European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                M. From a lost War a haunting Echo that will not be stilled by Steven or Langer new York times n the Wall of Ann Mills Griftiths s office in Washington is a tamed rubbing of her brother s name from 1he Vietnam War memorial. I cmdr Jamas b. Mills has been missing since sell. 21. 1966, when his Navy f-4 was lost on a night Mission Over North Vietnam. In the nearly 22 years since there has been no further information about him no sightings no remains. My brother is a classic Case said Griftiths. Who Tor 10 years has been the executive director of Tho National league of families of american prisoners and missing in Southeast Asia. Although Mills was declared legally dead in 1978, he remains one of he 2.393 americans unaccounted for in Indochina 1.757 of them in Vietnam. And while Griftiths has his name on her office Wall Sha has never visited the memorial irom which it comes. This seeming ambivalence runs through any discussion of Iha Issue Ona of the most emotionally charged legacies of a War in which More than 58.000 americans died. In the last year the americans and vietnamese have made some Progress in resolving 1hat legacy of the missing recently agreeing to joint search and excavation efforts on vietnamese soil. A firm restatement of . Administration policy on Vietnam s larger aspirations to economic Aid Trade and development caused Hanoi 10 suspend that agreement suddenly in Early August a suspension that was reversed this month when the vietnamese agreed to resume work on joint investigations in Vietnam. All the americans unaccounted for like Mills have been declared dead save one. Col. Charles Shelton of Tho air Force who was captured by Patchet lao forces in 1965, a symbolically listed As missing or captured. But while senior Reagan administration and defense department officials say they have no evidence that any american Serviceman is alive and being held against his Wil in Indochina Well Over 100 intelligence officers Aro working full Tima 1o find some. They Are investigating 119 unresolved reports of first hand sightings of americans in Indochina 58 said to be held As prisoners and 61 non  some regard this investment of Timo and Money so Long after the fighting As manipulative and macabre prolonging the agony of a War Hal president Reagan was ideally suited perhaps to Lay to rest. But rep. Stephen j. Solan d-n.y., who Heads the House foreign relations subcommittee on asian and Pacific affairs said reports that americans had been seen alive could not simply to dismissed. We have an obligation to the men and Iha families to continue searching so Long As there is any reason to believe they might be alive he said defense department and administration officials acknowledge that efforts will eventually have to end As they ended Attar world War ii. Which left More than 78,000 americans unaccounted Lor despite Access to battlefields and after Korea which ief1 More than 8,000 americans missing. We want the fullest possible accounting one official said before Hanoi s latest move. We know not believe thai Hanoi could readily account for a number of missing americans a number probably in the hundreds. We re convinced they have of e remains. We know they have information on missing  one of the main anchors for this belief is the testimony of a vietnamese who left the country As a refugee in 197b. The Man said he had worked on the bodies of French and american military men and thai there was a warehouse with the Rem ins of some