MEMORANDUM FOR THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL

SECURITY AFFAIRS

SUBJECT: Selection of a Vietnam Unknown

The 1973 statute, PL 93-43, authorizes and directs the Secretary of Defense to cause the burial of a Vietnam Unknown remains in the National Cemetery at Arlington. Attached is a copy of a memorandum from the Army General Counsel on the subject. The four legal criteria stipulated by the statute are, in addition to being an unknown, (1) be an American, (2) a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, (3) served in Southeast Asia, and (4) died during the Vietnam era (1964-75). No other criterion applies. I tasked the Department of the Army to provide me with appropriate recommendations.

During the past year I have closely monitored the initiative to inter an appropriate remains as the Vietnam Unknown. I have reached the point, however, where it might be prudent to proceed in the direction I will describe below. First, I would like to give you a short assessment of where we are on this initiative.

Although the Army's Central Identification Lab, Hawaii, has an excellent record of identifying remains from Southeast Asia, we still have four remains from the Vietnam era which have not been identified. We have progressed to a point where two of the four remains are eliminated from further Unknown consideration, with the remaining two candidates considered as the most qualified. Of the two most qualified, one has been, after ten years of exhaustive efforts, certified by the Lab as "unidentifiable.'' Although ten years of effort has also gone into trying to identify the second most qualified remains, the Lab has been asked to make another complete review to, hopefully, identify the remains or certify as unidentifiable. The review is expected to be completed by this December. Consequently, it appears that, if the decision is made to proceed, Memorial Day, 1983, is our best date to consider interment.

Discussions with key Congressional leaders and the leadership of prominent Veterans' organizations indicate a supportive attitude with a general comment that Defense should proceed with the Unknown initiative as soon as practical. Opposition has been expressed by the National League of Families, and recently members of your staff have expressed some interest in the subject.

Before final decisions are made, I believe it would be desirable to ascertain the President's views on the Unknown interment, knowing his very personal interest in our missing servicemen beginning when he was Governor of California. You may recall that he and Mrs. Reagan were among the first to welcome the returning POWs from Vietnam.

Perhaps you and I should discuss this matter at an early date.