European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 16, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3 bit by bit Hanoi team Combs clues by Philip Shenon the new York times Hanoi Vietnam a up a Musty stairwell in a museum commemorating the triumphs of the Peoples army of Vietnam a team of american investigators sits hunched Over Laptop computers and a camera tripod trying to end what for Many american families is the continuing torment of the Vietnam War. Every half hour or so vietnamese museum workers slowly make their Way up the Steps lugging another assortment of relics collected from the enemy the United states in that Long ago War. The relics examined by the Pentagon investigators one recent morning included an american Issue military Parachute a pocket flare gun an airman a helmet with the wearer s name on it a Blue Felt air Force captains Cap a plastic Flap from the fuel tank of an american military Jet a single Pink Cotton handkerchief Ana a pair of red and White socks a All of it hidden away for years in unlit storerooms in the museum of the Peoples army the National War museum in Hanoi. This the american investigators say is what they have been waiting for. If they Are Correct these bits and pieces of Metal rubber and cloth a along with thousands of Black and White photographs stored elsewhere in the museum a will allow the United states to determine the Fate of Many of the 2,265 americans who Are still officially listed As unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. It was Only last month that the Hanoi government apparently mortified by the discovery that an american researcher had alerted the Pentagon to the treasure trove in the museum agreed to allow a defense department team to come in to study the full collection. I be heard this described As the Central big Goat development since 1973 in terms of accounting for missing  a it. Col. Jack Donovan key peruvian after alleged it Lima Peru apr the army a second in command was under House arrest saturday and about 25 Active and retired army officers had been arrested in what the government said was a failed plot to assassinate president Alberto Fujimori. New details Given by Fujimori on fridays attempted coup indicated the alleged conspiracy might have been broader than previously thought. Critics of Fujimori a one Man Rule however questioned whether the arrests weren to a publicity stunt staged by the president. The government announced the attempted coup after Fujimori took Steps to assume greater control of the military. Speaking on a radio show saturday Fujimori said three army generals including the no. 2 commander Gen. Jose Valdivia were under House arrest a until the Panorama is  Fujimori said Valdivia one of his most trusted aides failed to appear for an emergency meeting of the joint military command before Dawn Friday raising the suspicions of other commanders. But the president said that he was sure senators taking Bush letter to Vietnam s Leader Bangkok Thailand a . Senators said sunday that they will deliver a letter from president Bush urging Vietnam to cooperate in accounting for missing . Servicemen Ibers an Issue blocking Normal relations Between the two countries. �?o1 guess this is the first time a president has written to a president of Vietnam since Richard Nixon a said sen John p. Kerry a mass. Nixon was in office from 1969 to 1974, the year before the communists seized Power in Vietnam. Kerry chairs the investigative Senate select commit lace on pow Mia affairs. Today he and two other senators a Thomas a. Daschle d-s.d., and Hank Brownr Colo. A arc to begin a five Day trip to Vietnam and Laos a the committee s last major trip before final hearings and its dissolution at the end of the year. Kerry said the general thrust of Bush a letter for vietnamese president la due Anh a is to encourage cooperation and to suggest Good reasons for  Kerry would not elaborate saying the contents would be released by the White House. The United states has isolated Vietnam and imposed an Aid and Trade embargo since communist forces Defeated the .-backed South vietnamese government in april 1975. The Bush administration has been lifting sonic restrictions a most recently allowing telecommunications links a in return for Vietnam a cooperation in ending the cambodian War and in resolving the fates of the 2,265 Ameri cans still listed As missing in action. Bui the administration has presented Vietnam with a plan that requires further major Steps before the embargo is lifted and diplomatic relations normalized. The report of Kerry a committee tentatively due dec. 19, could significantly affect the Pace of this process. Kerry said his team would take up specific Mia cases with the vietnamese this week Quot we re going to be looking very hard at the 135 or so cases where there is the greatest likelihood that something ought to be Able to be known about them Quot he said a where they were either last known to be alive in Captivity or where circumstances strongly indicate they should have been taken in  the commander of the american investigators now working in Vietnam it. Col. Jack Donovan described Vietnam a new open Access decree As a breakthrough. Quot in be heard this described As the Central biggest development since 1973 in terms of accounting for missing americans a he said. It was in 1973 that . Ground forces pulled out of Vietnam. Until recently american investigators had Only guessed at what might be found in the War museum three blocks from to Chi minho a mausoleum in the heart of the vietnamese capital. Only a Small fraction of the articles was actually on Public display in the museum which draws a steady Stream of visitors. Now the investigators know the museum contains personal items and military gear taken from scores and perhaps hundreds of american soldiers pilots and sailors who were captured or killed in North vietnamese territory. Quot my gut feeling is that our work is going to be very valuable Quot said James Minnan 26, a Navy Petty officer from Jacksonville n.c., who spends his Days at the museum tapping away on the keyboard of a Laptop computer cataloguing the relics As they Are placed on the floor on a White Sheet of paper and photo generals held our attempt there was an explanation for Valdivias absence and that he still trusted the general. The retired commanders charged with leading the revolt denied they tried to overthrow the government. The government sought to portray the attempted coup As a threat to elections scheduled for nov. 22 to replace Congress which Fujimori shut Down in april saying corruption was blocking his War on drugs and terrorism. The elections were called under International pressure however and arc being boycotted by Peru a two largest political parties which contend the Assembly would serve Only to legitimize Fujimori a dictatorial Powers. The National intelligence service followed the conspirators every step Fujimori said and was wailing for them to act Friday while he slipped out of the presidential Palace to a Safe House. A we let this sinister plan unfold just As this Little group of seditious military men had planned. In order to discover All of its repercussions Quot Fujimori said. Graphed. A the vietnamese have kept very Complete records on this  Vietnam is eager for Normal diplomatic relations with the United slates and is desperate for Washington to lift the economic embargo it has imposed since the end of the War. Since 1988, it has allowed Pentagon investigators into the country to search for the remains of americans missing from the War. The defense department opened an office in Hanoi last year. The americans who until last month had been granted Access to Only a few museums and archives in Vietnam arc now discovering How meticulous the vietnamese record keeping was. In the army museum in Hanoi the Well preserved relics Range from military penknives and wristwatches to bicycle sized chunks of jagged Metal from the wings of b-52 bombers shot Down Over North vietnamese territory. Virtually All of the items inspected so far have been carefully tagged to show where and when they were found a the artefacts could help the Pentagon determine exactly where individual scr ice members died and How or where american planes went Down and whether their pilots survived. That in turn will help american search teams decide which Arcus of the vietnamese Countryside should be combed for human remains. The exact sequence of events that led Hanoi to turn Over the photographs and to announce last month that it would Grant the Pentagon full Access to the War archives remains a mystery although it is clearly linked to the unusual relationship Between the vietnamese government and an american researcher Ted Schweitzer who was Given Access to photographic archives at the army museum earlier this year. According to the vietnamese Schweitzer a 50-year-old librarian was allowed to rummage through the museums collection after he told museum directors that he was writing a Book about the War. Vietnamese officials said they were later surprised and irritated when he turned Over the results of his research to the Pentagon. During a search of the archives Schweitzer found thousands of photos of american Servic members who had been captured or killed by the vietnamese. Last summer after telling associates that he had failed to interest new York publishers in a Book Schweitzer Turcu the photographs Over to the defense department. Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori Waves As he leaves a Lima radio station saturday