(ESTIMATED DATE) HANOI'S POSITION ON AND ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE ISSUE OF U.S.

Created: 8/1/1981

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING-IN-ACTION.IN IN DOC

OP EARLY, NEITHER THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OPVIETNAM (SRV) GOVERNMENT NOR THE VIETNAMESE OMHUNIST PARTY HADATIONAL-LEVEL SEARCH IN INDOCHINA. PERSONNEL MISSING-IN-ACTION (MIA) IN THE INDOCHINA WAR ENDING WITHIN THE SRV MINISTRY OF INTERIOR (ENV) NO MENTION WAS EVER MADE OP AN SRV OFFICE- TO HANDLE MIA HATTERS. FOR NORTH VIETNAM THE SRV MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE HAS RECORDS OPIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN IN THE. LTHOUGH HANOI GAINED CONTROL OF SOUTH VIETNAM AND LAOS ND KAMPUCHEA ITS CAPABILITY TO ACCpUNT FOR PRISONERS OF WAR (POW'S) AND MIA'S HAS NOT BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY ORGANIZED. SOME SRVHAVE

ON HANOI'S MANIPULATION OF THE MIA BARGAINING CHIP TO SEEK CONCESSIONS FROM THE

.

IF THE SRV STILL. PERSONNEL, THEY COULD POSSIBLY BE LOCATED AT FOUR SITES IN NORTR VIETNAM. END SUMMARY.

1. AS OF EARLY NEITHER THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OP VIETNAM (SRV) NOR ITS RULING VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY (VNCP) POLITBURO HAD ORDERED ANY NATIONAL-LEVEL SEARCH FOR THE REMAINS. HISSING-IN-ACTION (MIA) PERSONNEL IN THE SRV, LAOS OR IN KAMPUCHEA. POLITBURO POLICY ON. PRISONER OF WAR (POWJ/HIA ISSUE WAS CLASSIFIEDTATE SECRET ANO WAS NOT PUBLICIZED IN CIVILIAN AND MILITARY STATE AND VNCP AGENCIES OR TO THE VIETNAMESE POPULACE. HANOI APPEARED PROUD Or TBE FACTJTHAT SOME (NUMBER UNKNOWN). PQW'S. HIA REMAINS HAD NOT BEEN RETURNED TO. . POtf/MTA ISSUE WAS BEING KEPT ALIVE AS "BARGAINING CHIPS" TO PRESSURE. GOVERNMENT TO CARRY OUT PROVISIONS OF3 PARIS AGREEMENT.)

FOR RELEASE

AUGS7

E CaTE T

AS Of EARLY JURE THERE WAS NO ORGANIZED;

SEARCH TOR THE REMAINS. PERSONNEL IN THE SRV,

KAMPUCHEA. NO INSTRUCTIONS WERE ISSUED BT THE SRV GOV OFFICES, INCLUDING THBf OI VU

SUBORDINATE ECHELONS TO LOOK. REMAINS. WITHIN CIRCLES, NO MENTION WAS EVER MAD^OFAf^OFFICE CREATED; TO SEARCH. REMAINS. IF SUCH

EXISTED, PERSONNEL WOULD BE DRAWN PROM THE BNV, MINISTRY NATIONAL DEFENSE AND THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. WOULD HAVE NO FUNCTION TO PERFORM OTHER THAN ACTING AS FRONT TO. REPRESENTATIVES DURING. MIA ISSUE. )

FOR THE NORTHERN PART Or THE SRV, THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE (MND) BAS COMPLETE RECORDS OF ALL XJ.Sl AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN BT TIME, DATE AND PLACE, AS WELL AS DATA ON CAPTURED AND DEAD AIR CREW MEMBERS BETWEEN4 THE BNV (EPT COMPLETE RECORDS ON. POW'S WHO HAD BEEN TRANSFERRED TO PRISON FACILITIES WHICH WERE ADMINISTERED BY THED WHERE INTERROGATIONS WERE CONDUCTEO. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CENTRAL HOA LO PRISON IN HANOI WAS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN ADMINISTERED BJf THE BNV PRISONS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT TBE HOA LO PRISON WAS THE ONLY KNOWN PRISON FACILITY WHICH WAS PHYSICALLY GUARDED BY THE BNV. AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PRISON FACILITIES. PERSONNEL WERE GUARDED BT MND GENERAL POLITICAL DEPARTMENT MILITARY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT (CUC OUAS PHAP/CCP) PERSONNEL IN JOINT ACTION WITH THE BNV. THE SON TAY PRISON WAS THE ONLYACILITT GUARDED BY THE * '

TO ACCOUNT

4. AS FAR AS THE SOUTHERN SRV AND LAOS^ KAMPUCHEA9 ARE CONCERNED, HANOI'S CAPABILITY. POW'S AND MIA REMAINS WAS NOT AS SYSTEMATICALLY ORGANIZED AS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY. NEVERTHELESS, HANOI THROUGH ITS BNV AND THE HND COULD TASK ITS SUBORDINATE COMMANDS IN THE SOUTHERN SRV TO SEARCH. REMAINS IT IT DESIKED. NO ORDER TO DO SO WAS ISSUED THROUGH BNV CHANNELS AStLY JUNE

jj

U.S. USE

OF. MIA

OME SRV PERSONNEL HAVE MADE ON THE MIA ISSUE SINCE THE COMMUNISTENIOR COLONEL VOMAN TECHNICAL RECONNAISSANCEOLITICAL STUDYNV REPRESENTATION FOR SOUTH VIETNAM POLITICAL STUDY SESSION, HANG COMMENT (DUONG LOI CHIEN LUC SUPPORTED THE OBJECT AND WOULD BREAK THE SRV STRATEGY WAS. GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDEEANS WERE TO CONDUCT DIALOGUES ON. RELIGIOUS, CHARITABLE AND OTHER

COMHESTS ON HANOI'S POSITION VICTORY JIN DIRECTOR OF THE SRV BNV. CUC TRINH SAT KYHEEPARTMENT OF THE IRSVN) IN HCMC. DURING THE ED ON THE STRATEGIC TACTICS

. , ELATIONS WITH. T" EFFORTS OF TEE ISRV. THE ISSUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE ID FOR THE SRV. THE. MIA ISSUE tjlTH PRIVATE GROUPS. HANOI HOPED

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ld)(D

THAT THESE GROUPS WOULD GENERATE PRESSURE ON. GOVERNMENT

ICTIVP THE SRV CHIEVE ITS

ANOTHER EN HUU IN VAGUE IN ORDER

AND THAT THESE GROUPS WOULD IN TURN PROVIDE SOMEEDICAL AID TO THE SRV. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WAS TO SYMPATHY FOR THE SRV AND TO DEMONSTRATEUMANENESS TOWARD THE AMERICAN POPULACE, WHICH WOULD HELP HANOIGOAL OF ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH

7. OTHER COMMENTS TO THIS CPPECT WERE MADE DURING POLITICAL STUDY SESSION IN9 BY BNV MAJORHAC)) TO KG-33 PERSONNEL IN HCMC; MAJOR KHAC STATED BUT UNDERSTANDABLE TERMS THAT "KE HAVE BARGAINING CHIPS TO ASK THEM CARRY OUT THE AGRERNEKTS SIGNED IN PARIS.

Original document.

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