Posted on 07/01/2002 8:08:55 AM PDT by JDoutrider
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff For the story behind the story...
Monday, July 1, 2002 9:15 AM EST
Reagan Admitted Hundreds of POW's Left Behind
A top aide to President Reagan who is today a member of Congress told NewsMax that Reagan admitted to him that hundreds of American POWs were left behind in Vietnam and were still alive as late as 1988.
The former Reagan aide recounted to NewsMax his last private meeting with the president in the Oval Office.
When the aide said he was concerned about the possibility that American GIs were left behind after the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam, Reagan responded: "We know that there are hundreds of POWs still alive. But these guys are leading very different lives, they have local wives, and we just don't want to shed light on them at this point."
The former aide said he was shocked by Reagan's comments, and it was clear to him that Reagan had been snookered by aides who had convinced him that for some reason the POWs didn't want to return to the U.S.
The congressman said it is widely believed that Vietnam keeps dozens, if not hundreds, of American POWs as leverage to insure that the U.S. lives up to pledges it made.
At the conclusion of the war in Vietnam, the U.S. agreed to pay billions in aid to North Vietnam to rebuild.
The money was never paid because Vietnam re-started hostilities, but the Vietnamese still have made claim to the money.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.