Vietnam - Responsible for	Cuba - Responsible for
1. The torture of American POWs	1. The torture of American POWs
2. The deaths in captivity of American POWs	2. The deaths in captivity of American POWs
3. Economic repression of its people	3. Economic repression of its people
4. Oppression of civil and human rights	4. Oppression of civil and human rights
5. Repressive Communist government	5. Repressive Communist government

Are you now asking yourself, where is the difference? So are we! Yet for one United States Senator the identical actions by these repressive governments requires one be rewarded with economic and diplomatic relations while the other economically and diplomatically punished.

Our question, why the double standard?

Recently the "Cuban Program" has once again been in the news. For those unfamiliar, the "Cuban Program" involved Cuban interrogators who tortured American POWs held in North Vietnam Torture inflicted by these Cubans, one nicknamed "Fidel" led directly to the death of at least one American POW. For more on the "Cuban Program" visit www.nationalalliance.org/cuba/index.htm

We bring up the "Cuban Program" because of a statement made at a recent rally attended primarily by Cuban-Americans in Miami Florida. Here is that statement:

"There's a person I want you to help me find when Cuba is free, and that's that Cuban that came to the prison camps of North Vietnam and tortured and killed my friends. We'll get him and bring him to justice, too."

The above comment was made by Senator John McCain.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "McCain later told the media he did not know the Cuban man's identity. But he added: "We have had many of my friends who have done ... composite drawings of him; they remember his face very well."

Responding to this comment Fidel Castro issued a statement saying: "His accusation against the Cuban revolutionaries ... are completely unethical." Castro's comments were published by Cuba's Communist Party newspaper Granma and reported by Reuters on February 11th.

Responding to Castro's comments Senator McCain stated: "For me to respond to Fidel Castro, who has oppressed and repressed his people and who is one of the most brutal dictators on Earth, for me to dignify any comments he might make is certainly beneath me." [Source - Reuters February 11, 2008]

"McCain has vowed to keep up decades-old U.S. pressure for political change in Cuba's one-party state. That has included a travel ban and trade and financial sanctions enforced a few years after Castro's 1959 revolution on the Caribbean island, which lies just 90 miles (135 km) from the U.S. coast." [Source - Reuters February 11, 2008]

Castro was not the only Communist official to react to the McCain statement on Cuban tortures' in North Vietnam. The Bangkok Post reported the reaction of Vietnam's government this way. "Former Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp officials Tuesday denied claims made by Senator John McCain, and supported by US government research, that Cuban interrogators tortured American POWs in Hanoi during the Vietnam War."

"On Monday, Cuban President Fidel Castro denounced McCain for making the claim, calling it "a strange legend." Vietnamese officials and former POW camp administrators supported Castro."

"I don't think there was any Cuban involvement in any camp for US POWs," said Tran Trong Duyet, who was director of Hoa Lo prison, known by the Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton," from 1970 to 1973. "No Cubans ever came to the prison while the US pilots were there," said Nguyen Thi Don, former manager of the Hoa Lo prison museum. "It is incorrect for John McCain to have made such a statement."

"Vietnamese officials routinely deny American POW claims that they were tortured or mistreated."

All this leaves us wondering…. -- Why did Senator McCain forgive the tortures of American POWs in North Vietnam, individuals responsible for the death in captivity of American POWs, and a government of proven liars regarding unreturned POWs?

Yet, he is willing to hunt to the ends of the earth and "bring him to justice" the Cuban torturer of American POWs in North Vietnam and Cubans responsible for the death in captivity of American POWs.

John McCain pushed for economic and diplomatic relations in Vietnam but vows to keep sanctions in place against Cuba. He vows to bring Cuban torturers to justice, yet forgives North Vietnamese for the same atrocities. We've seen any number of photos of John McCain hugging or warmly shaking hands with his former captors and interrogators. We doubt we will see a photo, anytime soon, of McCain warmly embracing the Cuban interrogators.

Why the double standard? What is in it for John McCain? An anti Cuba position in Florida, with its high Cuban-American population, translated to….. Votes! A pro Vietnam position….. What did that get John McCain? All this leaves us wondering…. -- Why?

Ask Yourself This Question - If the North Vietnamese gave the Cubans access to American POWs, why would they not give other communist allies, such as China and the Soviet Union the same access? Just wondering….

If You're Not Listening You Should Be - We've been remiss in not reminding our readers to tune into POW Radio, Sundays from 5 - 8 PM Eastern Time, hosted by Rod Utech. You can listen via the internet. Visit http://www.americanewsnet.com/radio.htm and click the link to listen. You will need the program RealAudio. If you don't have it visit http://www.real.com/ and click "get realplayer free." Once installed, you will be able to listen to POW Radio.

263 Co-Sponsors for H.Res 111, But We're Still Stuck In The Rules Committee -- So, it's back to the basics. If your Congressional Representative has signed on to cosponsor H.Res 111, we ask that you contact them once again. Thank them for their support of H.Res 111 and ask that they inquire, with the Rules Committee, as to why no action has been taken on a resolution with 263 co-sponsors. Most important, ask that they get back to you with an answer. Not sure if your Congressional Representative is a cosponsor, visit www.nationalalliance.org/legis/110congress.htm If your Representative is highlighted in red, they are a cosponsor.

The toll free number for Congress is 866-727-4894. Make the call, send the fax, or email, ask why H.Res 111 is stuck in the Rules Committee.

And, remember if your Congressional Representative is not a cosponsor, keep working on them!

New Book To Be Released - "Perfidy" - The Government Cabal That Knowingly Abandoned Our POW's And Left Them To Die by John (Top) Holland is about to be released. Place your order now! To Pre-order contact The American Free Press at 202-544-5977 or truthhound2@yahoo.com

We haven't seen the book but based on Top's many years of experience in the POW/MIA issue, we are sure this will be a great read.

A Look Back - Ten years ago we were following the story of Lt. Michael Blassie and the efforts to return him to his family. Return him not from the jungles of Southeast Asia but from the Tomb of the Vietnam Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery. Lt. Blassie as we all remember was stripped of his identity for political expedience to create a Vietnam Unknown.

Documents uncovered clearly show, Lt. Blassie was never unknown. In fact, documentation shows from the moment of recovery the remains, designated X-26 were known and considered to be those of Michael Blassie. That is, until the order was given to remove the Blassie name from any association to the remains and to make those remains the Vietnam Unknown.

The documentation showing how Blassie was stripped of his identity, is available on our web site at www.nationalalliance.org/blassie/bunkidx.htm. Recently we added two pages taken from a duty log dated October 31, 1972, reporting the recovery of the remains of Lt. Blassie, his identification card, and other crew related items.

Of all the documentation available detailing the deceptions used to transform Michael Blassie into the Vietnam Unknown the two most egregious were signed by the commanding officer of the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, Johnie Webb.

The first dated March 24, 1984 reads; "Anthropological processing of the remains designated at TSN 0673-72 (X-26) has failed to support a Positive identification with any known casualty of Southeast Asia. All efforts since 4 November 1972 to establish a positive identification have proven negative. The portions of the recovered remains do not include the identification criteria that can be matched exclusively to an individual and it is highly improbable that continued identification processing would be successful. These remains are determined to be unidentifiable."

The second document dated April 4, 1984 states;

"At 1045 hours on the above date, I received a phone call from LTC David Peixotto, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. He informed me that three specific documents should be removed from the X-26 file and placed in the file for Blassie, Michael J. (1853-0-01). LTC Peixotto and I mutually agreed that the three documents listed below should be removed from the X-26 file and placed in the Blassie file.

ASGRO Board Finding dated 7 May 1980 Statement by Cpt. Hess G2/G3 Daily Journal, HQ TRAC, Long Binh, RVN (31 Oct 72)

These documents have been placed in the Blassie file with the exception of the statement by Cpt. Hess. LTC Peixotto is sending the original statement to CIL at which time it will be placed in the Blassie file."

For those who wonder what was contained in the statement of Captain Hess, mentioned in the April 4 document, here is what that statement said.

"I, CPT Richard S. Hess [redacted] Assistant Senior Advisor, 48th Regiment, 18th ARVN Division, passed along the remains of 1LT Blassie, Michael Joseph to SFC Malcolm R. Riles, [redacted] Medical NCO, 18th ARVN Division, on 2 November 1972. SFC Biles received two separate bags, one of which he placed in a plastic bag, the other was a deployment bag from the parachute. The following items were in the deployment bag to the best of my memory."

Among the items listed, by Hess, were a MACV card, a Geneva Convention Card and an ID card. Hess reported the information on the ID card as "Name Blassie, Michael Joseph, 1LT, 6 foot 200 lbs picture showed him with mustache, dark hair."

In April of 1981, the Air Force issued a position paper citing the criteria for the selection of an Unknown. One important point in the memo dealt with the anonymity of the remains.

It stated: "Remains must be located with some personal effects such as clothing, equipment or other media which would establish that the remains are those of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. Personal effects must not have identifying clues which may later be used to establish identity, such as initials on a ring."

The position paper ending saying; "Since the cessation of hostilities in SEA, attempts have been made to fulfill the intent of Public Law 93-43. However, the remains presently located in the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) do not meet the prescribed criteria. Of the remains I have viewed at the CILHI not one comes close to the criteria due to the paucity of the recovery (10 - 30%), anthropological inconsistencies, lack of absolute anonymity and actual certification of remains as an American Serviceman."

Clearly, under no circumstances should the remains of Michael Blassie have been interned as the Vietnam Unknown.

Here we are, ten years later…….

Why does Johnie Webb still have his job???