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January 26, 1976 - Ford, House Select Committee on MIAs
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1553347
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January 26, 1976 - Ford, House Select Committee on MIAs
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Ford Administration Memoranda of Conversations
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Laos
Thailand
Vietnam (Democratic Republic)
Missing in action
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
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1976
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1976
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File scanned from the National Security Adviser's Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Ed
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
SEARAT/NODIS/XGDS
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
President Ford
House Select Committee on MIA's
Cong. G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery (D. -Miss. ),
Chairman
Cong. Paul N. McCloskey, Jr. (R. -Calif.)
Cong. Richard L. Ottinger (D. -NY)
Cong. Benjamin Gilman (R. -NY)
Angus MacDonald, Staff Director
Brent Scowcroft, Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs
Max Friedersdorf, Assistant to the President
for Legislative Affairs
Bob Wolthius, Deputy Assistant to the President
for Legislative Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Monday, January 26, 1976
4:43 - 5:30 p.m.
PLACE:
The Oval Office
[Small talk]
The President: Tell me about your trip.
Montgomery: It was a very good trip. The attitude of the leadership
was very different from the early days when Kissinger used to deal with
them. We were told we couldn't have US military and flags for recognizing
the remains, but we did it our way. We had a fine ceremony at the airport
we didn't want to. Only the bridge. It's an old town. The only new
DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 12958, Sec. 3.5
NSC Memo, 11/24/98, State Dept. Guidel
ARA, Date 1/24/00
with North Vietnamese looking on. We didn't see any bomb damage --
building is the Cuban hotel. We saw the Hanoi Hilton. They stressed
there were no Americans alive.
RALO GE R. FORD VBRART
They discussed Article 21 of the Agreement. We met with Pham Van Dong.
He was cordial and he raised Article 21. We told him of your letter and
CLASSIFIED BY Brent Scowcroft
EXEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION
SCHEDULE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652
By
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
EXEMPTION CATEGORY 5(b)(3)
AUTOMATICALLY DECLASS.FIED ON Imp. to Det.
AECREY/NODIS/XGDS
2
of your Asian speech [Honolulu speech, December 7] about mutual
gestures of good will. And we got a shopping list of wants from him.
It is really the JEC list.
The Committee still hasn't taken any policy steps but we feel the ball
is back in our court. They have lived up to everything they have told us.
They let the nine go; they gave us the three bodies; we could have the two
marines if Kennedy would get on the ball.
The gestures should best come from you. We told them there was no
way to get economic or reconstruction aid. [Mentioned things which
could be done. ]
Dong said he wanted to come to the United States and wanted more
Americans to come to Vietnam.
The President: Do they let Americans come freely ?
Montgomery: No, not now.
Gilman: I seriously think they want better relations with us. I mentioned
the oil drilling.
The President: How many MIA's do you think are left in Vietnam?
Montgomery: Probably about a total of 2500-odd MIA's but I think not
more than 250 bodies could be recovered. There are many problems
involved -- the impact, animals, vegetation, etc.
The President: Have you had any contact with the League of Families?
McCloskey: Here is a resolution of the League. We meet with them
Saturday.
Two other things: You would get along well with Pham Van Dong. He is
a gracious man. We thought your Hawaii speech was an affirmative speech,
but they said you came over and doubled the aid to Indonesia and the
Philippines.
I don't know when you would invite Dong here but you would get along with
him as well as you did with Teng Hsiao-ping.
ORD
LIBRAR
SECRETYNODIS/XGDS
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
3
We want to wrap up by September. State has a two-to-four year time
frame so we are in conflict with them. I urge you to hasten on the
reciprocal gestures. State thinks lifting the trade ban is too big a
gesture, but
The President: Would they let us look for MIA's?
Ottinger: They said if we would drop our hostility, they could cooperate
on MIA's. There are two alternatives: deal on a step-by-step basis
or sit down with State and negotiate the whole thing out. I think that is
the way to go to give them some independence.
The President: Do they acknowledge they have closer ties with the
Soviet Union?
Montgomery: They never mentioned the situation and we never saw a
Soviet or a Chinese.
The President: How about Laos?
Montgomery: There was a mixup there. They thought at first we were
coming in there to spy. They told us there were no Americans alive.
They had no information on where they crashed. The government is
pretty loosely managed.
McCloskey: They badly need medicine, etc.
Ottinger: They admitted they were desperate.
McCloskey: The Lao and the Thai are right across the river from each
other. The question is whether they will stimulate insurgency in Thailand.
The President: Is the Lao Government independent or pro-North Vietnam,
or pro-Chinese, or pro-Soviet?
Montgomery: I think the North Vietnamese call the shots. There are
some Soviets there also. We did see some.
McCloskey: They are not as sure of their control as in North Vietnam.
(SECREY/NODIS/XGDS
LERAR,
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
4
The President: Are there MIA's in Cambodia?
Montgomery: Yes, 30. We couldn't even make contact with them.
The President: We couldn't either, during Mayaguez.
Gilman: The JCRC have 23 North Vietnamese MIA's which we could
use for exchange.
The President: I appreciate this information. Let us take a good look
at the situation and what can be done. I will talk to Kissinger.
Ottinger: He has bitter memories. What we have to remember is it
isn't the same.
The President: The first thing is to get the remains back. The second is
to see if we can breach the relationship with the Soviet Union. The Chinese
are worried about that. We will look into it. In the meantime there are
more and more families changing status.
Montgomery: We have an agreement with DOD that there will be no
status changes unless requested until after our report in September.
The parents are the biggest problem. Some of them don't ever want a
change. There is a tremendous financial difference.
*
*
*
*
*
Montgomery: Maybe the UNHCR could work with the new MIA agency
in Hanoi on this MIA data.
McCloskey: We are getting some plastic surgeons to go over to help
some children. They give time each year to do things like this. They
have done this work on a doctor-to-doctor basis, not only in the US
but in Latin America and other areas.
Gilman: They went out of their way to make a clear gesture of these
three bodies. I think through some gesture on your part we can keep the
ball rolling.
The President: What would you suggest?
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
5
Gilman: I think the aid is best.
McCloskey: I, of course, tend toward trade, but they really lack hotel
facilities. There are people here who would like to go in there.
Ottinger: I would like to resolve it all at once rather than at a snail's pace.
Give recognition, get a neutral agency to go in to look for sites -- let the
American people know these are tied together.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
P/Moutgorney Center menters (MA's)
2
Purall calk)
/26 form 76
P
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if Knowedy would yetene ball.
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them no very to get econer information
and. (Inentronal things which could be love)
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drilling.
FORD
LIBRARY & RALD 76
P Ham injury MVA's di you thank and byt in UN
m
Pera about a Colin of 25 00 odd M.A 1 hant
Ithish not more than 250 backs cent he
rement. many purts invived - injust, animals,
vegetation, its.
P
Home you had any Wagus contact
Inc
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Saturday.
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w of the your Famari speech wastern officiation
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C and of Indi, + thil
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here but you would get along w/ his of
crelles 1 ling,
we wout B way wy by sipt. State has
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or/ then, livinge your to haster are
el yourcal fisher. State thinks lifting
trank ben is too has a hat
P
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give chenn vilpder
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smo a Sov- or a Chines
P
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an lade everying m three to Hoy.
GERALD RALD A FORD HERART
- HanHAK sain w/PNO.
They and is there were two ams. abive.
no info on whine they crashed. Girt is presty
loosily managed.
We
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w Grangles UNHCR ended unrk w/c new MAIA cequiry in
Hammin on cheses This N/A dates,
FORD LIBRARY RALD GERALD
X
Grop in Cula
We 3 1 and gathing some plactic Angements & grown
to help forst children Tung give time each
year & le things Whe this. They home drue
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them at smills pace. Grint recognition, get
whited agency to p in & lark for intes- ST
and
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2 thing Dong
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD RALD 30