                                             [NAPA0320.TXT 03/20/92] 
NAPA SENTINEL 
FRIDAY MARCH 20, 1992
Under the Banner Headline

BREAKING THE FAITH

EYEBALL-TO-EYEBALL CONTACT WITH AMERICAN POWS By Harry V. Martin Copyright
Napa Sentinel, 1992

No American POWs have yet been extracted from Vietnam by a privately-
financed expeditionary force.  The force has made contact with a few
American A6 pilots who have been held in captivity for nearly 20 years. 
The expeditionary force has safely been removed from Vietnam - some have
returned to the United States while others are awaiting further
instructions in Paris.

The group was seeking the release of 10 American POWs held in Laos. Though
they never made contact with the 10, they did make contact with at least
two or more American pilots.  The expeditionary force has agreed to pay
$200,000 apiece for the 10 POWs.  The American pilots they met were to be
turned over to them for no payment.  Because the Vietnamese government did
not provide exit visas for the pilots, even though they cooperated in the
exchange, the team decided not to bring them out at this time.  They did,
however, photograph them and finger print them.  The photographs and
finger prints were brought back to the United States to verify the pilots'
identifications and to notify their families.

The expeditionary force is under extreme time pressures.  They originally
had until March 27 to accomplish their mission and pay the $2 million for
the 10 unseen American POWs.  It is expected that the Vietnamese government
will provide a 30 day extension to the deadline. The team is making
arrangements to fly the families of the 10 POWs to Southeast Asia -
presumably Burma - to reunite them an to beam as television broadcast of
the reunion to the world.  If the team cannot accomplish its purpose by
April 27 the entire scenario could collapse. The operation was seriously
jeopardized on February 18 when a French journalist prematurely televised
the story of 72 American POWs being held captive.  The French journalist,
with another team, reported the 72 POWs in three camps in southern Vietnam.
What the French journalist probably saw from his helicopter was a
reeducation camp for Vietnamese and not Americans.  The French journalist
did not come into actual contact with any American POWs.  But by
broadcasting the information, the expeditionary force was totally
jeopardized.

The Napa Sentinel did not publish any articles until after the team had
been extracted from the region.  But the field team reports that is
definitely had eyeball-to-eyeball contact with live Americans.

The alarming factor in this event is how it commenced and why.  The Laotian
government, which desires normalization with the United States wanted to
rid itself of all American POWs held in that territory.  It originally had
decided to exterminate the remaining POWs but because of events in the
Soviet Union it was unable to.  When the Soviet government collapsed, the
Laotians feared that if they had exterminated all their prisoners, it would
eventually leak out.  Because the Soviets had know of the POW presence in
Laos, they might have informed the United States government about their
complete whereabouts.  If that information was supplied and the Laotians
could only provide bodies, all hell would have broken loose.

The Laotians in turn asked a Cambodian Prince to intercede on their behalf. 
The Prince worked directly with the Vietnamese government.  The Vietnamese
have been extremely cooperative with the expeditionary force. However, the
United States government has sent in a force of at least 34 special forces
to track down the expeditionary force - it is believed their mission is to
prevent the release.  The U.S. force consisted of four delta teams. 
According to several Senators and Congressmen, if any American POWs are
brought out of Southeast Asia by a private expeditionary force "it will
blow the lid off of Washington".  The United States government has taken an
official position that there are no live American POWs in Southeast Asia. 
This line has been consistent since President Warren Harding's day, when
the Soviets held American World War One prisoners.  The same line was
produced after World War Two and the Korean War, yet a Senate report
explains that thousands upon thousands of U. S. soldiers have been held
prisoners in the Soviet Union.

The Cambodian Prince began negotiations in August 1991.  The expeditionary
force was in Vietnam in early February 1992.  The Vietnamese and Laotian
governments have already established their own face-saving propaganda line
when American POWs begin to flow out of Southeast Asia.  These
governments will indicate that the POWs have been held by renegades and not
regular units of the Vietnamese or Laotian military.  The Vietnamese have
worked closely with the expeditionary force and even escorted them through
the country.

But Vietnam is in an awkward position, to say the least.  It is very short
of hard currency and badly needs normalization with the West.  It, however,
is very nervous about the United States supplying offensive missiles to
China - their arch enemy.  At the same time, the Vietnamese are quietly
making arrangements to allow the United States to use Cam Ranh Bay naval
facilities when American naval forces exit Subic Bay in the Philippines. 
The Americans may also use their former bases in South Vietnam for a major
Air Force facility.   Mobil Oil Company is seeking major contracts for
off shore oil drilling.  These usages would supply the Vietnamese
government with hard currency.  They relied heavily on Soviet support and
with the collapse of the Soviet government and economy,  they have little
support.  Meanwhile, the Japanese are wiling to invest heavily in the
development and mining of rich resources in Vietnam.  Though the Vietnamese
welcome the possible influx of Japanese wealth, they have a century old
hatred of the Japanese.

For the Vietnamese government to assist privately-financed expeditionary
forces jeopardizes their potential relationship with the United States
government.  Ground sources within Southeast Asia have indicated that a
Brig. General Brown will be released in July.  There is no record
of a Brig. General Brown in any files as being a POW.  However, it is
possible that Brown is a colonel and will be promoted to Brig. General on
his arrival to the United States.  According to the ground sources, Brown's
release has been arranged by President George Bush, who sent two letters to
the Vietnamese government through Thailand.  Brown, it is reported, has
been able to write at least two letters to his family.  He was reportedly
captured in 1969.

The Sentinel has been in direct contact with ground units in Southeast
Asia, which all confirm heavy activities.  It is believed that up to four
separate units, all unrelated, are now operating within the framework of
the POW rescue operation.  The original expeditionary force has had some
serious disagreements and some of them believe that their ranks may have
been infiltrated by U.S. agents.

The critical window of time for the expeditionary force is between March 27
and April 27 - they will either fail or succeed.  One member of the
expeditionary force has already testified to the Senate Select Committee on
POW/MIAs.

Though more details have been provided to the Sentinel, it has pledged to
remain silent in order not to jeopardize the mission.

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