
Napa Sentinel 
March 27, 1992 
by Harry V. Martin 
Fourth in a Series

"A TERRIBLE WRONG WAS PERPETRATED AGAINST THE POW"

On January 22, 1992, Terrell Alan Minarcin, who served with
the National Security Agency and the Central Security
Services for 17 years, provided testimony to the Senate
Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.  When he came forward
to the Senate, he stated, "I, along with many others,
constantly ask myself why I am stepping forward to discuss
my knowledge of this controversial matter.  I an not a glory
hound, I do not do this for monetary gain,  I do this, not
out of some perverse joy of babbling secrets, but rather to
appease my conscience.  I do this because I know, without a
single shread of doubt, that American POWs were left behind
in Southeast Asia after America disengaged from either the
war, itself, or from supporting South Vietnam.  I do this,
not to exonerate myself or my colleagues, not to place
blame on some, but to correct a terrible wrong perpetrated
by all against the most helpless - the POWs, themselves."

Minarcin, in daring to step forward and testify, lost the
friendship and respect of many individuals with whom he had
worked.  "I gave my word never to discuss what I did while I
worked as an asset of the National Security Agency/Central
Security Service," he said.  "I also was charged with making
every attempt humanely possible with ensuring no American
was ever abandoned to the wiles of any hostile government.
That was the crux of the problem I faced.  Maintain my
pledge to remain silent, but my maintaining my silence I
would condemn my fellow service members to death.  Instead,
I chose to break my work."

Minarcin admitted that there was a government conspiracy to
abandon American POWs and MIAs.  "I am part of that
conspiracy," he told the Senate. Minarcin described the
three categories that American POWs and MIAs were classed
into:

* POLITICAL/ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION: The Vietnamese would try
to exchange the lesser number of POWs for the greater.
Failing that, they would exchange them for concessions.

* MILITARY EXPLOITATION: The Vietnamese would try to learn
from the POWs military information, particular weapon
system, communication systems and infiltration/exfiltration
methodologies.

* GENERAL KNOWLEDGE EXPLOITATION: The Vietnamese would use
POWs for their general knowledge - such as an electrical
engineer - not for military application but for civil use.

In 1973 the United States and Vietnam entered into a cease
fire.  Minarcin reports direct knowledge in the field of
American POW centers.  He reported the capture of 12
Americans acting as an advisory team on March 21, 1975.
Minarcin said that immediately after the capture of the
Americans he was ordered not to transmit the information.
He further told the Senate that on March 3, 1978, four
Americans were flown to the Soviet Union.  Additional
flights carried two POWs, then four more, and six.  Over a
six week period he testified under oath that he way 28 POWs
transported from various camps to the Soviet Union.
Minarcin's testimony went on and on, sighting specific
dates, times and places that American POWs were being
transported - long after the war.

Minarcin presented to the Select Committee maps that showed
the locations of five POW camps.  The camps were located in
the Quan Lang Corridor, the Muong Sen Corridor, the Bai
Thoung Corridor, the Black River Valley, and the Dien Bien
Phu Valley.  "We say that around the end of October 1975,
and continuing through April of 1978, the North Vietnamese
were still transporting American POWs into Sam Neua to be
turned over to the Soviets at that location," Minarcin
testified.  "This was in addition to those POWs who were
being turned over to the Soviets at Hanoi's Gia Lam
International Airfield.

The Soviets apparently received a shot in the arm to their
space program with the capture of an FB-111 pilot, Colonel
Brown.  (Could this be the Colonel Brown that is rumored to
be returning to the United States in July - arranged by the
Bush Administration?) Brown was an electrical engineer who
worked on the Gemini space program's electrical circuitry
system.  Prior to Colonel Brown's capture the Soviet space
program was in a shambles.  But after Brown's capture, the
Soviet space program went through some major upgrades equal
to the Gemini program.  Brown was captured in 1972 and by
early 1974 the Soviets had upgraded their system to Gemini
technology.

Minarcin testified that between 200 and 300 American POWs
were sent to the Soviet Union to be used as slave laborers.
"I saw a collateral report that reiterated the totals of the
POWs being sent to the Soviet Union that added that these
POWs were to be used in various general construction
efforts. One of the projects they were to be used on was to
possibly finish the Kiev Canal.  This was a series of canals
in the Uzbekhistan, Turkistan, and other areas in south
center USSR," stated Minarcin before the Senate Committee.

"From January 1, 1983, until July 9, 1984, I found 436 live
American POWs with the following approximate breakdown:

* 225 in Bai Thoung; * 150 in Muong Sen; * 85 in Quan Lang;
and * 76 in Black River Valley."

Minarcin also reported evidence of about 56 American POWs
dying.  "Most died of disease or as a result of flooding.
Others died from accidents," he said. "The nature of
accidents were rarely revealed.  None of these 6 were
executed."  He reported 34 deaths in Black River Valley, 10
in Muong Sen, and 8 in Bai Thoung.

In 1978, according to Minarcin's Senate testimony, the U.S.
had a plan to hijack a Soviet Aeroflot aircraft with
American POWs aboard.  A Delta Force was to storm the IL-62
and free the American POWs after forcing the aircraft to
land in a neutral country.  The mission failed when the
Soviet aircraft flew just out of range of U.S. carrier based
aircraft.  The operation was being conducted by the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.

Minarcin told the Senate a chilling report of an incident
that took place in the first part of 1981 - eight years
after the end of the war.  "During several weeks at the end
of the first quarter of 1981, an American team, consisting
of seven individuals, staged a rescue attempt out of Nakhon
Phanom, Kingdom of Thailand.  Two of the individuals stayed
in Thailand with the other five going across the border.  We
were briefed that this team had rescued an American POW from
a new economic zone in the tri-border area. While we saw
nothing in SIGINT indicating a rescue, we did see increased
and heightened security from unspecified insurgent activity
coming from the tri- border area.  We were briefed that the
team crossed back into Thailand and that the eight Americans
would depart Bangkok to return to the States via Hawaii.
The team was also carrying some remains of other Americans.
Nothing further was heard about the eight Americans (one
POW).  However, two days after the eight Americans left
Thailand, the Pacific Stars and Stripes reported that the
seven man team had returned with the remains of several
missing Americans.  We had heard that the seven went in,
eight came out, but only seven returned."  What happened to
the POW who was rescued?

"The first question that needs to be answered is how many
Americans are being held POWs.  I have been asked for my
best estimate on the number of American POWs.  I don't
know," Minarcin said.  "I feel there are at least 1600.
President Nixon, in the Fall of 1972, stated that there were
5000. One former SPECOPS person I know feels there are about
4000.  Until we can determine how many Americans are being
held, there is no way we can honestly begin to resolve the
question."

"The next question is where are these POWs being held.  I
know an individual who flew COMBAT TALON operations in
Southeast Asia for two years and then flew the same type of
missions in Europe for 11 years.  He told me in private
conversations that he saw lists of American POWs from
Southeast Asia that had been transferred primarily to the
Soviet Union, but also that some might have been
transshipped to other Warsaw Pack countries.  I work with an
individual who has knowledge of an attempt to exchange POWs
between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China in 1970.
 This tells me that the People's Republic of China was
holding more than two American POWs.  I have tried to
present some information showing American POWs being sent to
the Soviet Union," Minarcin testified.

"I do not know why Americans were held back," he said.
"Oil, precious stones, gold and drugs might play some part
in it.  Exploitation of the POWs might.  Or it could be as
easy as the POWs being split into six equal groups to meet
the six prerequisites that the U.S. had to meet -- one cease
fire and final equal payments of reconstruction aid.  I
don't know.  I do know that America and other nations have
POWs still alive in Southeast Asia."

Minarcin told the Senate Committee, "America must live up to
its word in that area of the world.  As the richest nation
in the world, $4.5 billion would not hurt as all."  Minarcin
advocated that the United States fulfill the pledge it gave
to the Vietnamese government at the end of the war -
billions of dollars and normalization of relations.  "It is
an option that does have a high percentage chance of
succeeding," he said.

History, however, shows that throughout the 20th century,
the Soviets and their communist allies have held American
POWs from five wars - and despite American aid and
assistance - these POWs never returned.


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