Kiss the boys goodbye : how the United States betrayed its own POWs in Vietnam PDF
Preview Kiss the boys goodbye : how the United States betrayed its own POWs in Vietnam
To Mel Holland and those who might have come home, and for Nick Rowe and the men of U.S. Special Forces who wanted to go back and get them Copyright © 2014 by William Stevenson Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected]. Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by David Sankey Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-449-8 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-6322-015-0 Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS Acknowledgments Map of Vietnam and Southeast Asia Overview: The Story Chapter 1: Traitor Chapter 2: “Roadblocks” in the Name of National Security Chapter 3: Taking on the Government Chapter 4: The White House Colonel Chapter 5: The Government Position Chapter 6: Betrayal Chapter 7: The Freelance Operative Chapter 8: There but for the Grace of God . . . Chapter 9: Lies in Laos Chapter 10: Telling Dirty Secrets Chapter 11: Complications and Conspiracies Chapter 12: Prisoners and Politics Chapter 13: Silencing the Critics Chapter 14: The Radical, the Billionaire, and the Green Beret Chapter 15: The Vanishing Cabbie Chapter 16: The Drug Lord Chapter 17: Buried Lists Chapter 18: The Business of Covert Ops Chapter 19: The Sleaze Factor Chapter 20: Getting “Bo” Chapter 21: Scott Barnes Tells His Story Chapter 22: The Party Line (or Else) Chapter 23: Perot Makes a Move Chapter 24: Garwood Debriefed Chapter 25: Vietnam Revisited Chapter 26: What the Government Always Knew Chapter 27: A Matter of Ethics Chapter 28: The Secret War Postscript Afterword Appendix 1: Open Letter from Robert Garwood to the House Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs Appendix 2: Letter from Ronald Reagan to Mrs. Anthony Drexel Duke Appendix 3: Extracts from an Affidavit by Jerry Mooney Appendix 4: Affidavit of Clarence Edward Johnson Glossary Note to Readers Notes Bibliography ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is impossible to thank everyone who helped us. Some requested anonymity but in the end decided they would risk their official positions to be identified, since we were all motivated in part by a deep concern that failures in secret intelligence have been too readily hushed by the simple expedient of concealing details for reasons of security. These brave souls now emerge in the text, as do most of our informants. We can only hope this inadequate acknowledgment of their assistance will be seen as much more than a polite thanks. Among those many good Canadians and Americans who fought in Vietnam, or lost menfolk in the wars of Southeast Asia, and who went to endless trouble to hunt down information, we owe much to Mike Quinn of the Canadian Vietnam Veterans, to Mark Smith, and to members of The Telephone Tree: to Mike Van Atta, Jim Badey, John Brown, Earl Hopper, Jerry Mooney, and to the wives, mothers, and daughters whose integrity and hard work shame the bureaucrats. Congressman Billy Hendon took us through the labyrinths of Capitol Hill procedure. The BBC’s David Taylor shared, in the best of old-fashioned journalistic traditions, his extensive files and tapes. Hugh Taylor, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot who remembered old alliances, gave generously from his own Site 85 research. General Eugene Tighe, the former director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, is the heroic figure who remained loyal to the highest principles. He belongs, along with Ross Perot, General “Robbie” Risner, and lawyer Mark Waple, in the ranks of men who made America great. Each in his own way had to gamble a great deal upon our own integrity during a three-year period when none of us was quite sure who else to trust. American politicians gave us encouragement as well as assistance, even if it meant (as it did for Congressman Hendon) considerable political risk. Senator Charles Grassley and Senator Jesse Helms provided pillars of strength and also research staff whose ability and openness came as a relief: notably Kris Kolesnik and Dan Perrin, who went where ordinary mortals could not go. Elvus Sasseen of Oklahoma proved that the heart of America is still to be found in the heart of America, and not necessarily presiding over the big news organizations. His energy kept the investigations alive among small town newspapers and radio stations, many of whose editors freely gave us their help and advice. John Kelly, from the BBC office in Washington, D.C., readily forwarded volumes of research, carefully checked and supported by official documents. Nelly Duncan Lide, at the time an associate producer with 60 Minutes, in the Washington office, confirmed conversations and lent moral support of immeasurable value. Our professional colleagues could not have been more ready to assist our inquiries. Perhaps this book will help repay those who spent so many hours of their own time at computers, running down the irregularities and concealment in official papers. Patty Aloot, daughter of a missing American, symbolizes their incredible devotion. We are indebted to Pat Kennedy, the Canadian editor who worked so hard to lick our manuscript into shape; and to publisher Avie Bennett for having had faith in us. Eugene Scheiman, the New York lawyer, courageously fought our cause; and John Downing bravely gave editorial support in a time when the media has been under every pressure to ignore this story.
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