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7344273
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Actions Taken by the United Nations to Obtain an Accounting of Americans Missing in Action in Southeast Asia [Report]
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7344273
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document
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Actions Taken by the United Nations to Obtain an Accounting of Americans Missing in Action in Southeast Asia [Report]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7344273
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1976-06-01
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6
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1976
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460f1d53bca662db
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Digitized from Box 27 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
[6-1-76]
ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE UNITED NATIONS
TO OBTAIN AN ACCOUNTING OF AMERICANS MISSING
IN ACTION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
General Assembly Actions
On November 6, 1974 the General Assembly adopted
a U.S.-sponsored resolution calling for assistance
and cooperation in accounting for persons who are
missing or dead in armed conflicts. This resolution
(3220 (XXIX) ) reaffirms the urgent need to ensure full
adherence to the Geneva Convention of 1949 and calls
upon all parties to conflicts to take all action
within their power to locate and mark the graves of the
dead, to assist in the return of remains to concerned
families, and to provide information about those who
are missing in action.
As directed by the General Assembly, the Secretary
General brought the resolution to the attention of the
Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development
of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed
Conflicts during its second session in Geneva in
February-March 1975. The Director of the United Nations
Human Rights Division personally appeared at the
Conference to present this resolution. The Conference
established a special working group on this subject,
which is developing new draft provisions for the proposed
Protocol to the Geneva Conventions. Work on this subject
will be resumed at the Diplomatic Conference which
reconvenes in Geneva April 21-June 12, 1976.
On December 15, 1975, the General Assembly adopted
another resolution pertaining to respect for human rights
in armed conflicts. This resolution (3500 (XXX) ) notes
the accomplishments of the Diplomatic Conference on the
Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian
Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts and urges the partici-
pants in the 1976 session of the Conference to do their
utmost to reach agreement on additional rules which may
help alleviate the suffering brought about by armed
conflicts. Additionally, on December 9, 1975, the
General Assembly adopted resolution 3450 (XXX) concerning
missing persons in Cyprus. This resolution requests the
Secretary-General, in cooperation with the International
- 2 -
Committee of the Red Cross, to assist in tracing and
accounting for persons missing as a result of the armed
conflict in Cyprus. While not specifically related to
the problem of persons missing in action in Southeast
Asia, the resolution reflects the continuing concern
of the United Nations for addressing and solving
problems of those missing in action in armed conflicts,
as stated in the U.S.-sponsored 1974 resolution.
Measures Taken by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees
Although the official mandate of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is limited to refugee
problems, he and his staff have taken a number of actions
that have helped resolve the problem of Americans missing
or unaccounted for in Indochina. This has been done on
a personal "good offices" basis, in light of the obvious
humanitarian concerns involved. In order to facilitate
its continuing efforts in this area the UNHCR has sought
to avoid publicity for them.
Starting in May 1975 the UNHCR was instrumental in
arranging flights for foreign nationals including U.S.
citizens to leave Saigon. These persons had remained
behind after the U.S. withdrawal from Saigon in April
and relied on the UNHCR for assistance in leaving.
Some 40-50 Americans still remain in the Saigon area, in
many cases apparently unable to get permission to leave.
The UNHCR also undertook quiet efforts to arrange
the release of fourteen U.S. and foreign prisoners who
had been captured in the Central Highlands City of Ban
Me Thuot during March 1975. The prisoners were released
in Hanoi on October 30, and arrangements for their return
were made by the UNHCR.
UNHCR representatives helped arrange the return of
the remains of three Americans identified by the Hanoi
authorities as having been killed in action in North
Vietnam. Members of the House of Representatives Select
Committee on Missing Persons in Southeast Asia met with
North Vietnamese representatives in Paris and then flew
to Hanoi in December 1975 to receive the three sets of
remains. UNHCR representatives in Hanoi assisted in
arrangements for the Congressional visit and for the
return of the remains.
- 3 -
UNHCR representatives also provided assistance to
the Subcommittee on Refugees of the U.S. Senate
Judiciary Committee in arranging for the return of the
bodies of two U.S. Marines killed April 29, 1975 in the
evacuation of Saigon. The bodies were turned over to
representatives of the Subcommittee in Saigon on
February 22, 1976, again with the assistance of the
UNHCR.
Department of State
April 23, 1976