SPECIAL PRISONER OF WAR COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-4-7-6-3
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: October 16, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: March 24, 1970
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/16:
SECRET /SENSITIVE
MEMORANDUM FOR
OSD review
completed.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
MAR 24 1970
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
THE DIRECTOR, U.S. INFORMATION AGENCY
SUBJECT: Special Prisoner of War Committee
MORI/CDF per pgs 2/3 re C05082092
1. The President has decided that effo.rts on behalf of our prisoners
of war in North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Laos might be made more
effective if an interagency committee is set up to exercise guidance and
control over all activities, both overt and covert, which are undertaken
in connection with the POW issue. He has therefore directed that a
Special Prisoner of War Committee be established under the chairmanship
of a member of the National Security Council Staff, which will meet
regularly for the purposes just described.
2. Each of the Departments and Agencies now concerned with:POW affairs
should nominate representatives tO serve on the Special POW Committee
as follows:
-- Department of Defense: one representative from SACSA and
one from ISA;
? Department of State: one officer with experience in POW affairs;
? CIA: one person familiar with Southeast Asian operations;
-- USIA: one person with psychological warfare background.
3. The charter of the Special POW Committee will be to consider and
supervise measures, both in the overt and clandestine field, which can
put pressure on Hanoi. Overtly, it will assure that a series of hard-hitting
=CUE T /SENSITIVE
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/16: LOC-HAK-4-7-6-3
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/16: LOC-HAK-4-7-6-3
ilP 11,
SECRET /SENSITIVE -2-
statements on POWs are drafted for the Paris talks, it will consider
contacts with foreign governments as appropriate, and it will coordinate
efforts to achieve inspections of POW facilities, exchange of mail and
packages, release of name lists, and release of sick and wounded POWs.
This will be in accordance with consultations with the Departments of
State and Defense. On the clandestine side, it will undertake to exercise
jurisdiction over the various efforts of CIA and Armed Forces units to
free our POWs. It might also see that contacts are maintained with "peace"
groups which have opened up some degree of access to POWs in North
Vietnam. It will propose and regulate psychological operations of both a
"black" and overt nature.
4. Actual operations agreed upon by the Special POW Committee will be
carried out by the Departments or Agencies most directly concerned.
5. The suspense date for action on this directive is March 27, 1970.
(Signed)
HENRY A. KISSINGER
Henry A. Kissinger
SECRET/SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/16: LOC-HAK-4-7-6-3