European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 21, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 5 r mias May be freely living in Vietnam evidence of live americans is overwhelming congressman says Washington a members of a congressional delegation just Back from Southeast Asia said wednesday they Are convinced americans Are still living in Vietnam but not necessarily against their will. The group returned tuesday night from a trip to Hanoi Bangkok and a cambodian refugee Camp on the thai Border to press for a full accounting of americans still missing from the Indochina War. Rep. Gerald Solomon r-n.y., Leader of the delegation said there is an Over whelming amount of evidence of Ameri cans living in the Region. That does t mean that we All know there Are live americans being held against their will he said at a news con Ference. There arc live americans we want to account  Solomon said the delegation does not want to raise false Hopes among families of some 2,400 listed by the defense department As still missing in Vietnam Cambodia and Laos. He also said the delegation could not discuss specific cases or evidence and emphasized that delegation members had not actually seen any live americans on their trip. But he added we be received so Many live sightings from so Many different sources that there just cannot be any question they re there. The question is who Are they now Many of them Are there and in what categories Are they there Are they prisoners of War being held against their will Are they people americans who just stayed there after the War or Are they deserters. Rep. Bill Hendon. , said he had America s mias i i prisoners of War my i missing in action North Vietnam 1447 presumed kilted in action body not recovered Chicago Tribune graphic source . Department of defense China seen intelligence information that leads every member of this task Force to the conclusion in fact that there Are live americans in  the question is whether they arc being held in Captivity he said. There s no question in my mind at All that americans Are held in Captivity in Southeast  several other members of the delegation said they also believed americans May still be held in Captivity possibly by local groups unknown to the governments of those countries. Both Vietnam and Laos have repeatedly said they hold no prisoners but the position by both nations has left open the possibility that some live americans re main behind. Pentagon officials admit that some . Deserters May still be Liv ing in Southeast Asia. The Reagan administration s official position is that the possibility of live prisoners cannot be ruled out. However Pentagon officials speaking on condition of. Anonymity say they have no credible re ports of any prisoners. The congressmen discussed their trip wednesday with representatives of the . Defense intelligence Agency which hey said has agreed to reopen an unspecified number of Mia cases. Solomon said More than 800 reports of live sightings have been examined and there arc still Over 100 that pretty much give us credibility As far As americans being there although not necessarily As prisoners. On Jan. 13, Richard l. Armitage assistant defense Secretary for International Security affairs said the vietnamese government had pledged to investigate nearly 100 live sighting reports of americans missing in Indochina. Solomon also said the vietnamese government has shifted from a position that there Are no americans in Vietnam to one that there Are no americans under its control but that there could be Ameri cans it is unaware of. He quoted a vietnamese official As say ing in Solomon s words there could be americans in the mountains and in the caves in areas beyond their  Solomon added that to me is a significant breakthrough and i think it s going to Lead to eventually at least the accountability of some of those americans under whatever category they arc  Dod drops investigation of manufacturer new combat helmet measures up army concludes Washington a a new combat helmet whose design was questioned by the Pentagon has been found to meet safety standards but the government May have paid too much for it the army said wednesday. The manufacturer Centex corp. Of Carbondale a has been told by the defense department s inspector Gen eral that a criminal investigation of the firm will not be pursued because the government lacks evidence. The army believed there might be an unacceptable weak spot on the top of the helmet. The helmet is worn by nearly a half million soldiers and marines. The inspector general s office began an investigation last year into whether Centex Cut Corners in production to save about $42 of the s85.20 paid for each helmet. But maj. Phil Soucy an army spokesman said when Sands of time we tested it As to whether it met Protection requirements it passed even though there is a slight reduction of Ballis tics resistance in a Small area of the  Centex while admitting no wrongdoing in connection with the helmet said it has developed a new design which has been approved by an army lab. This was a contract dispute and what was at Issue was an interpretation Over specifications said Donald Mauro of Centex. While we thought we were manufacturing to specification we reacted to this and went into an Engi Neering study to look into alternative  in deciding not to pursue a criminal investigation the department of Justice told the inspector general in our View the Case lacks sufficient evidence of criminal Viola Tion to warrant any further criminal  in a letter to a Law firm representing Centex j. Vander Schaaf Deputy inspector general said his office had recommended that the army pursue appropriate administrative remedies with respect to the problems relating to this  l. Peter Frieder president of Centex which employs about 750 people said in a prepared statement these actions Are at least a recognition by the department of defense and the individual agencies involved that the com Pany has been  the Centex helmet is made of a resin and synthetic fiber known As Kevlar it replaced the old steel pot that served american soldiers for More than 40 years. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Feb. 21, 1946 with the threat of a nationwide Telephone strike already facing the United states . Whitney president of the brotherhood of railway trainmen announced that 99 percent of members favor a National rail strike. 30 years ago today. Feb 21 1956 in new York Wes Santee America s Best Miter and no. I Hope for an olympic 1,500-meter Gold medal was suspended for life by the Naau for allegedly accepting excessive expense Money. 20 years ago today. Feb 21 1966 sen. Robert Kennedy d-n.y., urged president Johnson to invite Vietnam negotiations on the basis of accepting some communists in a coalition Saigon government. 10 years ago today. Feb 21 1976 Patricia Hearst testified in san Francisco that she was taken along on a Bank robbery mostly to get my picture taken and that she would never have fired her weapon. Police say cocaine salesmen taken in by undercover setup Hackensack no. A thinking their prospective customer was a radio station disc jockey two men walked into the Antenna topped state police Barracks and tried to sell an officer a kilogram of cocaine. Y after or agent unloading the 2.2 pounds of co Caine on the officer s desk and asking for $34,000 in return said it. Fred Martens supervisor of the Northern regional narcotics Bureau. It was the undercover agent s idea said Martens. We have never done this before. You be got to admit it was  Gustavo Lopez 49, and Juan Guillermo Castano 22, both colombians residing in new Jersey were charged with the posses Sion and distribution of illegal drugs said sgt. Lawrence Churm. The sergeant said the Barracks Home to the regional narcotics Bureau is not marked by any sign indicating it belongs to the state police and few marked police can Ever enter its grounds. Its Antenna is used for police communications. Before the suspects entered the building Churm said uniformed officers had cleared the Halls but no props were placed on the Walls to make the offices look like a radio station. The undercover agent had told Lopez and Castano that the radio station they were visiting was Nysp Channel 1921 on the am dial police said. The new Jersey state police was founded in 1921. And the am radio dial goes Only As far As 1600