United
States of America.
# # #
NATIONAL SECURITY CO
To: Dan McGroarty
From: Jimkerth
Dan, attached please
find Brent's additional
fixes: p.1, p.2, p.3, 3,
p.u. The others are
comments I had already
presed to you, which
Brent erdorses.
Thanks,
JK
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 23, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
DAN MC GROARTY oner
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS TO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF
AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
I. SUMMARY
On Friday, July 24 at 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Ballroom of
the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, you will
deliver remarks to 600 members of the National League of Families
of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 12 minutes / teleprompter) focus
on this Administration's efforts for full accounting of each
American POW and MIA.
9:39 23 7nr 26
McGroarty/Bunton
July 23, 1992
10:00 a.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Ann, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
We live at a time of tremendous opportunity. We've seen the
end of the Cold War -- the collapse of imperial communism -- and
a new birth of freedom, from Moscow to Managua. America's
courage -- America's vision -- America's values -- have changed
the world.
have been taken
Yes, the Cold War may be over but the war that took your
The stiel was
that
fathers, your sons, your husbands away from ome
...
did not end.
One effects to
resolve tent
Must not end. Will not end -- until you le. in the fate of your
loved ones. //
Over the past 20 years, the National L gue of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
2
uncertainty, to find answers to the agounzing question you live with every
day.
were
Some
maythone
Many times you [ve wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I took office in 1981, we
made your ordeal
our priority. We knew that, [after years of
neglect -- with all the uncertainties you live with -- the one
thing you should be sure of
is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
Despite the fears of some that negotiating with Vietnam implied
recognition -- despite the fears of others that the POW/MIA issue
was a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-
level negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our I riends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
And let me just add that I'm gratified O hear the ASEAN
ambassadors are here to meet with you today. The ASEAN countries
deserve credit for their understanding, for their help -- and for
their fellowship with you, the families.
When we took office, we came up against [a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
3
that the book
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
was closed
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. / Let's move on." //
That is something we can never say. ///
For us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not some
bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten time we
can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something different --
something more: it is a question of justice. A nation's test of
its own worth -- measured in the life of one, lone individual.
our efforts
This we know: The wounds won't heal --
the war won't end -
- so long as even one] brave American S remains missing.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that sta ement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap hat addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's des res in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
4
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. I will never accept joint efforts as a substitute for
real results. Your long years of uncertainty must end. //
As a measure of simple human decency -- I call on the
Government of Vietnam to repatriate all recovered and readily
recoverable remains. I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relati ship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao 1 ders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will -- and when they
provide the cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement 3 L in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
Too
story
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
5
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. Unfortunately
-- and it breaks my heart to see this happen -- we have seen
false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower and
sap our resources. I simply cannot fathom the cruelty of those
who would exploit this issue for personal gain. Nevertheless,
we are determined not to allow such incidents to discourage us.
We will continue to pursue and openly receive information from
all sources. We will continue to treat each report -- every
report -- as the breakthrough that just might end one family's
ordeal.
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return ome at the end of
hostilities
--
Americans
last
known
to
be
a
livel
/
when // they passed at
of American
centrol.
Accounting for these men remains our highest priority. //
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of fact or firm answers -- our
and let Facts direct
assumption will always be: Let hope be our guide
control our
policy
6
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing intelligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
//
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: the fullest possible
our
accounting for every POWS ^ and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry W th you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertai y -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
7
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America
will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until America's heroes have come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #
Document No. 339422ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/22/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: THURS. 7/23 9:00am
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
SUBJECT:
PRISONERS & MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - 7/24/92 - 9:30am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
R
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE to SP.
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
N/C
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
R
CALIO
N/C
SMITH NIC
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
NK
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
MCGR RTY
REMARKS:
pow
Please forward your comments directly to Dan Mc oarty, Rm. 122,
mia
x2930, no later than 9:00 a.m., THURSDAY, JULY 3, with a copy
to this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
02 JUL 22 All : 03
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I toc office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority. After years of neglect -- with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
2
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietn :m never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth ov r sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportur ties.
Others simply say, "The war is over. I et's move on.' //
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains unaccounted for.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. 11
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a S bstitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. 11
I continue to believe: Our own informa ion suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unila erally and
instantly. Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to see this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, hat divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for perso al gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Learning the fate of these men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of firm answers -- our assumption will
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not d -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly elease any
information that would jeopardize ongoing ir elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing lov d ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: a full accounting for every
POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty --- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until every hero has come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on ea th, the United
States of America.
# # #
$5672
5742
Document No. 339422ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/22/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: THURS. 7/23 9:00am
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
SUBJECT:
PRISONERS & MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - 7/24/92 - 9:30am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
R
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
R
CALIO
SMITH
P
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
MCGR RTY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Dan Mc oarty, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 9:00 a.m., THURSDAY, JULY , with a copy
to this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
July 23, 1992
TO:
Dan McGroarty
Penerational
The NSC staff concurs with changes as noted.
PHILLIP D. A1/22 BRADY
the
Brent Scowcroft
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
02 JUL 22 All : 03
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I to office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority. After years of neglect -- with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
lysone
2
others
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
I was gratified to learn of the presence of ASEAN
adversaries to help us find answers.
Ambassaders here today in so prost of the National Lengue
of Famlies. The ASEAN coun deserve credit for
their understanding, their help, and their Arendship with you
When we took office, we came up against a string of official and United the
States.
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietn m never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth ov r sticking points
our Susinessmen prisuing
that stand in the way of commercial opportur ties.
smooth operate sticking that way tant and
Others simply say, "The war is over.
I
move
on.
"
//
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
these
your missing loved ones,
- so long as even one brave American/ remains unaccounted for
finissing
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a S bstitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. //
[ continue to believe: Our own informa ion suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unil erally and
instantly. Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
rapidly repatriate all recovered and readily recoverable
without delay
//
remains.
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to S e this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, hat divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for perso al gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Accounting for
Learning the fate of these men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of firm answers -- our assumption will
facts
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not d -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly elease any
information that would jeopardize ongoing ir elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing lo d ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
possible
missing in action. Our aim remains: the à A full accounting for every
POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't fully know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
possible effect to bring our been unde.
X
stand with you -- until every hero has come ome //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on ea th, the United
States of America.
# # #
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
7-23-92
92 JUL 23 A10: 40
NOTICE:
Enclosed are comments from staff members of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Such comments do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Director of OMB or of the
Office of Management and Budget. If you wish to have the
Director's personal comments, please let me know -- and contact
me if you have any questions.
James C. Murr
Associate Director for
Legislative Reference
and Administration
Document No. 339422ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/22/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: THURS. 7/23 9:00am
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
SUBJECT:
PRISONERS & MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - 7/24/92 - 9:30am
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
R
HORNER
SKINNER
>
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
R
CALIO
SMITH
P
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
MCGR RTY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Dan Mc oarty, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 9:00 a.m., THURSDAY, JULY 3, with a copy
to this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See comments
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
(R.Brady may respond at a
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
later time)
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
12 JUL 22 All : 03
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
?
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I to office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority.
After years of neglect
with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
(TAYLOR 4790)
ISN'T THIS AN ADMISSION BY
THE ADMINISTRATION?
2
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietn im never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth ov r sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportur ties.
Others simply say, "The war is over. It's move on." //
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains unaccounted for.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a S bstitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. //
I continue to believe: Our own informa ion suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unila erally and
instantly. Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to S :e this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, hat divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for perso al gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Learning the fate of these men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of firm answers -- our assumption will
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not d -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly elease any
information that would jeopardize ongoing ir elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing lov d ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: a full accounting for every
POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. 111
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until every hero has come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on ea th, the United
States of America.
# # #
NATIONAL SECURIT
CIL
To: Dan Mc Gronty
From: Jimkerth X5672
92 J
Please see attabled comments.
I thank it LS a soled
speecht t well be
well-recoved
the
Wed 1:00 pm
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
UL 22 P2: 05 [POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I toc office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority. After years of neglect -- with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
2
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
others
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
b
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
ASEANd I was fied learn that
adversaries to help us find answers.
several of the ASEAN Ambassadors are here
to day 14 support of the National Lengue of = Families. land
When we took office, we came up against a string of official them for
their mcler-
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees standing,
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Vietnam" Once intrangigence
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
(the consentend visdom attime)
their
help, and
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
them
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
friendship
with
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
you as
the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
United
states.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth OV r sticking points
our businessmen itmately seeking
that stand in the way of commercial opportur ties.
smooth over that Noints the
Others simply say, "The war is over. Let's/move on." //
and
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
0
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
these
s, your missing loved ones,
- so long as even one brave American remains. unaccounted for.
In my inaugural address as President, I said missing. that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. 11
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results we seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a substitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. //
I continue to believe: Our own informa ion suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unila terally and
instantly Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
without delay.
rapidly regatriate all recovered and readily recoverable
//
American lemans.
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to see this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for personal gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Accounting for Americans
Learning the fate of these STET. men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence facts of firm answers -- our assumption will
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing in elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing lov ed ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.,
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
evokes Clinton/word?
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: He a full accounting for every
est possible
POW and MIA -- nothing less. //
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. 11
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. 11
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
possible one of our
stand with you -- until every/ hero has come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on ea th, the United
States of America.
# # #
Document No. 339258ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
7/21/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
WED. 7/22/92 COB
PROPOSED EXECUTIVE ORDER ENTITLED "DECLASSIFICATION
SUBJECT:
AND RELEASE OF MATERIALS PERTAINING TO PRISONERS OF
WAR AND MISSING IN ACTION"
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
CLERK
HOLIDAY
X
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to this office no
later than COB, WEDNESDAY, JULY 22. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Hald for
Lugue Friday speech !
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
WINE
PRESIDENT
OFFICE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
MASSACHUSETTS
UNITED
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
THE DIRECTOR
July 20, 1.992
2 JUL 21 P | : 32
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
Richard Darman
Nichin Danna
SUBJECT:
Proposed Executive Order Entitled
"Declassification and Release of Materials
Pertaining to Prisoners of War and Missing in
Action"
SUMMARY: This memorandum forwards for your consideration
a proposed Executive order that was prepared by the National
Security Council. The proposed order would direct Executive
agencies to declassify and release all materials pertaining to
Vietnam era prisoners of war and those missing in action.
BACKGROUND: On July 2, 1992, the Senate issued Resolution
No. 324. The resolution requested that the President
"expeditiously issue an Executive order requiring all executive
branch
agencies to declassify and publicly release
without compromising United States national security all
documents, files, and other materials pertaining to POWs and
MIAs."
The proposed order would carry out the resolution's
request. It would direct Executive agencies to review
expeditiously materials pertaining to POWs and MIAs from the
Vietnam era for declassification in accordance with Executive
Order No. 12356. (That order sets out the procedures for
declassifying national security information.)
The proposed order also directs the agencies to make the
declassified materials publicly available. Exceptions would be
permitted where disclosure would invade the privacy of family
members of POWs and MIAs or impair the integrity of the
Executive branch deliberative process.
None of the affected agencies objects to the proposed
Executive order.
RECOMMENDATION: I recommend that you sign the proposed
Executive order.
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Legal Counsel
Office of the
Washington, D.C. 20530
Assistant Attorney General
July 21, 1992
MEMORANDUM
Re: Proposed Executive Order Entitled
"Declassification and Release of Materials
Pertaining to Prisoners of War and Missing in Action"
The attached proposed Executive Order was prepared by the
National Security Council. The Office of Management and Budget,
with the approval of the Director, forwarded it to this
Department for review with respect to form and legality.
The proposed Order would direct Executive departments and
agencies expeditiously to review documents and materials
pertaining to Vietnam-era POWs and MIAs for declassification in
accordance with established procedures. It also would require
public disclosure of declassified documents and materials unless
such disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of
privacy or would impair the deliberative processes of the
Executive Branch.
The proposed Order is approved with respect to form and
legality.
Timothy E. Flanigan
Acting Assistant Attorney General
Office of Legal Counsel
CF
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Legal Counsel
Office of the
Washington, D.C. 20530
Assistant Attorney General
July 21, 1992
The President,
The White House.
My dear Mr. President:
I am herewith transmitting a proposed Executive Order
entitled "Declassification and Release of Materials Pertaining to
Prisoners of War and Missing in Action." This proposed Executive
Order was prepared by the National Security Council. The Office
of Management and Budget, with the approval of the Director,
forwarded it to this Department for review with respect to form
and legality.
The proposed Executive Order is approved with respect to
form and legality.
Respectfully,
Timothy E. Flanigan
Acting Assistant Attorney General
Office of Legal Counsel
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
JUL 21 1992
Honorable William P. Barr
United States Attorney General
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Mr. Attorney General:
Enclosed in accordance with the provisions of Executive
Order No. 11030, as amended, is a proposed Executive order
entitled "Declassification and Release of Materials Pertaining to
Prisoners of War and Missing in Action." The proposed order,
which was prepared by the National Security Council, would direct
Executive agencies to declassify and release all materials
pertaining action. to Vietnam era prisoners of war and those missing in
On July 2, 1992, the Senate issued Resolution No. 324. The
resolution requested that the President "expeditiously issue an
Executive order requiring all executive branch agencies
to
declassify and publicly release without compromising United
States national security all documents, files, and other
materials pertaining to POWs and MIAs.
The proposed order would carry out the resolution's request.
It would direct Executive agencies to review expeditiously
materials pertaining to POWs and MIAs from the Vietnam era for
declassification in accordance with Executive Order No. 12356.
(That order sets out the procedures for declassifying national
security information.)
The proposed order also directs the agencies to make the
declassified materials publicly available. Exceptions would be
permitted where disclosure would invade the privacy of family
members of POWs and MIAs or impair the integrity of the Executive
branch deliberative processes.
Your staff may direct any questions concerning this proposed
Executive order to Mac Reed of this office (202-395-5600).
This proposed Executive order has the approval of the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Sincerely,
Robert G Dannes
Robert G. Damus
Acting General Counsel
Enclosure
EXECUTIVE ORDER
DECLASSIFICATION AND RELEASE OF MATERIALS
PERTAINING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND MISSING IN ACTION
Whereas, the Senate by S. Res. 324 of July 2, 1992, has
asked that I "expeditiously issue an Executive order requiring
all executive branch departments and agencies to declassify and
publicly release without compromising United States national
security all documents, files, and other materials pertaining to
POWs and MIAS;" and
Whereas, indiscriminate release of classified material could
jeopardize continuing U.S. Government efforts to achieve the
fullest possible accounting of Vietnam-era POWs and MIAS; and
Whereas, I have concluded that the public interest would be
served by the declassification and public release of materials
pertaining to Vietnam-era POWs and MIAs as provided below;
Now, Therefore, by the authority vested in mevaa-President:
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,
I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. All Executive departments and agencies shall
expeditiously review all documents, files, and other materials
pertaining to American POWs and MIAs lost in Southeast Asia for
the purposes of declassification in accordance with the standards
and procedures of Executive Order No. 12356.
Sec. 2. All Executive departments and agencies shall make
publicly available documents, files and other materials
declassified pursuant to section 1, except for those the
disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy of returnees, family members of POWs
and MIAs, or other persons, or would impair the deliberative
processes of the Executive Branch.
Sec. 3. This order is not intended to create any right or
benefit. substantive or procedural, enforceable by a party
against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, Its
officers or employees, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE.
Senave-
)
"wantsall
diclassiped."
McGroarty/Bunton
July 21, 1992
6:00 p.m.
[POW-MIA]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN
PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Stouffer Concourse Hotel
JULY 24, 1992
9:30 A.M.
Sue, Anne, members of the board, family members and friends,
and also my old friend, [[your Chairman Emeritus, Mr. George
Brooks. ]]
Let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak
again to one of the bravest and most dedicated groups of
Americans in this country.
Over the past 20 years, the National League of Families has
seen the issue of your missing relatives swept up in
international or domestic politics, manipulated by foreign
governments / exploited by con men / sensationalized by the
media. All that time, you never lost sight of what you were
looking for: good faith -- an honest effort to resolve your
uncertainty, to find answers to the question you live with every
day.
Many times you've wondered whether your government had
forgotten you. When Ronald Reagan and I too office in 1981, we
made your ordeal our priority. After years of neglect -- with
all the uncertainties you live with -- the one thing you should
be sure of is that your government cares.
So we set out to meet with you -- to ask your advice.
When we took office, no policy-level negotiations with
Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia had been held for several years.
2
Despite fears from the right that negotiating with Vietnam
implied recognition, and from the left that the POW/MIA issue was
a Cold War fantasy -- we took your advice and entered high-level
negotiations.
When we took office, some saw this issue as a matter between
this nation and Vietnam -- not part of the broader relations
between the U.S. and Soviet Union, China and our friends in
ASEAN. We took your advice, and urged our friends as well as our
adversaries to help us find answers.
When we took office, we came up against a string of official
statements, Presidential commissions and Congressional committees
indicating that they felt Vietnam had done all it could. Once
again, we took your advice -- and refused to accept indifference
as an answer.
It is no secret to any of you that for many years now,
significant lobbying has taken place in opposition to our policy.
Some of it comes from those same voices we've heard since the
'70's -- people who want us to pretend Vietnam never happened.
Some comes from people who seek to smooth over sticking points
that stand in the way of commercial opportunities.
Others simply say, "The war is over. Let's move on. " //
But for us, the POW/MIA issue is not a sticking point. Not
some bad dream we shake off. Not a footnote from a forgotten
time we can simply ignore. The POW/MIA issue is something
different -- something more: it is a question of justice. A
3
nation's test of its own worth -- measured in the life of one,
lone individual.
This we know: The wounds won't heal -- the war won't end -
- so long as even one brave American remains unaccounted for.
In my inaugural address as President, I said that "goodwill
begets goodwill." In the spirit of that statement, we developed
a detailed roadmap for Vietnam -- a roadmap that addresses our
objectives, as well as that government's desires in terms of
diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. Let me
be clear: without that kind of positive movement on POW's and
MIA's, we cannot and will not move forward with Hanoi. //
Where Vietnam has moved, we've responded. When the
Government of Vietnam pledged greater cooperation -- including
field operations -- we greatly increased our manpower. And while
we've seen an unprecedented level of joint investigations --
these activities have not provided the concrete results wè seek.
Make no mistake: We want to continue and expand our joint
efforts. But joint efforts can never be a substitute for real
results that end your uncertainty. //
I continue to believe: Our own information suggests that
Vietnam can resolve hundreds of cases, unilaterally and
instantly. Once more, I call on the Government of Vietnam to act
-- without delay. //
I can say, in return, the United States stands ready to move
forward on the roadmap we've laid out.
4
My message is the same to the other nations of Indochina.
In Laos, our joint field operations have produced definitive
answers, but the process remains painfully slow and cumbersome.
We recognize the reality that most of our men unaccounted for in
Laos were lost in areas under Vietnamese control.
Our relations with Laos have grown from wary distrust in the
early 1980's to a broader, more open relationship. We cannot let
this momentum wane, and I address the Lao leaders when I say our
relationship can grow further, and will, if they provide the
cooperation we now seek.
Our years of attempting to seek cooperation from Cambodia
and the Soviets were not rewarded -- until just recently. The
UN-sponsored settlement in Cambodia -- and the historic changes
in the lands of the old Soviet Union -- have opened the way for
unprecedented access. We will push hard to translate this access
into answers.
I know you've lived through all this before. We have,
unfortunately -- and it breaks my heart to see this happen --
seen false reporting, even scam operations, that divert manpower
and sap our resources. I simply cannot fath m the cruelty of
those who would exploit this issue for personal gain.
Nevertheless, we are determined not to allow such incidents
to discourage us. We will continue to pursue and openly receive
information from all sources. We will continue to treat each
report -- every report -- as the breakthrough that just might end
one family's ordeal.
5
Our efforts since 1981 have produced results. For 241
families, the uncertainty has ended. For others -- too many
others -- the questions linger. And every day now, it seems, the
news purports to unearth some great new revelation of fact --
facts you've known for 20 years. Facts we've shared with you for
a decade.
Well, the key fact is one we all agree on:
There are Americans who did not return home at the end of
hostilities -- Americans last known to be alive in captivity.
Learning the fate of these men remains our highest priority.
And although we do not yet have proof that any Americans are
now alive, in the absence of firm answers -- our assumption will
always be: Let hope be our guide.
Our policy remains: full disclosure -- full disclosure of
all relevant information to families. We will continue to
cooperate fully with Congressional committees -- to ensure the
access they must have to perform their important oversight role.
But there are some things we will not do -- however loud the
critics may complain. We will not publicly release any
information that would jeopardize ongoing in elligence efforts or
negotiations to account for your missing loved ones -- America's
missing heroes.
I repeat: let the critics complain. We have a job to do.
As President, I take it to be an article of faith -- a
solemn covenant with those who serve this country: The United
States will always make every possible effort -- take every
6
possible action -- to learn the fate of those taken prisoner or
missing in action. Our aim remains: a full accounting for every
POW and MIA -- nothing less. 11
Let me close today with a few words from the heart. //
No, I don't know the grief you carry with you. I can't
claim to understand the anguish of uncertainty -- or the solace
of hope.
But I can remember the day -- almost fifty years ago now -
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy island. I can
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. 11
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
You have my word: America will never forget. America will
stand with you -- until every hero has come home. //
Thank you again for having me with you. God bless you --
and may God bless the greatest country on earth, the United
States of America.
# # #