Report on POW-MIA Relatives&#039; Trip to Geneva and Paris

Report on POW-MIA Relatives' Trip to Geneva and Paris

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Extent (Dublin Core): 8 Pages
File Name (Dublin Core): s-con_293_018_005
Title (Dublin Core): Report on POW-MIA Relatives' Trip to Geneva and Paris
Description (Dublin Core): Report on Relatives' of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action soldiers trip to Geneva and Paris. Includes schedule of the trip.
Date (Dublin Core): 1971-06-10
Date Created (Dublin Core): 1971-06-10
Congress (Dublin Core): 92nd (1971-1973)
Creator (Dublin Core): Standerwick, Carolyn; Thomte, Marian
Record Type (Dublin Core): reports
Names (Dublin Core): See all items with this value National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
Location representation (Dublin Core): See all items with this value Geneva; See all items with this value Paris
Rights (Dublin Core): http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/
Language (Dublin Core): eng
Collection Finding Aid (Dublin Core): https://dolearchivecollections.ku.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=31&q=
Physical Location (Dublin Core): Collection 002, Box 293, Folder 18
Institution (Dublin Core): Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Archival Collection (Dublin Core): Robert J. Dole Senate Papers-Constituent Relations, 1969-1996
Full Text (Extract Text): This document is from the collections at the Dole Archives, University of Kansas
http://dolearchives.ku.edu

June 10, 1971

Dear Wives and Families,
We have returned recently from a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, France, and have compiled a brief report on our personal experiences while in those countries. As you know, this trip was sponsored by the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in S.E. Asia, and only family members were on the chartered flight. We felt out trip was worthwhile, in that it focused attention again on the plight of our loved ones, and we feel much more awareness of the sit- uation exists in those countries we fisited than was previously the case. (Carolyn visited Copenhagen, Denmark, also.)

We sincerely regret that we were unable to deliver the letters you sent with us to your loved one, to any Ambassador or representative for forwarding to the prison camps in S.E Asia. We attempped toddo so in Geneva, and Paris, and even sent them along with the delegation that visited Brussels, where they were taken to every Embassy that was visited. Every representative told us that they should be mailed VIA Moscow. Since we felt this was a choice you might wish to make yourself, we have brought them home with us, and are returning them to you.

The news release given by Mrs. Vinson on our return to this country was not presented to our group, and does not necessarily reflect the thinking of those of us who made the trip. We have talked with the Chairman of the Board of the National League of Families, and were advised that there had been no board meeting to approve the release. She felt that it may have been misinterpreted by the press. We suggest that you write to League Headquarters for a copy of the release, if you have not already received one, and than make known your own personal feelings to the Board regarding this release.
(handwritten by paragraph: enclosed)

Sincerely,
(signatures)
Mrs. Robert Standerwick (Carolyn)
Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian)

(While in Washington, I visited with Rep. McCollister, and in the offices of Senators Hruska and Curtis. They assured me that they would do everything possible to keep the prisoner issue a high priority in Congress. A petition was being circulated that week, and every member of Congress was being contacted, on behalf of the prisoners and missing men in South Vietnam.) (Marian)

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Brief Report on Trip to Geneva, Paris and Other European Capitols on Behalf of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Personnel.

May 21, 1971 Dulles International Airport, Washington D C.

7:00 p.m. EST 174 family members from all over the United States assembled at Dulles International Airport for the chartered flight to Geneva and Paris. A press conference was held, and the members received an intelligence briefing. Flight delayed because of illness of navigator. Finally boarded Overseas National Flight No. 397 at 1:15 a.m. May 22. Trans-Atlantic flight was uneventful and smooth. An aura of subdued optimism prevails.

May 22, 1971
2:00 p.m. Geneva Time Arrived Geneva Airport. Greeted by news media on arrival. Press conference with Mrs. Vinson. League Headquarters established at the Intercontinental Hotel.

8:00 p.m. Dinner meeting in the Ballroom of Hotel Intercontinental. Discussion of best approach in making the legal representatives to the Red Cross sponsored Conference aware of our presence, so that hope- fully the prisoner of war issue as it pertains to the current conflict in S.E. Asia would be discussed. The plight of our relatives held prisoner or missing was not scheduled to be on the agenda of the Geneva Conference.

May 23, 1971. Sunday
Members attended church services of their choice. Spent the afternoon planning with other members meetings to be held with various embassies or missions, and international organizations.

8:p.m. Meeting of family members to formalize our plans to make the delegates to the Conference aware of our presence and our purpose in being in Geneva. The decision was made that telegrams would be sent to each of the delegates from the National League of Families, and that letters would be presented to each delegate the following day as they entered the Conference. (Copy of letter enclosed). The announcement was made that Peter Kalisher of CBS news was in Geneva and is making a 2 hour documentary on the Prisoner of War situation. Some of the family members were photographed today for this documentary. We also signed up to meet in smaller groups with the delegates to the Conference, and to make our own appointments with them. (Try to contact on a one-to-one basis.) We would be stressing two points: 1) That they recommend to their government that they reinforce their own resolution as a signator to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to uphold Article I: "that the High Contracting Parties undertake to
respect and to insure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," and 2) that they give serious consideration to Article 109 of the Geneva Convention with the view of offerring their country as a "neutral country" that would be willing to accommodate the sick and wounded and/or the able-boded men who have undergone a long period of confinement. This last reference would include all prisoners of war held in S.E. Asia, and not just American POWs.

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P. 2 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 24, 1971 Monday

9:30 a.m. Family members assembled quietly outside the door to the Conference Room where the delegates were meeting. We formed a double line in the corridor, each of us had a few copies of the letter to hand to the delegates as they arrived. Several delegates began arriving, and accepted our letters. We were then advised by Marcell Naville, the president of the International Red Cross Societies, that it was illegal for the representatives to the Conference to bring in any material which was not authorized. He asked us to leave, which we did, quietly. We then assembled on the steps leading to the lower level of the hotel and a group picture was taken before we dispersed. (Copies of this picture, 8 x 10, are available from the League office at a cost of $2.00 each.)

Afternoon Individual meetings with small groups of family members with the legal representatives to the Conference were held. (Copies enclosed of summary of some of these meetings.) Several family members (40) left for 9 other European Capitols; Madrid, Spain, Rome, Italy, Stockholm, Sweden, Vienna, Austria, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Copen- hagen, Denmark, Brussels, Belgium, London, England, and Warsaw, Pol- and.

6:30 Meetings were also held throughout the day with the World Council of Churches Director of International Affairs, International Labor Organ- ization, and the United Nations Rep. for Refugee Problems.

6:30 p.m. Reception at U.S. Mission with Ambassador Rimestad.

May 25, 1971 Tuesday

10:00 a.m. Meeting with Marcel Naville, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He assured us that the Red Cross "will spare no effort on behalf of the prisoners and missing men". We were briefed in small groups on the Prisoner of War Tracing methods. (There are 50 million missing persons on the tracing lists.)

1O:30 a.m. A small group met with Representatives of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies at office of World Alliance of YMCA's. Repres- ents 100 different humanitarian voluntary organizations dealing with problems of refugees and aid to underdeveloped countries. Several sug- gestions were made and the promise that they would pursue ideas about what their organizations might do. They gave us the impression that we should try to get more Asian countries involved in our plea, espec- ially Japan and India. Mention was made that many MIA men are possibly being hidden in the jungles by the peasants, who trust no one, as in WW II, during the conflict with the Japanese.

Afternoon Meeting with Sec. Gen. Beer, League of Red Cross Societies. Mr. Beer has visited Hanoi twice and also Laos. He emphasized the need of the Red Cross to remain neutral in order to be effective, and that Hanoi looks upon visits by the Red Cross Representatives as political. We got the feeling that he was optimistic about the resolution of the POW/MIA situation. He suggested that we should get a full commitment from Congress and our elected officials to try to find new angles.

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P. 3 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 26, 1971 Wednesday
Traveled to Paris in four separate flights. Press conference on ar- rival. Dinner meeting in Paris at Intercontinental Hotel. Asked to contact same embassies in Paris that we had contacted in Geneva. Dis- cussed assembling at Paris Peace talks the following day.

May 27, 1971 Thursday

9:00 a.m. Behind barricades across the street from the Hotel Majestic, where the International Conference (Paris Peace Talks) are being held. (Avenue Kleber). We assembled quietly and conducted a silent vigil until 3:30 p.m. We watched the various delegates to the Conference arrive; the Americans (Mr. Habib) in an unpretentious black Plymouth, the North Vietnamese, headed by Xuan Thuy, in a caravan of five cars, the Provisional Revolutionary Government (NLF or Viet Cong) headed by Madame Binh, and the South Vietnamese (Mr.Pham Dang Lam)-who waved to us. There were at least 100 Paris Police in the area, some of whom spoke English and were quite sympathetic to our cause, and expressed concern for our men. Several of these police who went off duty at 1 p.m. returned in civilian clothes to stand with us behind the bar- ricades. I think they had expected us to be the usual "protest" type, and were impressed by our quiet, dignified presence. Incidentally, we gave the French police about 200 "mini-stickers"- at their request. Although the North Vietnamese and the Provisional Revolutionary Govern- ment representatives did not acknowledge our presence, we felt certain that they knew we were there. In fact, the matter of the return of the 570 North Vietnamese prisoners held by South Vietnam was discussed at the sessions that day. ( The arrangements for the return). Several newsmen present asked the NVN and PRG representatives if they planned to meet with us. The PRG refused. The NVN indicated that they did not have time, but if we contacted the Embassy, an appointment might be arranged to meet with a small delegation from our group. This was done immediately, but after several phone calls and telegrams, they still refused to set up an appointment. We were disappointed , of course, and several people tried on an individual basis to see them. One man from Iowa did succeed in getting into the Embassy and met with 5 representatives of the NVN, but was unable to obtain any information.

6:30 p.m. Reception at the American Embassy with Ambassador Watson

May 28, 1971 Friday

Morning Meeting with Mr. Habib, U.S. delegate to the Paris Peace Talks. Mr Habib reviewed the 2 stages of the American position on the prisoners of was situation; treatment and release. He said, we insist that the standards of the Geneva Convention, which are very specific and pre- cise regarding identification, impartial inspection, treatment of sick and wounded, and free flow of mail must be abided by, and that the sick and wounded should be released and/or interred in a neutral country. From the very first we made it clear we would release all of theirs for all of ours. In 1969, when it became clear that we were not achiev- ing a significant improvment, a conscious effort was made to make it a stronger issue. This effort paralleled the movement by Congress, the families, and the press, and the matter was brought up in a more spec-

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P. 4 Report on Geneva/ Paris trip

ific manner. It was made a major issue in the Paris Talks. The enemy has known all along how valuable these men are, but they are now more aware that the public in the U.S. are appalled by the treat- ment our men are receiving. We know that there are men held in the South, they admit to this, but we don't know how many. We know that they know whom they hold, but they will not release a list until it serves their own best interests. They refuse inspection by the ICRC, we offerred to accept any other neutral team, but they do not respond. The current position of the Communists is that if the U.S. declares it will withdraw by a specific date which is specifically the date that they want, they will "discuss" the prisoners issue then. The NVN are using the men as "pawns" or hostages for their own political gains. Their objective is to get all they can without giving any- thing in return. Mr. Habib assured us that all the POW camps in SVN are inspected by the ICRC. He also stated that the U.S. delegation to the Conference will not make a "circus" out of the talks, even if the Communists chose to do so, but will stick to the issues at hand.

Afternoon Pursued meetings with various delegations and embassies in Paris. Several members of our group attended a Catholic Mass with delegates from S.E. Asia, France, and the United States.

May 29, 1971 Saturday
Returned to Washington, D.C. A few brief reports were given on the plane enroute home by family members who had visited other coun- tries. We are enclosing brief resumes of these reports.

Summaries of the trips to various countries will be forwarded by the office of the National League of Families.

An attempt was made to deliver letters from the families to the prisoners to the various legal representatives in Geneva, and the several Embassies in other countries. They were not accepted, and every delegation stressed that the letters should be mailed VIA Moscow.

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POW-MIA NEWS RELEASE
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1 Constitution Avenue, N. E. , Washington, D. C. 20002 ... (202) xxxxxxxx 628-6811
CONTACT: (your name)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PLAN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of more than 165 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American servicemen will leave Dulles Airport, Washington, D. C. at 9 p.m., May 21, on a special mission to Geneva, Switzerland; Paris and other world capitals. Their objectives will be: (1) to seek support from all countries for provisions of the Geneva Convention, and (2) to ask the North Vietnamese and NLF delegations for a firm commitment regarding release of prisoners of war so that the way can be cleared for withdrawal of U. S. troops from Indochina.

A group of relatives from the state of will represent families of MIA/POW's from this area.

The group will travel first to Geneva to appeal for support for the Geneva Convention. The international agreement will be the subject of a meeting May 24 in the Swiss city of international legal experts representing more than 30 countries. The session will be held under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Among the countries which have indicated they will send representatives are the United States, the Soviet Union and East Germany.

Members of the League of Families will call on delegates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insuring that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention, which was signed by all parties to the conflict in Vietnam.

"We hope to express our concern for all prisoners of war, and all those affected by the conflict in Vietnam. We hope the countries represented at this meeting will resolve to demand impartial inspection of all POW camps, a complete accounting of all prisoners and those missing, immediate release of the sick and wounded, and that mail flow be in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention", explains Mrs. Joan Vinson, National Coordinator of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.

The second major phase of the trip will take more than 100 of the family members to Paris on May 26, where they hope to meet with North Vietnamese ond Provisional Revolutionary Government representatives. Their purpose will be to appeal for a fire commitment for release of prisoners of war hold by them and their allies, which would clear the way for total with- drawal of U. S. troops from South Vietnam.

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2

The family members' trip to Paris is motivated by President Nixon's April 29th statement that "as far as any action on our part of ending American involvement completely, and that means a total withdrawal is concerned, that will have to be delayed until we get not just the promise to discuss the release of our prisoners, but a commitment to release our prisoners ... " Such a commitment from the other side, the wives and relatives feel, could lead to an immediate breakthrough in settling the war. They also will urge acceptance of the Swedish government's offer to intern all POW's of the Vietnam conflict.

Members of the family group also will travel to other European cities, to visit government officials, embassy delegations and local offices of the ICRC in their quest for support. Most are paying all of their own expenses; some have received support from local citizens groups in their home areas.

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National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia

Nebraska Chapter CONTACT: Mrs. Dennis Thomto 391-3850 (Asst. Co-ord.)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PARTICIPATE IN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of 174 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American service- men returned Sunday after an 8 day mission to Geneva, Paris, and 9 other European Capitols. Among them were Mrs. Robert L. Standerwick (Carolyn) whose husband, Lt. Col. Robert L. Standerwick has been missing in action since Fob. 1971, and Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian), whose brother, Capt. Loren H. Torkelson has been a prisoner in NVN since April, 1967. Mrs. Standerwick and Mrs. Thomte were the only representatives who attended from Nebraska.

The main goal of the first portion of the trip in Genova was to ask the representa- tives of some 35 countries to respect and insure respect for the Genova Conventions of 1949 relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. Though we have no way of knowing the ultimate results of our offorts, we do know that on the first day of the Conference, the matter of prisoners of war- which had not previously been on the agenda for discusssion- was introduced by another country. While in Geneva, members of the League of Families called on delogates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insur- ing that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention. Mootings were also hold with the World Council of Churches, the ICRC, the International Council of Voluntary Agon- cies, and the United Nations Council for Rofugoes.

On May 27th, in Paris, our entire group observed the arrivals of the four parties in- volved in the Peace Talks. Reporters prosent asked the North Vietnamese and Provisional Revolutionary Government delegations if our members would be permitted an audience with either of their delegations. Tho PRG representative refused. The NVN representative stated that he did not feel that members of his delegation would have time to meet with us, but indicated that we should contact their embassy for an appointment with a small number of our members. We were unsuccesful in arranging such a meeting. Needless to say, we were extremely disappointed in the other sides refusal to see us. We believe that if they are sincero in their desire for a lasting peace, they would open their doors to the people who have truly sufferred the effects of this tragic war. We had hoped to contact the PRG and NVN to ask them to make a public commitment to Ambassador Bruce regarding the release and accounting of the prisoners and missing men. We have been deeply frustrated by the reports of various congressmen and newsmen and other groups who sincerely believe that the other side has made a commitment for the release of prisoners of war. Howover, no such statement is on the official record.

We feel that our presence in Coneva was a positive one, and because of this, our problem was brought up. Our vigil at Paris was a symbol of unity- a peaceful observation, done in good taste and in a dignified manner. We feel we have gained international support for our humanitarian cause, and the results may be far-reaching for future conflicts, as well as the present ono ..

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June 10, 1971

Dear Wives and Families,
We have returned recently from a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, France, and have compiled a brief report on our personal experiences while in those countries. As you know, this trip was sponsored by the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in S.E. Asia, and only family members were on the chartered flight. We felt out trip was worthwhile, in that it focused attention again on the plight of our loved ones, and we feel much more awareness of the sit- uation exists in those countries we fisited than was previously the case. (Carolyn visited Copenhagen, Denmark, also.)

We sincerely regret that we were unable to deliver the letters you sent with us to your loved one, to any Ambassador or representative for forwarding to the prison camps in S.E Asia. We attempped toddo so in Geneva, and Paris, and even sent them along with the delegation that visited Brussels, where they were taken to every Embassy that was visited. Every representative told us that they should be mailed VIA Moscow. Since we felt this was a choice you might wish to make yourself, we have brought them home with us, and are returning them to you.

The news release given by Mrs. Vinson on our return to this country was not presented to our group, and does not necessarily reflect the thinking of those of us who made the trip. We have talked with the Chairman of the Board of the National League of Families, and were advised that there had been no board meeting to approve the release. She felt that it may have been misinterpreted by the press. We suggest that you write to League Headquarters for a copy of the release, if you have not already received one, and than make known your own personal feelings to the Board regarding this release.
(handwritten by paragraph: enclosed)

Sincerely,
(signatures)
Mrs. Robert Standerwick (Carolyn)
Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian)

(While in Washington, I visited with Rep. McCollister, and in the offices of Senators Hruska and Curtis. They assured me that they would do everything possible to keep the prisoner issue a high priority in Congress. A petition was being circulated that week, and every member of Congress was being contacted, on behalf of the prisoners and missing men in South Vietnam.) (Marian)

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Brief Report on Trip to Geneva, Paris and Other European Capitols on Behalf of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Personnel.

May 21, 1971 Dulles International Airport, Washington D C.

7:00 p.m. EST 174 family members from all over the United States assembled at Dulles International Airport for the chartered flight to Geneva and Paris. A press conference was held, and the members received an intelligence briefing. Flight delayed because of illness of navigator. Finally boarded Overseas National Flight No. 397 at 1:15 a.m. May 22. Trans-Atlantic flight was uneventful and smooth. An aura of subdued optimism prevails.

May 22, 1971
2:00 p.m. Geneva Time Arrived Geneva Airport. Greeted by news media on arrival. Press conference with Mrs. Vinson. League Headquarters established at the Intercontinental Hotel.

8:00 p.m. Dinner meeting in the Ballroom of Hotel Intercontinental. Discussion of best approach in making the legal representatives to the Red Cross sponsored Conference aware of our presence, so that hope- fully the prisoner of war issue as it pertains to the current conflict in S.E. Asia would be discussed. The plight of our relatives held prisoner or missing was not scheduled to be on the agenda of the Geneva Conference.

May 23, 1971. Sunday
Members attended church services of their choice. Spent the afternoon planning with other members meetings to be held with various embassies or missions, and international organizations.

8:p.m. Meeting of family members to formalize our plans to make the delegates to the Conference aware of our presence and our purpose in being in Geneva. The decision was made that telegrams would be sent to each of the delegates from the National League of Families, and that letters would be presented to each delegate the following day as they entered the Conference. (Copy of letter enclosed). The announcement was made that Peter Kalisher of CBS news was in Geneva and is making a 2 hour documentary on the Prisoner of War situation. Some of the family members were photographed today for this documentary. We also signed up to meet in smaller groups with the delegates to the Conference, and to make our own appointments with them. (Try to contact on a one-to-one basis.) We would be stressing two points: 1) That they recommend to their government that they reinforce their own resolution as a signator to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to uphold Article I: "that the High Contracting Parties undertake to
respect and to insure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," and 2) that they give serious consideration to Article 109 of the Geneva Convention with the view of offerring their country as a "neutral country" that would be willing to accommodate the sick and wounded and/or the able-boded men who have undergone a long period of confinement. This last reference would include all prisoners of war held in S.E. Asia, and not just American POWs.

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P. 2 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 24, 1971 Monday

9:30 a.m. Family members assembled quietly outside the door to the Conference Room where the delegates were meeting. We formed a double line in the corridor, each of us had a few copies of the letter to hand to the delegates as they arrived. Several delegates began arriving, and accepted our letters. We were then advised by Marcell Naville, the president of the International Red Cross Societies, that it was illegal for the representatives to the Conference to bring in any material which was not authorized. He asked us to leave, which we did, quietly. We then assembled on the steps leading to the lower level of the hotel and a group picture was taken before we dispersed. (Copies of this picture, 8 x 10, are available from the League office at a cost of $2.00 each.)

Afternoon Individual meetings with small groups of family members with the legal representatives to the Conference were held. (Copies enclosed of summary of some of these meetings.) Several family members (40) left for 9 other European Capitols; Madrid, Spain, Rome, Italy, Stockholm, Sweden, Vienna, Austria, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Copen- hagen, Denmark, Brussels, Belgium, London, England, and Warsaw, Pol- and.

6:30 Meetings were also held throughout the day with the World Council of Churches Director of International Affairs, International Labor Organ- ization, and the United Nations Rep. for Refugee Problems.

6:30 p.m. Reception at U.S. Mission with Ambassador Rimestad.

May 25, 1971 Tuesday

10:00 a.m. Meeting with Marcel Naville, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He assured us that the Red Cross "will spare no effort on behalf of the prisoners and missing men". We were briefed in small groups on the Prisoner of War Tracing methods. (There are 50 million missing persons on the tracing lists.)

1O:30 a.m. A small group met with Representatives of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies at office of World Alliance of YMCA's. Repres- ents 100 different humanitarian voluntary organizations dealing with problems of refugees and aid to underdeveloped countries. Several sug- gestions were made and the promise that they would pursue ideas about what their organizations might do. They gave us the impression that we should try to get more Asian countries involved in our plea, espec- ially Japan and India. Mention was made that many MIA men are possibly being hidden in the jungles by the peasants, who trust no one, as in WW II, during the conflict with the Japanese.

Afternoon Meeting with Sec. Gen. Beer, League of Red Cross Societies. Mr. Beer has visited Hanoi twice and also Laos. He emphasized the need of the Red Cross to remain neutral in order to be effective, and that Hanoi looks upon visits by the Red Cross Representatives as political. We got the feeling that he was optimistic about the resolution of the POW/MIA situation. He suggested that we should get a full commitment from Congress and our elected officials to try to find new angles.

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P. 3 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 26, 1971 Wednesday
Traveled to Paris in four separate flights. Press conference on ar- rival. Dinner meeting in Paris at Intercontinental Hotel. Asked to contact same embassies in Paris that we had contacted in Geneva. Dis- cussed assembling at Paris Peace talks the following day.

May 27, 1971 Thursday

9:00 a.m. Behind barricades across the street from the Hotel Majestic, where the International Conference (Paris Peace Talks) are being held. (Avenue Kleber). We assembled quietly and conducted a silent vigil until 3:30 p.m. We watched the various delegates to the Conference arrive; the Americans (Mr. Habib) in an unpretentious black Plymouth, the North Vietnamese, headed by Xuan Thuy, in a caravan of five cars, the Provisional Revolutionary Government (NLF or Viet Cong) headed by Madame Binh, and the South Vietnamese (Mr.Pham Dang Lam)-who waved to us. There were at least 100 Paris Police in the area, some of whom spoke English and were quite sympathetic to our cause, and expressed concern for our men. Several of these police who went off duty at 1 p.m. returned in civilian clothes to stand with us behind the bar- ricades. I think they had expected us to be the usual "protest" type, and were impressed by our quiet, dignified presence. Incidentally, we gave the French police about 200 "mini-stickers"- at their request. Although the North Vietnamese and the Provisional Revolutionary Govern- ment representatives did not acknowledge our presence, we felt certain that they knew we were there. In fact, the matter of the return of the 570 North Vietnamese prisoners held by South Vietnam was discussed at the sessions that day. ( The arrangements for the return). Several newsmen present asked the NVN and PRG representatives if they planned to meet with us. The PRG refused. The NVN indicated that they did not have time, but if we contacted the Embassy, an appointment might be arranged to meet with a small delegation from our group. This was done immediately, but after several phone calls and telegrams, they still refused to set up an appointment. We were disappointed , of course, and several people tried on an individual basis to see them. One man from Iowa did succeed in getting into the Embassy and met with 5 representatives of the NVN, but was unable to obtain any information.

6:30 p.m. Reception at the American Embassy with Ambassador Watson

May 28, 1971 Friday

Morning Meeting with Mr. Habib, U.S. delegate to the Paris Peace Talks. Mr Habib reviewed the 2 stages of the American position on the prisoners of was situation; treatment and release. He said, we insist that the standards of the Geneva Convention, which are very specific and pre- cise regarding identification, impartial inspection, treatment of sick and wounded, and free flow of mail must be abided by, and that the sick and wounded should be released and/or interred in a neutral country. From the very first we made it clear we would release all of theirs for all of ours. In 1969, when it became clear that we were not achiev- ing a significant improvment, a conscious effort was made to make it a stronger issue. This effort paralleled the movement by Congress, the families, and the press, and the matter was brought up in a more spec-

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P. 4 Report on Geneva/ Paris trip

ific manner. It was made a major issue in the Paris Talks. The enemy has known all along how valuable these men are, but they are now more aware that the public in the U.S. are appalled by the treat- ment our men are receiving. We know that there are men held in the South, they admit to this, but we don't know how many. We know that they know whom they hold, but they will not release a list until it serves their own best interests. They refuse inspection by the ICRC, we offerred to accept any other neutral team, but they do not respond. The current position of the Communists is that if the U.S. declares it will withdraw by a specific date which is specifically the date that they want, they will "discuss" the prisoners issue then. The NVN are using the men as "pawns" or hostages for their own political gains. Their objective is to get all they can without giving any- thing in return. Mr. Habib assured us that all the POW camps in SVN are inspected by the ICRC. He also stated that the U.S. delegation to the Conference will not make a "circus" out of the talks, even if the Communists chose to do so, but will stick to the issues at hand.

Afternoon Pursued meetings with various delegations and embassies in Paris. Several members of our group attended a Catholic Mass with delegates from S.E. Asia, France, and the United States.

May 29, 1971 Saturday
Returned to Washington, D.C. A few brief reports were given on the plane enroute home by family members who had visited other coun- tries. We are enclosing brief resumes of these reports.

Summaries of the trips to various countries will be forwarded by the office of the National League of Families.

An attempt was made to deliver letters from the families to the prisoners to the various legal representatives in Geneva, and the several Embassies in other countries. They were not accepted, and every delegation stressed that the letters should be mailed VIA Moscow.

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POW-MIA NEWS RELEASE
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1 Constitution Avenue, N. E. , Washington, D. C. 20002 ... (202) xxxxxxxx 628-6811
CONTACT: (your name)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PLAN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of more than 165 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American servicemen will leave Dulles Airport, Washington, D. C. at 9 p.m., May 21, on a special mission to Geneva, Switzerland; Paris and other world capitals. Their objectives will be: (1) to seek support from all countries for provisions of the Geneva Convention, and (2) to ask the North Vietnamese and NLF delegations for a firm commitment regarding release of prisoners of war so that the way can be cleared for withdrawal of U. S. troops from Indochina.

A group of relatives from the state of will represent families of MIA/POW's from this area.

The group will travel first to Geneva to appeal for support for the Geneva Convention. The international agreement will be the subject of a meeting May 24 in the Swiss city of international legal experts representing more than 30 countries. The session will be held under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Among the countries which have indicated they will send representatives are the United States, the Soviet Union and East Germany.

Members of the League of Families will call on delegates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insuring that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention, which was signed by all parties to the conflict in Vietnam.

"We hope to express our concern for all prisoners of war, and all those affected by the conflict in Vietnam. We hope the countries represented at this meeting will resolve to demand impartial inspection of all POW camps, a complete accounting of all prisoners and those missing, immediate release of the sick and wounded, and that mail flow be in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention", explains Mrs. Joan Vinson, National Coordinator of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.

The second major phase of the trip will take more than 100 of the family members to Paris on May 26, where they hope to meet with North Vietnamese ond Provisional Revolutionary Government representatives. Their purpose will be to appeal for a fire commitment for release of prisoners of war hold by them and their allies, which would clear the way for total with- drawal of U. S. troops from South Vietnam.

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2

The family members' trip to Paris is motivated by President Nixon's April 29th statement that "as far as any action on our part of ending American involvement completely, and that means a total withdrawal is concerned, that will have to be delayed until we get not just the promise to discuss the release of our prisoners, but a commitment to release our prisoners ... " Such a commitment from the other side, the wives and relatives feel, could lead to an immediate breakthrough in settling the war. They also will urge acceptance of the Swedish government's offer to intern all POW's of the Vietnam conflict.

Members of the family group also will travel to other European cities, to visit government officials, embassy delegations and local offices of the ICRC in their quest for support. Most are paying all of their own expenses; some have received support from local citizens groups in their home areas.

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National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia

Nebraska Chapter CONTACT: Mrs. Dennis Thomto 391-3850 (Asst. Co-ord.)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PARTICIPATE IN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of 174 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American service- men returned Sunday after an 8 day mission to Geneva, Paris, and 9 other European Capitols. Among them were Mrs. Robert L. Standerwick (Carolyn) whose husband, Lt. Col. Robert L. Standerwick has been missing in action since Fob. 1971, and Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian), whose brother, Capt. Loren H. Torkelson has been a prisoner in NVN since April, 1967. Mrs. Standerwick and Mrs. Thomte were the only representatives who attended from Nebraska.

The main goal of the first portion of the trip in Genova was to ask the representa- tives of some 35 countries to respect and insure respect for the Genova Conventions of 1949 relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. Though we have no way of knowing the ultimate results of our offorts, we do know that on the first day of the Conference, the matter of prisoners of war- which had not previously been on the agenda for discusssion- was introduced by another country. While in Geneva, members of the League of Families called on delogates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insur- ing that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention. Mootings were also hold with the World Council of Churches, the ICRC, the International Council of Voluntary Agon- cies, and the United Nations Council for Rofugoes.

On May 27th, in Paris, our entire group observed the arrivals of the four parties in- volved in the Peace Talks. Reporters prosent asked the North Vietnamese and Provisional Revolutionary Government delegations if our members would be permitted an audience with either of their delegations. Tho PRG representative refused. The NVN representative stated that he did not feel that members of his delegation would have time to meet with us, but indicated that we should contact their embassy for an appointment with a small number of our members. We were unsuccesful in arranging such a meeting. Needless to say, we were extremely disappointed in the other sides refusal to see us. We believe that if they are sincero in their desire for a lasting peace, they would open their doors to the people who have truly sufferred the effects of this tragic war. We had hoped to contact the PRG and NVN to ask them to make a public commitment to Ambassador Bruce regarding the release and accounting of the prisoners and missing men. We have been deeply frustrated by the reports of various congressmen and newsmen and other groups who sincerely believe that the other side has made a commitment for the release of prisoners of war. Howover, no such statement is on the official record.

We feel that our presence in Coneva was a positive one, and because of this, our problem was brought up. Our vigil at Paris was a symbol of unity- a peaceful observation, done in good taste and in a dignified manner. We feel we have gained international support for our humanitarian cause, and the results may be far-reaching for future conflicts, as well as the present ono ..

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June 10, 1971

Dear Wives and Families,
We have returned recently from a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, France, and have compiled a brief report on our personal experiences while in those countries. As you know, this trip was sponsored by the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in S.E. Asia, and only family members were on the chartered flight. We felt out trip was worthwhile, in that it focused attention again on the plight of our loved ones, and we feel much more awareness of the sit- uation exists in those countries we fisited than was previously the case. (Carolyn visited Copenhagen, Denmark, also.)

We sincerely regret that we were unable to deliver the letters you sent with us to your loved one, to any Ambassador or representative for forwarding to the prison camps in S.E Asia. We attempped toddo so in Geneva, and Paris, and even sent them along with the delegation that visited Brussels, where they were taken to every Embassy that was visited. Every representative told us that they should be mailed VIA Moscow. Since we felt this was a choice you might wish to make yourself, we have brought them home with us, and are returning them to you.

The news release given by Mrs. Vinson on our return to this country was not presented to our group, and does not necessarily reflect the thinking of those of us who made the trip. We have talked with the Chairman of the Board of the National League of Families, and were advised that there had been no board meeting to approve the release. She felt that it may have been misinterpreted by the press. We suggest that you write to League Headquarters for a copy of the release, if you have not already received one, and than make known your own personal feelings to the Board regarding this release.
(handwritten by paragraph: enclosed)

Sincerely,
(signatures)
Mrs. Robert Standerwick (Carolyn)
Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian)

(While in Washington, I visited with Rep. McCollister, and in the offices of Senators Hruska and Curtis. They assured me that they would do everything possible to keep the prisoner issue a high priority in Congress. A petition was being circulated that week, and every member of Congress was being contacted, on behalf of the prisoners and missing men in South Vietnam.) (Marian)

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Brief Report on Trip to Geneva, Paris and Other European Capitols on Behalf of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Personnel.

May 21, 1971 Dulles International Airport, Washington D C.

7:00 p.m. EST 174 family members from all over the United States assembled at Dulles International Airport for the chartered flight to Geneva and Paris. A press conference was held, and the members received an intelligence briefing. Flight delayed because of illness of navigator. Finally boarded Overseas National Flight No. 397 at 1:15 a.m. May 22. Trans-Atlantic flight was uneventful and smooth. An aura of subdued optimism prevails.

May 22, 1971
2:00 p.m. Geneva Time Arrived Geneva Airport. Greeted by news media on arrival. Press conference with Mrs. Vinson. League Headquarters established at the Intercontinental Hotel.

8:00 p.m. Dinner meeting in the Ballroom of Hotel Intercontinental. Discussion of best approach in making the legal representatives to the Red Cross sponsored Conference aware of our presence, so that hope- fully the prisoner of war issue as it pertains to the current conflict in S.E. Asia would be discussed. The plight of our relatives held prisoner or missing was not scheduled to be on the agenda of the Geneva Conference.

May 23, 1971. Sunday
Members attended church services of their choice. Spent the afternoon planning with other members meetings to be held with various embassies or missions, and international organizations.

8:p.m. Meeting of family members to formalize our plans to make the delegates to the Conference aware of our presence and our purpose in being in Geneva. The decision was made that telegrams would be sent to each of the delegates from the National League of Families, and that letters would be presented to each delegate the following day as they entered the Conference. (Copy of letter enclosed). The announcement was made that Peter Kalisher of CBS news was in Geneva and is making a 2 hour documentary on the Prisoner of War situation. Some of the family members were photographed today for this documentary. We also signed up to meet in smaller groups with the delegates to the Conference, and to make our own appointments with them. (Try to contact on a one-to-one basis.) We would be stressing two points: 1) That they recommend to their government that they reinforce their own resolution as a signator to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to uphold Article I: "that the High Contracting Parties undertake to
respect and to insure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," and 2) that they give serious consideration to Article 109 of the Geneva Convention with the view of offerring their country as a "neutral country" that would be willing to accommodate the sick and wounded and/or the able-boded men who have undergone a long period of confinement. This last reference would include all prisoners of war held in S.E. Asia, and not just American POWs.

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P. 2 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 24, 1971 Monday

9:30 a.m. Family members assembled quietly outside the door to the Conference Room where the delegates were meeting. We formed a double line in the corridor, each of us had a few copies of the letter to hand to the delegates as they arrived. Several delegates began arriving, and accepted our letters. We were then advised by Marcell Naville, the president of the International Red Cross Societies, that it was illegal for the representatives to the Conference to bring in any material which was not authorized. He asked us to leave, which we did, quietly. We then assembled on the steps leading to the lower level of the hotel and a group picture was taken before we dispersed. (Copies of this picture, 8 x 10, are available from the League office at a cost of $2.00 each.)

Afternoon Individual meetings with small groups of family members with the legal representatives to the Conference were held. (Copies enclosed of summary of some of these meetings.) Several family members (40) left for 9 other European Capitols; Madrid, Spain, Rome, Italy, Stockholm, Sweden, Vienna, Austria, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Copen- hagen, Denmark, Brussels, Belgium, London, England, and Warsaw, Pol- and.

6:30 Meetings were also held throughout the day with the World Council of Churches Director of International Affairs, International Labor Organ- ization, and the United Nations Rep. for Refugee Problems.

6:30 p.m. Reception at U.S. Mission with Ambassador Rimestad.

May 25, 1971 Tuesday

10:00 a.m. Meeting with Marcel Naville, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He assured us that the Red Cross "will spare no effort on behalf of the prisoners and missing men". We were briefed in small groups on the Prisoner of War Tracing methods. (There are 50 million missing persons on the tracing lists.)

1O:30 a.m. A small group met with Representatives of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies at office of World Alliance of YMCA's. Repres- ents 100 different humanitarian voluntary organizations dealing with problems of refugees and aid to underdeveloped countries. Several sug- gestions were made and the promise that they would pursue ideas about what their organizations might do. They gave us the impression that we should try to get more Asian countries involved in our plea, espec- ially Japan and India. Mention was made that many MIA men are possibly being hidden in the jungles by the peasants, who trust no one, as in WW II, during the conflict with the Japanese.

Afternoon Meeting with Sec. Gen. Beer, League of Red Cross Societies. Mr. Beer has visited Hanoi twice and also Laos. He emphasized the need of the Red Cross to remain neutral in order to be effective, and that Hanoi looks upon visits by the Red Cross Representatives as political. We got the feeling that he was optimistic about the resolution of the POW/MIA situation. He suggested that we should get a full commitment from Congress and our elected officials to try to find new angles.

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P. 3 Report on Geneva/Paris trip

May 26, 1971 Wednesday
Traveled to Paris in four separate flights. Press conference on ar- rival. Dinner meeting in Paris at Intercontinental Hotel. Asked to contact same embassies in Paris that we had contacted in Geneva. Dis- cussed assembling at Paris Peace talks the following day.

May 27, 1971 Thursday

9:00 a.m. Behind barricades across the street from the Hotel Majestic, where the International Conference (Paris Peace Talks) are being held. (Avenue Kleber). We assembled quietly and conducted a silent vigil until 3:30 p.m. We watched the various delegates to the Conference arrive; the Americans (Mr. Habib) in an unpretentious black Plymouth, the North Vietnamese, headed by Xuan Thuy, in a caravan of five cars, the Provisional Revolutionary Government (NLF or Viet Cong) headed by Madame Binh, and the South Vietnamese (Mr.Pham Dang Lam)-who waved to us. There were at least 100 Paris Police in the area, some of whom spoke English and were quite sympathetic to our cause, and expressed concern for our men. Several of these police who went off duty at 1 p.m. returned in civilian clothes to stand with us behind the bar- ricades. I think they had expected us to be the usual "protest" type, and were impressed by our quiet, dignified presence. Incidentally, we gave the French police about 200 "mini-stickers"- at their request. Although the North Vietnamese and the Provisional Revolutionary Govern- ment representatives did not acknowledge our presence, we felt certain that they knew we were there. In fact, the matter of the return of the 570 North Vietnamese prisoners held by South Vietnam was discussed at the sessions that day. ( The arrangements for the return). Several newsmen present asked the NVN and PRG representatives if they planned to meet with us. The PRG refused. The NVN indicated that they did not have time, but if we contacted the Embassy, an appointment might be arranged to meet with a small delegation from our group. This was done immediately, but after several phone calls and telegrams, they still refused to set up an appointment. We were disappointed , of course, and several people tried on an individual basis to see them. One man from Iowa did succeed in getting into the Embassy and met with 5 representatives of the NVN, but was unable to obtain any information.

6:30 p.m. Reception at the American Embassy with Ambassador Watson

May 28, 1971 Friday

Morning Meeting with Mr. Habib, U.S. delegate to the Paris Peace Talks. Mr Habib reviewed the 2 stages of the American position on the prisoners of was situation; treatment and release. He said, we insist that the standards of the Geneva Convention, which are very specific and pre- cise regarding identification, impartial inspection, treatment of sick and wounded, and free flow of mail must be abided by, and that the sick and wounded should be released and/or interred in a neutral country. From the very first we made it clear we would release all of theirs for all of ours. In 1969, when it became clear that we were not achiev- ing a significant improvment, a conscious effort was made to make it a stronger issue. This effort paralleled the movement by Congress, the families, and the press, and the matter was brought up in a more spec-

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P. 4 Report on Geneva/ Paris trip

ific manner. It was made a major issue in the Paris Talks. The enemy has known all along how valuable these men are, but they are now more aware that the public in the U.S. are appalled by the treat- ment our men are receiving. We know that there are men held in the South, they admit to this, but we don't know how many. We know that they know whom they hold, but they will not release a list until it serves their own best interests. They refuse inspection by the ICRC, we offerred to accept any other neutral team, but they do not respond. The current position of the Communists is that if the U.S. declares it will withdraw by a specific date which is specifically the date that they want, they will "discuss" the prisoners issue then. The NVN are using the men as "pawns" or hostages for their own political gains. Their objective is to get all they can without giving any- thing in return. Mr. Habib assured us that all the POW camps in SVN are inspected by the ICRC. He also stated that the U.S. delegation to the Conference will not make a "circus" out of the talks, even if the Communists chose to do so, but will stick to the issues at hand.

Afternoon Pursued meetings with various delegations and embassies in Paris. Several members of our group attended a Catholic Mass with delegates from S.E. Asia, France, and the United States.

May 29, 1971 Saturday
Returned to Washington, D.C. A few brief reports were given on the plane enroute home by family members who had visited other coun- tries. We are enclosing brief resumes of these reports.

Summaries of the trips to various countries will be forwarded by the office of the National League of Families.

An attempt was made to deliver letters from the families to the prisoners to the various legal representatives in Geneva, and the several Embassies in other countries. They were not accepted, and every delegation stressed that the letters should be mailed VIA Moscow.

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POW-MIA NEWS RELEASE
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1 Constitution Avenue, N. E. , Washington, D. C. 20002 ... (202) xxxxxxxx 628-6811
CONTACT: (your name)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PLAN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of more than 165 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American servicemen will leave Dulles Airport, Washington, D. C. at 9 p.m., May 21, on a special mission to Geneva, Switzerland; Paris and other world capitals. Their objectives will be: (1) to seek support from all countries for provisions of the Geneva Convention, and (2) to ask the North Vietnamese and NLF delegations for a firm commitment regarding release of prisoners of war so that the way can be cleared for withdrawal of U. S. troops from Indochina.

A group of relatives from the state of will represent families of MIA/POW's from this area.

The group will travel first to Geneva to appeal for support for the Geneva Convention. The international agreement will be the subject of a meeting May 24 in the Swiss city of international legal experts representing more than 30 countries. The session will be held under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Among the countries which have indicated they will send representatives are the United States, the Soviet Union and East Germany.

Members of the League of Families will call on delegates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insuring that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention, which was signed by all parties to the conflict in Vietnam.

"We hope to express our concern for all prisoners of war, and all those affected by the conflict in Vietnam. We hope the countries represented at this meeting will resolve to demand impartial inspection of all POW camps, a complete accounting of all prisoners and those missing, immediate release of the sick and wounded, and that mail flow be in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention", explains Mrs. Joan Vinson, National Coordinator of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.

The second major phase of the trip will take more than 100 of the family members to Paris on May 26, where they hope to meet with North Vietnamese ond Provisional Revolutionary Government representatives. Their purpose will be to appeal for a fire commitment for release of prisoners of war hold by them and their allies, which would clear the way for total with- drawal of U. S. troops from South Vietnam.

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The family members' trip to Paris is motivated by President Nixon's April 29th statement that "as far as any action on our part of ending American involvement completely, and that means a total withdrawal is concerned, that will have to be delayed until we get not just the promise to discuss the release of our prisoners, but a commitment to release our prisoners ... " Such a commitment from the other side, the wives and relatives feel, could lead to an immediate breakthrough in settling the war. They also will urge acceptance of the Swedish government's offer to intern all POW's of the Vietnam conflict.

Members of the family group also will travel to other European cities, to visit government officials, embassy delegations and local offices of the ICRC in their quest for support. Most are paying all of their own expenses; some have received support from local citizens groups in their home areas.

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National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia

Nebraska Chapter CONTACT: Mrs. Dennis Thomto 391-3850 (Asst. Co-ord.)

POW-MIA RELATIVES PARTICIPATE IN SPECIAL GENEVA-PARIS MISSIONS
A delegation of 174 wives and relatives of missing and imprisoned American service- men returned Sunday after an 8 day mission to Geneva, Paris, and 9 other European Capitols. Among them were Mrs. Robert L. Standerwick (Carolyn) whose husband, Lt. Col. Robert L. Standerwick has been missing in action since Fob. 1971, and Mrs. Dennis Thomte (Marian), whose brother, Capt. Loren H. Torkelson has been a prisoner in NVN since April, 1967. Mrs. Standerwick and Mrs. Thomte were the only representatives who attended from Nebraska.

The main goal of the first portion of the trip in Genova was to ask the representa- tives of some 35 countries to respect and insure respect for the Genova Conventions of 1949 relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. Though we have no way of knowing the ultimate results of our offorts, we do know that on the first day of the Conference, the matter of prisoners of war- which had not previously been on the agenda for discusssion- was introduced by another country. While in Geneva, members of the League of Families called on delogates to the ICRC meeting to ask their help in insur- ing that all countries comply with the Geneva Convention. Mootings were also hold with the World Council of Churches, the ICRC, the International Council of Voluntary Agon- cies, and the United Nations Council for Rofugoes.

On May 27th, in Paris, our entire group observed the arrivals of the four parties in- volved in the Peace Talks. Reporters prosent asked the North Vietnamese and Provisional Revolutionary Government delegations if our members would be permitted an audience with either of their delegations. Tho PRG representative refused. The NVN representative stated that he did not feel that members of his delegation would have time to meet with us, but indicated that we should contact their embassy for an appointment with a small number of our members. We were unsuccesful in arranging such a meeting. Needless to say, we were extremely disappointed in the other sides refusal to see us. We believe that if they are sincero in their desire for a lasting peace, they would open their doors to the people who have truly sufferred the effects of this tragic war. We had hoped to contact the PRG and NVN to ask them to make a public commitment to Ambassador Bruce regarding the release and accounting of the prisoners and missing men. We have been deeply frustrated by the reports of various congressmen and newsmen and other groups who sincerely believe that the other side has made a commitment for the release of prisoners of war. Howover, no such statement is on the official record.

We feel that our presence in Coneva was a positive one, and because of this, our problem was brought up. Our vigil at Paris was a symbol of unity- a peaceful observation, done in good taste and in a dignified manner. We feel we have gained international support for our humanitarian cause, and the results may be far-reaching for future conflicts, as well as the present ono ..

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