DATE=11/24/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND
REPORT
NUMBER=5-41954
ITLE= U-S / K-G-B
BYLINE= ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE= WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: U-S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS SOME MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS, ARE PRESSING RUSSIA FOR ACCESS TO A K-G-B DOCUMENT
WHICH MAY SHED LIGHT ON THE FATE OF THOUSANDS OF MISSING AMERICAN
SERVICEMEN. V-O-A'S ANDRE DE NESNERA REPORTS FROM WASHINGTON.
TEXT: U-S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS BECAME AWARE OF THE
DOCUMENT WHEN RESEARCHERS AT THE PENTAGON READ THE MEMOIRS OF THE
LATE RUSSIAN GENERAL DMITRI VOLKOGONOV.
A RESPECTED HISTORIAN, GENERAL VOLKOGONOV HAD ACCESS TO
PREVIOUSLY CLASSIFIED MOSCOW ARCHIVES IN WRITING BIOGRAPHIES OF
FORMER SOVIET LEADERS INCLUDING VLADIMIR LENIN AND JOSEPH STALIN.
GENERAL VOLKOGONOV -- WHO DIED IN 1995 -- WAS ALSO THE
CO-CHAIRMAN OF A U-S/RUSSIAN COMMISSION ON PRISONERS OF WAR AND
SERVICEMEN MISSING IN ACTION.
JIM MACDOUGALL IS AN OFFICIAL AT THE U-S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
DEALING WITH THE PRISONERS OF WAR ISSUE. HE DESCRIBES WHAT IS
KNOWN OF THE DOCUMENT, FIRST MENTIONED IN GENERAL VOLKOGONOV'S
BOOK.
// MACDOUGALL ACT //
HE SAID THERE WAS ONE PARTICULAR ISSUE THAT TROUBLED HIM
-- AND THAT WAS THE FACT THAT AT ONE POINT, HE HAD
UNCOVERED A DOCUMENT WHICH STATED THAT IN THE LATE
1960'S THE K-G-B (SOVIET SECRET POLICE) RECEIVED THE
TASK -- AND I QUOTE -- 'TO DELIVER KNOWLEDGEABLE
AMERICANS TO THE U-S-S-R FOR INTELLIGENCE PURPOSES.'
// END ACT //
NEITHER MR. MACDOUGALL NOR GENERAL VOLKOGONOV INDICATED WHAT WAS
MEANT BY KNOWLEDGEABLE AMERICANS.
BUT THE RUSSIAN GENERAL TRIED TO LOCATE THE SPECIFIC DOCUMENT BY
CONTACTING IN THE EARLY 1990'S YEVGENY PRIMAKOV -- THEN HEAD OF
RUSSIAN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE -- AND NOW RUSSIA'S PRIME MINISTER.
IN HIS MEMOIRS, THE RUSSIAN GENERAL SAID THE K-G-B DOCUMENT WAS
LOCATED -- BUT NEVER RELEASED TO HIM.
SENATOR BOB SMITH IS A MEMBER OF THE U-S/RUSSIA JOINT COMMISSION
ON PRISONERS OF WAR. HE SAYS SINCE THE DOCUMENT DATES FROM THE
LATE 1960'S, IT COULD SHED LIGHT ON THE FATE OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS
MISSING IN ACTION -- ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM
WAR. MORE THAN 2,000 VIETNAM-ERA SOLDIERS ARE UNACCOUNTED FOR.
SENATOR SMITH JUST RETURNED FROM MOSCOW WHERE HE ATTENDED A
MEETING OF THE COMMISSION. HE ALSO TOOK PART IN INTERVIEWING A
MAN WHO COULD SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE AFFAIR -- FORMER K-G-B
CHAIRMAN VLADIMIR SEMICHASTNY.
// SMITH ACT //
MR. SEMICHASTNY TOLD US THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A PLAN.
BUT HE SAID HE DID NOT SIGN ANY SUCH PLAN, HAD NO
DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF ANY SUCH PLAN -- BUT THERE MAY HAVE
BEEN ONE. THE REASON SEMICHASTNY'S NAME CAME UP IS
BECAUSE (GENERAL) VOLKOGONOV IN HIS BOOK SAID HE THOUGHT
THAT IT WAS SEMICHASTNY WHO HAD SIGNED IT -- BUT HE WAS
NOT CERTAIN. SO THAT IS UP TO CONJECTURE. WE JUST DO
NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT. // OPT // HE SAID HE DID NOT
SIGN IT OR DID NOT RECALL SIGNING IT. HE WAS VAGUE
ABOUT IT. HE SAID : 'MAYBE I DID, MAYBE I DID NOT. I DO
NOT REMEMBER IT.' SO WE JUST HAVE TO PROCEED FROM
THERE. // END OPT // BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS I BELIEVE
VOLKOGONOV. I THINK VOLKOGONOV IS TELLING THE TRUTH --
AND I THINK THAT MR. PRIMAKOV IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN
REALLY STEP UP TO PLATE (COME OUT OPENLY) AND RESPOND
AND GIVE US THE TRUTH AS TO WHETHER SUCH A PLAN DID
EXIST.
// END ACT //
SENATOR SMITH REALIZES THE RUSSIANS MAY BE SENSITIVE ABOUT SUCH
INFORMATION.
// 2ND SMITH ACT //
WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR STATE SECRETS OF THE OLD SOVIET
UNION. ALL WE ARE ASKING FOR IS ACCESS TO THE DOCUMENTS
THAT MAY HELP US TO IDENTIFY OR OTHERWISE FIND OUT WHAT
HAPPENED TO AMERICAN P-O-W'S OR PEOPLE WHO WERE LOST
SINCE WORLD WAR TWO TO THE PRESENT. THAT IS WHAT WE
WANT.
// END ACT //
SENATOR BOB SMITH SAYS THE RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN
RESOLVING ISSUES SURROUNDING THE COLD WAR AND THE KOREAN
CONFLICT. BUT THEY REMAIN RELUCTANT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE
K-G-B DOCUMENT NOTED IN GENERAL VOLKOGONOV'S BOOK. AND SENATOR
SMITH SAYS PRESIDENT CLINTON MAY HAVE TO GET INVOLVED TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE AFFAIR.
(SIGNED)
NEB/ADEN/JO
24-Nov-98 2:59 PM EST (1959 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.