Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with G. V. (Gillespie V.) Montgomery, 1983

Oh well this is a Vietnam Project legacy was real. Sixteen is sitting here with Sonny Montgomery Congressman Mike coming. And Jerry more than what he said. So for openers if you do. Well I think it's still a a sad Ripoll what that means. OK. I am. In my opinion. I feel that no Americans are still being held captive in South Vietnam are in Laos being held by the North Vietnamese and even by the Laotians. I wish I was totally wrong and when I. First became chairman of the Select Committee on missing persons for the

Congress of the United States I thought there was a very fine possibility that some Americans could be still prisoners in that part of the world and we started working on this report at the instructions of the House representatives in 1975 in fairness to report Nineteen seventy six. But it fell in you know a sad place that we could find no evidence that any Americans were still being held captive. Now this does not mean that we not should not keep continuing to talking to the North Vietnamese they haven't done a good job on returning remains on returning personal effects. Of Americans we know they do have more remains they do have personal effects. But it's a sad report but. I believe no Americans are still being held captive in Southeast Asia.

There could be three four deserted as we've had American deserves in every war we have fought and they could be a handful of desert us in that part of the world. It's working. I don't agree with the figure of 400 remains are being held that seems like a rather hand number but I do think they have some more remains they are given to us we are entitled. To those remains but we have to continue to talk and work through the official government of the United States working through the government of North Vietnam. That's a battle a way that I know that we can get information on what happened to these Americans that didn't come home during the Vietnam War. And also getting remains returning also personal effects. You have to go through

this government through their government. Yes. I think. I would certainly hope that this administration would were not given courage moment to the to the families of the missing in action of those who have been declared dead in Vietnam in Laos but cost less giving the families false hopes. I do thank the Reagan administration has gone too far in some cases and have indicated now that there could be some Americans alive and this is not right. This ministration should do it. Those fellows are not coming home just yet. What I was he said his personal opinion General tacit in his

personal opinion. That is that as I recall it that he thought some Americans could be alive over there and that right after he said it but the official position of the United States government end of the deal. The Defense Intelligence Agency which heated up. Is that officially no Americans are still alive. So I don't know I think that. If he felt like that he sure didn't push it far enough it it carried through that he officially wanted the United States government to declare that Americans were still alive. I was disappointed when General tired I was I guess more surprised not disappointed when General time just

fine before you said comedian. Foreign Affairs committee stated that in his personal opinion there could be some Americans still being held captive and in that part of the world. I wish General tab was right and was correct I would suit me fine. But then the Defense Intelligence Agency. Is taking the position that officially no Americans are still being held captive. But then they add another paragraph on to that by saying But there is a possibility that some Americans could be held captive in that part of the world. But it was surprised me when when John Tanner made that statement. But you had the really the bottom line position of the Defense Intelligence Agency is that no Americans are being held captive over there and that's the official position of our country.

I. I don't see any problems with that that's the only way we going to get any. I don't really see any problems with having talking a diplomatic relations with the North Vietnamese. That's the only way we are going to get any information about what remains of the Vietnamese might have what personal effects they might have. What happened to these Americans you have got to talk to you potential enemy or your enemy to get the information we need. I would say not normal relations but on the diplomatic level I just don't see any problems with it we in effect doing that now and I think if we had it would have had diplomatic relations. And I've already always felt if we would have had diplomatic

relations with the North it amazes you after the war we could have gotten better information on the on the missing in action we might have had some effect of keeping the Soviets from moving in the Cam Ranh Bay in the so it's a moving into North Vietnam and we might have had some effect there and also the boat people coming out of Vietnam. We might have been able to control this situation better and save some lives. So talking I just can't see any problems with your theory. I've been I have been over to North Vietnam after the war more than any other member of Congress seeking information about the missing in action and and each time we have been over there we have been given

American remains by the North Vietnamese and in fact is not a bargaining chip we doing something for you know you do something for us. Our committee recommended we stop they had no Americans going over as members of Congress other government officials are private sources should should receive these remains that it should be done on a government to government level between the militaries of both and often the mes and the United States and that's what's been taken place recently that the joint casualty resolution Senyah and in Thailand the official is the official group to receive these remains and this is one of the recommendations I made that we don't go over and receive these remains in. And then we talk some more. This should be handled by the American military and the North Vietnamese military. But they're not very major. I

should just open up and give us all the information they have on the remains of whatever information they have on this and in action. You know. I don't I don't have a good eye and so they have always in effect given out remains is different groups would go over there this year to give them all to us when the only ones they hadn't 1073 when the Americans came out of there. But I will have to say that I'm sure they are collecting some remains around the country and in South Vietnam and also in Laos and they will continue to gather American remains in fact as I recall we got five Americans back from Europe this last year that would that were located discovered

over there so we will be recovering remains for a long time in that part of the world but I don't have a good answer of why the North Vietnamese have been dwelling at the remains of our game all back to us. Well. It's same set up in Vietnam in the north it non The people we dealt with there were very suspicious of Americans. It seemed like a group of old men were running the country and it was just slow and hard to do negotiations with them I just talked to them about my issue and also about other matters pertaining to countries. They were always slow and they were always coming back in the election to us about. They were right and we were wrong and and

I remember Henry Kissinger saying of all his negotiations they were the toughest group to deal with him and I agree with him. It's just poor poor poor and in trying to fool with. Yes it is wiser Ventris you you sit all day across the table and you. Trying to say the right things to the best for your country that you really need to get out in in the afternoon and. It did cause some attention. Of jogging in Hanoi it was only relaxation that we could get rid of sports arenas around there know no jams and the climate is good for running and tall American running through the streets of Hanoi.

I did attract some attention that way. And the lessons learned in Vietnam for me is that war and if we if we're going to get involved like like we did in Korea and Vietnam there we have to be totally committed to win the war. We can't fight a limited war that's out that just won't. Work. You have to be totally committed and you have to you have to attack the enemy at his home base. I think that's a lesson we've learned. We are so tried to fight a war over there my opinion. Two infantry battalions forward and one in reserve and you are fighting a guerrilla

jungle time enemy. And so. We have to break down. The units in my opinion in fight. In effect like like the enemy fights and I don't think we did that. And we tried to take over the war in Vietnam when I was there. I went over there eight times during the war and I could see in Saigon that we had taken over that city we were picking up American trucks were picking up the garbage we were Han and the the police traffic. We were doing it all end of it in a maze. The South Vietnamese just kind of feck laid back and said we'll let the Americans do it all that for we didn't instill in the South Vietnamese our They didn't have it the will to win and no matter how long we will stay they're not having that will to

win by the South Vietnamese. I guess that would be the key issue that I would be concerned about. Now in comparison with El Salvador I think we have learned a lot from Vietnam that we can move forward into El Salvador and that will fail Salvador to survive is up to the El Salvadorans. They have to do it we cannot do it in. So therefore I see no reason to put thousands of American troops on the ground in El Salvador. It didn't work in South Vietnam and it won't work in al El Salvador. We we can learn that in the training that we give the El Salvadorans that not not to train the conventional type wars that we used to but break the potentially into down into small units in Teach them to fight like the enemy fights in that cell the way that we're going to to have they'll Salvadorans in in that

part of the world. I guess those couple areas that I mentioned from Vietnam they're moving into El Salvador and in El Salvador. Oh Carol when I laid. People in my state of Mississippi very pro military. But when I was home recently. A number of those people talked to me and very concern. About committing Americans in India and Salvador even into the Middle East. Most Mississippians that I represent. Don't want American

soldiers committed especially in El Salvador. And. I think that week actually by economic aid to El Salvador and also the military will give that to government. They also have a door a chance I'm not sure whether they can make it or not even whether they have the will which South Vietnamese didn't have the will to make it and and stand on their home. But why we have to have now yours is because if we don't and that government does fall down and they are in other governments such as Coasta Rica Panama Honduras we will have such an influx of refugees into this country we can't handle it. In fact we have a very very large number almost a half a million El Salvadorans already in this country and

most of them are here illegally. So the best interests of our country is to try to spend some money down there now and maybe get a stabilization of that government and not have those people coming into the United States. Now they are Salvadorans they're not coming to the United States by boat they come right up the peninsula in come right through Mexico and come right in through Texas in other ways in come into the United States. I have been supportive of President Reagan the way he has handled the Central American situation I think what he's tried to do and is doing makes sense and it's really the only logical approach to take to that situation down there. Of course I wish the human rights

element the government could do more on human rights but we can't expect miracles and have the same type of government we have here in the United States in El Salvador. And I think the Reagan administration realizes that. And I think that taking a logical reasonable approach of trying to save El Salvador. Right. Yeah. I'm a violinist in the veterans programs being chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and a number of my colleagues have asked me in recent days. We going to be able to take care of the largest number of World War Two Korean veterans that will

reach the ages of 60 61 62 years of age and take care of them. And I have veterans hospital system. I think we can I think we can give the acute care necessary for the World War 2 veteran and also the Korean veteran and I've also had these veterans to express some concern and we moved to that patient clinic can now we've also moved to nursing homes. So I believe that in the near future we will be able to take care of these veterans that are reaching the ages of the middle 60s when they need acute care and other medical care that the veterans hospital system that we have can do the job in Vietnam. On the Agent Orange issue that. I'd like to talk briefly about the Vietnam era

veteran and especially a bat an Agent Orange or we're having hearings in the House Veterans Affairs Committee at this time if we can get good substantial strong evidence that that Agent Orange is affecting a number of the Vietnam era veterans we will take care of these veterans and see that they do receive some type of comp compensation or whatever care they do need. And on the Vietnam era veteran I would like to concentrate more on the psychological problems that the Vietnam veteran seems to be having more than World War Two in a Korean veteran. And I'm very concerned that more Vietnam era veterans are out of jobs and those who didn't serve in the Vietnam War who were not called up. Something's wrong

there and the government already have to see these fellows get good jobs something happen that they can't get jobs and we ought to help them. And I we're moving toward some type of solution to job finding for the Vietnam era veteran. That's one of the major problems we're having in the Vietnam era veteran personality. Personally I don't. Think. So. Yeah.

This is the head of several number. Yes yes some rule number 17 for Carol number 29 and GBH Vietnam legacies Viet 13 as a continuation of the interview with Sonny and Governor E.. Slate number forty nine. OK coming up will be a few seconds of reference to a record of my CD be on August 4 pt. 2. And that will be the end of modulation on this rule.