Russia Apologizes to Hanoi on POWs
Russia apologized to Vietnam on Wednesday for the release two weeks ago of a Soviet intelligence document that fueled U.S.-Vietnamese mistrust over American prisoners of war.
Moscow’s action appeared likely to ease U.S. doubts about Vietnamese good faith on the key issue in their relations--efforts to account for 2,248 U.S. servicemen still listed as missing in action in Indochina.
A Russian Embassy spokesman said facts quoted in the Moscow document--which suggested that Vietnam held double the number of U.S. POWs it acknowledged in 1970--were not proven.
“We have not got evidence that allows us to confirm the facts in this document, especially about the number of U.S. pilots who were POWs in 1970 in Vietnam. . . ,” he said, confirming a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
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