Condolences may be sent to Pat's wife Robin at 13300 Walsingham Road #49 Largo, Fl 33773. The Cressman family has designated the National Alliance of Families as recipient for memorial donations.

Western POWs Seen In North Korean Gulag - Various media outlets world wide are reporting an October 23^rd Agence France Presse article on seven Caucasians or Westerners seen in a North Korean Gulag in 1996. According to one text published in Austria's Herald Sun: "Seven Westerners seen in a North Korean slave camp are believed to be prisoners held since the Korean War."

"A senior North Korean army officer said he saw the men in their 70s while he was jailed. Kim Yong, a lieutenant-colonel in the Korean People's Army before he was arrested in 1993, said yesterday the seven could have been American or British. He saw them at the so-called Camp 18 at Deukchang in South Pyongan province in 1996. He said he had also seen a Japanese woman at the camp."

"The men were building roads with other inmates, Mr Kim told a Washington news conference to launch a report by a US rights group on prison camps in the Stalinist state. "I saw seven people who I presume were Westerners or Caucasians," he said. He said a former high ranking official from the ruling Workers Party detained at the same camp told him the men were believed to be American or British prisoners from the 1950-53 war. The road gangs were strictly guarded. "

"You have to remember that everyone at the camp then was just skin and bones," Mr Kim said. "They had different eyes and bigger noses but they were so skinny I didn't notice many details."

Another verison of the AFP article stated: "Mr Kim said he crossed into China and was detained by the Chinese army at the Mongolian border but escaped again and crossed into Mongolia before being helped to South Korea. Mr Kim now lives in Los Angeles in the US. The former officer spoke in support of the report, The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea's Prison Camps, by the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. The Stalinist state denies it has political prisoners....."

We contacted the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea for additional information on Mr. Kim's statement regarding Westerners held in the Gulag. We were told Mr. Kim was misquoted and that he said he was told about the Westerners and had not seen them.

We also contacted South Korean media, at the Press Conference. When ask if Mr. Kim was misquoted on Westerners in the Gulag, we were told no. The quotes were accurate.

Westerners or Caucasians from the Korean War in a North Korean Gulag..... what do you think? Remember the words of I. O. Lee an analyst with the Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office (DPMO.) In a March 1996 report Mr. Lee concluded: "There are too many live sighting reports, specifically observations of several Caucasians in a collective farm by Romanians and the North Korean defectors' eyewitness of Americans in DPRK to dismiss that there are no American POWs in North Korea."

DPMO Hires Vietnamese to Search Archives - the following is excerpted from a September 22^nd Associated Press Article by Robert Burns.

"In a bid to learn more about American servicemen who may have been held captive in Vietnam after the war, the military plans to hire retired senior Vietnamese intelligence officers to search classified Vietnamese government files,the Pentagon said Monday."

"The unusual, if not unprecedented, arrangement has been approved by Vietnam and should get started within months, said Jerry Jennings, head of the Pentagon's office of POW-MIA affairs. Jennings said in an interview he is willing to trust the Vietnamese government to make the effort succeed."
``We're assuming good faith on one thing: that the government wouldn't sign on for this just to rip us off for the pay for a retired individual for three months; that there is good faith in terms of this guy conducting an honest search,'' he said."

"The retired Vietnamese officials would submit regular summaries of their findings, but documents that contained relevant information about POWs or MIAs would not be turned over to the United States."

"Jennings, who was a CIA intelligence officer in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war, said there has not yet been a selection of the one or more retired Vietnamese officers who would work under U.S. contract. He said U.S. authorities would have some say in the selection, but the pool of potential candidates would be vetted first by the Vietnamese government."

``We're going to have a right to look at the individual before he's signed on, and we're going to have the opportunity to ensure he has a background that would enable him to do what amounts to an archival study,'' Jennings said. He said he would be prepared to end the program in as little as three months ``if we come up with a dry hole,'' or no new leads on missing Americans...."

"The Vietnamese government has insisted it held no American servicemen after the war ended in 1975, but U.S. veterans groups cite U.S. intelligence reports that indicated Americans were known to have been alive in captivity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and were not returned at the end of the war..."

What's Next - IRS to allow taxpayers to do their own audits..... Criminals to be own judge and jury.....

A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still A Rose........ You can give CIL-HI a new name but it doesn't change a thing. As you all know, CIL-HI and JTF-FA merged, effective October 1, 2003, under the new name Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). For CIL-HI, however, it is business as usual.

This week it was brought to our attention, by Rod Utech of POW/MIA Radio, that the records of Dr. Michael Charney are currently in the hands of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

Why is this important? As a Board Certified Anthropologist, Dr. Charney offered his expertise, free of charge, to POW/MIA family members seeking second opinions on CIL-HI identifications. This was critically important to the families.

At the time of his death Dr. Charney was consulting with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office on various cases. Because of this, the Sheriff's Office took possession of all Dr. Charney's records. Now, the Sheriffs Office is ready release the records not related to county cases.

It is their plan to turn over all POW/MIA related records to CIL-HI, rather than the families of the POW/MIA involved. These records DO NOT belong to CIL-HI. They were generated by Dr. Charney at the request of the individual POW/MIA family involved. Only papers provided directly from CIL-HI to Dr. Charney belong to CIL-HI. CIL-HI is not entitled to any documents generated by Dr. Charney or provided to him by the POW/MIA family. These records belong either to the estate of Dr. Charney or to the POW/MIA family.

Why is CIL-HI so anxious to get hold of these records? What are the chances families will have access to these reports, unredacted, once CIL-HI get their hands on them?

With regard to the Charney records, JPAC-CIL-HI has "taken steps to take control of the records that Dr. Michael Charney did have and will take appropriate care of them."

We know JPAC-CIL-HI has received inquires about this and they've been their usual misleading self, when referring to Dr. Charney.

First off: Stop referring to Dr. Charney, a Board Certified Anthropologist as "this guy."

Second: Don't make him sound as if he was less than qualified. After all he did uphold CIL-HI identifications when evidence indicated, taught at the University level and consulted on criminal cases.

Third: Don't imply he promoted himself "as a source for families to go to for free to review the ID that CILHI had made and they didn't agree with," implying he made a career of disagreeing with CIL-HI.

Family Members - If Dr. Charney consulted on your case, contact the Larimer County Government Sheriff's Office, Detention Center General Info, 2405 Midpoint Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80525-4419, Telephone: 970-498-5200. It is our understanding the records are with the Criminal Investigation Unit. Demand the records be returned to the families involved or the estate of Dr. Charney. Don't let CIL-HI get their hands on Dr. Charney's records.

Internet Misinformation - There is a lot of misinformation on the internet, passed off as fact, regarding the initials and number 1973 TH or 1573 TH..... . This alpha-numeric combination appeared in photos taken by reconnaissance satellites over Laos in 1973.

We all have heard the stories. Some say the 1973 TH was laid down by Capt. Thomas Hart, a member of the Specter 17 flight lost December 21, 1972 and this is a possibility. Still others, many current and former DPMO and DIA employees maintain the code was set out by a Hmong member of the air crew shot down with Emmett Kay on May 7, 1973, or Thai irregulars operating in the area. This is far less likely, as you will see.

We're going to look at all possibilities and let you draw your own conclusions.

The Report of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, dated January 13, 1993, addresses the question of man-made distress symbols. Referring to the 1973 "TH" and the 1988 "USA" photo the committee reported:

"The Committee was faced with two principal arguments put forward by DIA. First, while DIA concludes that two symbols clearly existed on the ground, DIA's analysis concluded that the remaining markings were unintentional phenomena of man, nature or the photo process. For example, DIA resolved that some of the possible symbols were the results of a combination of thickened rice paddy dike walls, shadows, burn marks in field, tree, logs, and rice residue from stacking of harvested rice. JSSA testified that the use of thickened rice paddy walls, burn marks, logs, trees, man-made- objects such as stone walls and leaving rice residue in the ground as a means to leave a signal, are consistent with SERE training. On the two symbols which DIA concluded were intentional symbols, the 1973 "TH" photo and the 1988 "USA - possible K," DIA cannot explain their origin."

"Another indicator that DIA has done little to address the possibility of distress symbols appearing on photography is its inability to account for the Army's, Navy's or Marine Corps' pilot authenticator numbers. JSSA still preserves those for the Air Force. As recorded in the hearing of October 15, DIA does not know what happened to the numbers."

"This is a significant failure for several reasons. First, it supports the theory that DIA has never taken the possibility of symbols seriously. Mr. Andrews' contention, in the hearing of October 15, that authenticator numbers were not meant to be laid out on the ground is misleading. Authenticator numbers were intended to be used as a means for pilots to identify themselves, primarily over their survival radio, immediately after shoot-down. This was a safeguard against deceptive enemy radio broadcasts, attempting to lure rescue helicopters into an ambush."

"In reality, authenticator numbers were used through a number of different media during the war, including ground signals. The "1973, 1573 or 1933 TH" symbol is a probable example of an authenticator being used as a signal, in conjunction with that individual's primary and backup evader symbols."

"In theory, therefore, if a POW still living in captivity, were to attempt to communicate by ground signal, smuggling out a note, or by whatever means possible, and he used his personal authenticator number to confirm his identity, the U.S. Government would be unable to provide such confirmation, if his number happened to be among those numbers DIA cannot locate."

"In testimony on October 15, 1992, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (ASD C31) provided the results of DIA's (Defense Intelligence Agency) assessment. During his testimony, he emphasized several points which helped to clarify the importance of experience in understanding overhead imagery...."

"According to the ASD C31, two sets of symbols are clearly man-made. The first is the symbol 1973 TH taken on July 10, 1973, on the Plain of Jars in Laos. Some interpreters believe that the "TH could be a "TA" and the 1973 could be "1573." DIA attempted to correlate the four different interpretations (1973 TH, 1973 TA, 1573 TH, 1573 TA) to classic distress symbols, escape and evasion symbols or personal authenticator numbers. Although there was not exact correlation, the ASD C31 offered several alternatives as possible explanations for the ground symbols. These included: markings made by the crew of a CIA operated aircraft downed eight kilometers from the site on May 7, 1973; symbols made by Thai personnel captured in the area by Pathet Loa forces; markings made by members of the crew of a U.S. AC-130 gunship downed 300 miles a way in souther Laos in December 1972. DIA believes that none of the alternatives are definitive and has concluded that "the origin and meaning of this symbol is unexplained and probably will remain so."

"DIA attempted to investigate the 1973 "TH" and 1988 "USA" and, in fact, still consider both as open investigations. [Note: this was written in 1993. We do not know if these investigations are still considered open.]

"DIA became aware of the 1973 photograph in 1976 and the "USA" symbol nearly one year after it was taken. The delay in receiving these photos for evaluation must be attributed to DIA inaction and a passive approach to indications of the possibility of live Americans."

With regard to the "TH" photo, the Senate report states; "A series of low-level photographs clearly showing a set of four digit numbers, followed by the probable letter "TH" or "TA" was first imaged on May 20, 1973 in north central Laos. The site was apparently imaged again, with the numbers and letters still visible, as late as 10 July 1973. DIA did not receive the film, taken by a low-level reconnaissance platform, until 1976. JSSA (Joint Service Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Agency) first received the photograph for review in the mid-1980's"

"Some have referred to the photograph as the "Thomas Hart" symbol, because of the "TH" letters stomped in the tall elephant grass. Both DIA and JSSA rule out the possibility that Captain Hart could have traveled some 300 miles from the crash site of this AC-130 aircraft to the location of the "TH" symbol. DIA believes the symbol was possibly made by one of Emmet Kay's Hmong crew members who went down with Kay's civilian aircraft on 7 May 1973, some 8 kilometers away. Because Emmet Kay has confirmed he did not make the symbol, DIA has made several attempts to locate Kay's former crew members, but has been unable to substantiate that anyone of them made the symbol."

"JSSA contends that it is unlikely the symbol, a possible authenticator number followed by a possible primary and back-up distress symbol, was manufactured by Emmet Kay or any of his crew. First, he and his crew members were captured in a relatively short period of time and it would have been difficult to travel 8 Kilometers to the site of the symbol. Second, non-U.S. employees were not permitted access to classified authenticator numbers and distress symbols. And most importantly, JSSA notes that all were captured within three hours, yet someone had to maintain the "TH" symbol by continuously keeping the elephant grass stomped down, until at least 10 July when it was clearly visible, nearly two month later."

"JSSA also notes that 20 May 1973 photograph, which has the best resolution among the photos, seems to reveal the numbers to be "1933." JSSA stated in their 15 October testimony that they would compare this number with these authenticators numbers still available, to determine is a specific man could be matched. DIA's investigation of this symbol remains open, although determining the fate of its maker after so may years is remote."

Let's stop for a moment. If JSSA information is accurate, there is no possibility that a member of the Kay crew could be responsible for the "TH" marking or its maintenance. This would lay to rest one piece of internet mis-information.

At this point, we should also ask the obvious questions. Why is it that POW/MIA investigators always assume the missing never move from the area of loss or the crash site location? Is it not possible that Thomas Hart, shot down in December 1972, may have been moved in the almost 5 months between his loss and the appearance of the "TH" symbol? In the 150 days between the Spectre 17 shootdown and the first discovery of the 1973 TH, three hundred miles away, is it not possible that his captors could have moved him north at an average rate of 2 miles a day?

Another report titled "Symbol Analysis/Readout" address the question of the "TH" and offers yet another group of Thai as potential sources for the "TH." The report states: The second incident which could also have produced the "TH" symbol involved the capture of three Thai in the area of the symbol. Reporting indicates that on 15 May 1973; Lao Communist forces were holding Emmet Kay, six Hmong, and three Thai. Since Kay and the Hmong were on Kay's aircraft, the Thai would have been captured in a separate incident. Thai irregular forces are known to have been operating in Laos in 1973. While evading capture by Communist forces, the Thai irregular troops could have constructed the symbol."

The section of the report dealing with the "TH" concludes: "DIA and JCRC (Joint Casualty Resolution Center) conducted an analysis of all missing individuals with the initials "TH" a further search was made to determine whether the blood chit, personal authenticator and aircraft serial numbers might match the imaged numerals. Another search included all individuals with service numbers that included the relevant numerals. None of these loss incidents could be correlated to the symbol(s).

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Martinez.

In addition, JSSA data indicates that the "1573 TH" or "1973 TH" is not a standard U.S. evader symbol. Given the information available, DIA analysts assess that the symbol(s) are not related to any U.S. MIA."

Does anyone get the feeling that analysts desperately want the author of the "1573 TH" or "1973 TH" to be anyone but an American Serviceman?

Unfortunately, we are left with the same question, if the three Thai were in captivity with Kay and his crew on 15 May, who maintained the symbol until at least July 1973?

On the surface it would seem that DIA and JCRC did a thorough search for a possible correlation to the "TH." According to the report they searched for "all missing individuals with the initials "TH" and a search was conducted to include " blood chit, personal authenticator and aircraft serial numbers as well as individual service numbers that included the relevant numerals."

Unfortunately, they may have missed something or worse ignored a possibility.

Message traffic, from DIA files, located in the Library of Congress reveals a new possibility. The message, dated 18 Feb 1986. from the Commander JCRC Barbers Point Hawaii to DIA in Washington D.C., states:

" In review of this report, JCRC recently conducted a name check for individuals who were lost in Laos with the initials "T.H." This search revealed three individuals; Captain Thomas T. Hart (Refno 1962-0-08) MSGT Thomas E. Heideman (Refno 1670-0-01) and Captain Thomas T. Hensley (Refno 1089-0-01) all USAF members."

"According to REF A, HQ PACAF was unable to correlate the numbers to any known USAF Personal authenticator number."

"JCRC compared the numbers against Social Security, Service number and aircraft tail number data to establish if a correlation could be made. It was noted that in the review of Capt. Hensley's case that the last five digits of his service number "45734" are similar but not identical to the alleged evadee symbol. JCRC files contain no photography of this symbol."

	1	9	7	3	T	H
	1	5	7	3	T	H
4	5	7	3	4	T	H	Thomas Hensley - Service Number

Photo from GlobalSecurity.Org

An exact match... no. However, correlation to either a Thai or Hmong lost in the area is not an exact match, either. As the Senate Committee reported: "Although there was not exact correlation, the ASD C31 offered several alternatives as possible explanations for the ground symbols....."

We have very little information on the loss of Capt. Thomas Hensley. What little information available puts him in an F105D downed over Laos, on March 17, 1968. One internet posting says of Thomas Hensley his "F-105D that was hit by AAA on 17 March 1968 while attacking headquarters buildings in Laos. He belonged to the 469 TFS from Korat RTAB, Thailand."

From message traffic, dated 23 March 1968, we learned that "one pilot in the target area with Capt. Hensley did hear a voice transmission from him immediately after he was hit." From the tone of the message it would seem that one unknown pilot related to his wife that their had been voice contact, with Hensley, from the ground. That wife then passed the information to Mrs. Hensley. We've found no additional information on a voice contact from the ground.

The Hensley loss coordinates are listed as: 202400 North 1040300 East. This is where it gets interesting. The Imagery report, prepared for the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs locates the "TH" symbol at "11 Kilometers from Nong Pet 193533 North 1031702 East and 24 Kilometers northeast of an area near Ban Thuang192400 North 1030900 East."

Hensley Loss Location 202400 North 1040300 East

"TH" 11 Kilometers from Nong Pet 193533 North 1031702 East

"TH" 24 Kilometers northeast of an area near Ban Thuang 192400 North 1030900 East

It appears to us that the location of the Hensley loss and the "TH" are in the same general area. So lets go to the maps....

Judging from these maps it certainly looks like the "TH" symbol appears to be in the same general area as the Hensley loss location.

Yet, in all the evaluations conducted on the "TH" symbol, only Thomas Hart, the Hmong, or the Thai, are mentioned in relation to this imagery.

It would seem that no one in the intelligence community considered a correlation to Thomas Hensley.

If they did, they didn't share the information with the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.

Certainly, the possibility of a correlation to Thomas Hensley was known both to JCRC and DIA as proven by the February 1986 message traffic. Thomas Hart... a Hmong.... a Thai.... Thomas Hensley.... or perhaps another serviceman missing in Laos.... You be the analyst.

Since we've address one aspect of the Spectre 17 controversy, we feel it important to address another.

While the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) considers the crew of Specter 17 "remains returned and identified" no remains were ever recovered that were scientifically identified as either Thomas Hart or George MacDonald. The identifications of others, on this aircraft are questionable but for now, we will address only the Hart and MacDonald identification, as their families were the most outspoken in refusing to accept remains.

Much has been written about the voodoo science practiced at the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CIL-HI), during the 1980's. Much of the information on the lack of scientific standards and use of unrecognized procedures come from two General Accounting Office investigations of CIL-HI conducted in 1986 and again 1992.

Of the Hart identification, one forensic expert stated: "it could not be scientifically supported." The MacDonald identification, based on two teeth, was equally unsupportable. Based on family pressure, and independent examination the identifications of Hart and MacDonald were RECINDED. That FACT has not made it to some internet sites.

Focusing on the MacDonald case, we don't ask you to believe what we write. We'll let the documents (provided by Jennifer Martinez, from the MacDonald family) speak for themselves.

As you can see by Armed Forces Graves Registration Office (ASGRO) memo, the identification of George MacDonald is clearly recinded.

Why did ASGRO take this step? The action was based, in part, on the expertise of outside forensic and dental consultants, including Dr. Lowell Levine D.D.S., who stated: " "It is my opinion that based on the non-specificity and recovery history that this dental evidence can not be demonstrated to be part of the remains of Capt. George MacDonald...." To view the full report click here

Let's stop for a moment. As important as it is to note that the dental identification could not be supported, we should not overlook the comment regarding the "recovery history."

"Non-specificity and recovery history" could mean anything from lack of chain of custody to any association to the loss location or loss incident.

The Levine report makes no mention of a "partial jawbone with teeth intact," referred to on the internet as the basis of the MacDonald identification. The identification of George MacDonald was based on two teeth, "not a partial jawbone with teeth intact, " as stated on the internet.

Based on Dr. Levine's final comment: "While it is possible that the original identification of the dental evidence is correct there is not scientific basis for such an identification," it would appear the CIL-HI identification of George MacDonald was based on wishful thinking and CIL-HI voodoo science. Accepted scientific standards and procedures played no part in the attempt to identify George MacDonald.

While we don't have the documents in the Hart case, equally strong expert opinions had to exist, as the Hart identification was also recinded.

So contrary to what you read on some web sites, the fact is that both the Hart and MacDonald identifications were recinded and remain so, to this day.

Since the identification of both Hart and MacDonald have been recinded, why does DPMO refuse to return them to the list of unaccounted for?

With the exception of Hart and MacDonald no CIL-HI identification has ever been over ruled, until March 2003..... and

No missing serviceman considered identified by CIL-HI, including Hart and MacDonald, has ever been returned to the list of unaccounted for.... Until March of 2003.....

The July 24 2002 DPMO list of "U.S. Accounted for from the Vietnam War" lists names of David R. Williams and Robert Govan, lost over Laos on April 1, 1967. According to the list remains for Williams and Govan were returned July 15, 1996 and identified June 14, 2002.

Minimal remains, no more than a handful were recovered and none were individually identifiable. No identifying items were recovered from the crash site that could associate the men to the recovery site. CIL-HI did not even attempt mt-DNA testing. Reaching a new level of creativity, CIL-HI identified the handful of remains as David R. Williams and Robert Govan.

United in their protest, both the Williams and Govan family exercised their right to dispute the identification. The families filed challenges with the Armed Forces Identification Review Board. Other families with questionable identification have also disputed those finding before the Armed Forces Identification Review Board (AFIRB.) The board always upheld the CIL-HI identification..... Until March 2003.....

The board ruled that there was not enough evidence to support an identification of Williams and Govan. Both David Williams and Robert Govan were returned to the list of the unaccounted for personnel in Southeast Asia..

This begs the question, with their identifications recinded, why haven't Thomas Hart and George MacDonald been returned to list of unaccounted for personnel in Southeast Asia.

You all know what's coming next......

Why does Johnie Webb still have a job????????????

Update on H. RES 103 - In addition to Representative Peter King, who introduced H. RES 103, we now have 34 sponsors. We need an additional 184 cosponsors to reach our goal of 218.

We need a total of 218 cosponsors for H. RES 103 to establish in the "House of Representatives a Select Committee to be known as the Select Committee POW and MIA Affair."

According to the legislation: "The select committee shall conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War Missions, or Gulf War, including MIA's and POW's."

A word about this legislation, the faster it is passed, the longer the investigation. If we are reading the legislation correctly, even if passed, this committee will end in January 2005. We really need to push for co-sponsors.

If you need a sample letter, Jennifer Martinez has provided an excellent one. To view it visit

http://www.nationalalliance.org/leg/sample.htm

You can also call your congressional representative at 1-877-762-8762. A listing of all Congressional Representatives, with phone and fax numbers may be found at http://www.nationalalliance.org/leg/list.htm

IMPORTANT: When you send your letter make sure that you refer to the resolution. as H.RES 103, so it is not confused with other legislation with the same number

We need everyone calling their Congressional Representatives asking that they co-sponsor H.RES.103. If you've already called and faxed, call and fax again! Please make the call, write the letters and send the faxes.

A Word About Our Schedule For Bit 'N' Pieces - It might be a bit irregular over the next several months. As always we will bring breaking news to you as quickly as possible.