Sauter, Mark and Sanders, Jim. The Men We Left Behind: Henry Kissinger,
the Politics of Deceit and the Tragic Fate of POWs After the Vietnam War.
Bethesda MD: National Press Books, 1993. 394 pages.
In Paris on February 1, 1973, the U.S. gave North Vietnam a letter from
Nixon promising $3.25 billion in aid in exchange for a list of POWs. North
Vietnam wanted "reparations" but Nixon called it "reconstruction." This book
makes a strong case that the list of POWs was incomplete; Vietnam was too
smart to release all prisoners on the mere promise of aid. When Nixon failed
to deliver, many POWs were left behind. Vietnam did the same thing with
French POWs in 1954, and their distrust of American motives must have been
keen after Kissinger's 1972 Christmas bombing of Hanoi. Much evidence shows
that Vietnam always used two or more parallel prison systems, with no cross-
fertilization of prisoners between them. The men who came home in 1973 were
from one system, and weren't aware of those who may have been left behind.
Since 1973, the Pentagon's cover-ups on this issue have been shameful.
The brass want to hold out until the entire mess becomes a footnote instead
of a career-stopper. Vietnam seems ready to wait also, and time is on their
side. Now that relations are normalized, the transnationals moving into
their economy are something of an insurance policy. In five or ten years,
Vietnam might be in a position to demand reparations without fear of
reprisals -- even another Kissinger wouldn't dare bomb Shell or Exxon.
ISBN 1-882605-03-9
Extract the names from this source
Back to search page