The Vietnamese have a lot of influence in those countries (they even conquered Cambodia and got rid of Pol Pot). Remember, at that time, the US and China were working together against the Vietnamese, we both hated the Vietnamese because they had kicked both our asses. They could have scored a lot of propaganda points by "liberating" those guys.

Any Democratic administration could have done the same (plus really slammed the GOP) by bringing up the case. They would have no incentive to cover this up. And it still remains to be seen what the Cambodians and the Laotians would have to gain by holding these guys. A hostage is worthless if no one knows you have him.

I don't doubt these people are perfectly capable of holding POWs indefinitely if they could be used to some advantage, but I'm having trouble seeing just what they would have to gain by doing so. Once their propaganda value was gone, they would become a liability, not an asset. They would just have had them shot so they couldn't escape or some journalist find them.

I'm just not convinced. It makes no sense. You
can blackmail the American people if you hold their boys hostage, but that can't work if nobody knows you have them. I don't trust these POW/MIA activists. I think its a racket, a racket you can't criticize or they will accuse you of "forgetting our boys."

Just google "John McCain Manchurian Candidate"
and you turn up stuff like this.

http://www.usvetdsp.com/manchuan.htm

Don't forget to buy a t-shirt while you're there.