DATE=11/24/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-41954
TITLE= 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)
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Source: Voice of America
.