POW-MIAs CONTINUE TO HAUNT AMERICANS

There are few subjects that wrench at the hearts of Americans more than the idea that other Americans are being held captive against their will. As a nation, we have been angered, saddened and, at times, we have felt helpless because of hostage-taking in foreign lands. We have never forgotten those hostages. And we have always struggled to do our best to see their return, even acting foolishly at times in attempts to gain their freedom.

As compelling information comes forth that Americans might have been left behind in Laos and Vietnam in the early seventies Americans who might very well have been alive in the late eighties it is difficult not to be angry. A basic tenet of being an American seems to have been broken, that we will not forget those who fight and sacrifice for our country.

Meanwhile, the president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, in visiting the United States two weeks ago, said there might be Americans still held in prisons there: American pilots shipped for questioning during the Korean and Vietnam wars, spy pilots downed during the Cold War.

While we should remain skeptical about many of the specific reports, there are lessons to be learned from the revelations, whether true or not.

The first lesson is that no matter how wrenched some of our hearts may be, we must beware of those who would exploit our ache and anger for their own gain. Many of the reports about Americans being held in Vietnam were made by refugees seeking to ingratiate themselves with American authorities. Evidence indicates that these reports were often fabricated in the hopes of acquiring visas to enter the United States.

More insidious are the individuals who would exploit the emotions of families who still cannot account for a lost husband, father, brother or son, and who maintain hope against all odds that one day their questions will be answered.

Certainly, there are veterans groups who are working legitimately to solve POW-MIA questions. But there are also hucksters and charlatans, seeking monetary gain without conscience.

Americans must also beware of politicians who would disingenuously exploit this issue. In 1976 and 1980, Ronald Reagan was castigated by the press and his opponents for bringing up the possibility of POW-MIAs still being in Vietnam. He was considered a scare-monger and exploiter. Now some of those who scorned him then are trying to implicate him now, hoping that George Bush will suffer in the process.

The other lessons are more at the national level. The new evidence that American soldiers might have been left in Laos is but another reminder that wars fought secretly will be rife with additional complications and pain for those involved. If the United States is to wage war successfully, the government must be up front with the American people.

Finally, we learn some important lessons about yesterday and today's Vietnam and Russia. While the opening of secret records is proving that the Soviet Union was, indeed, an "evil empire," which lied not only to the United States but to its own people, today's Russia is much different. It works openly and directly with the United States. It is becoming more and more a true friend.

When Boris Yeltsin made his comments about the possibility of American POWs being in Russia, he may not have understood fully what he was saying. But he has opened Soviet records and KGB prisons to American investigators in unprecedented ways to answer the questions once and for all.

While officials from both nations are still trying to locate the bodies of the pilots of 12 U.S. spy planes shot down during the Cold War, after an intensive study no live American soldiers have been found anywhere. The Russian government has pledged to continue its priority search for any American POWs dead or alive, however, and an official report can be expected in two weeks.

The same cannot be said about Vietnam's government, which remains largely intransigent on these issues. It is time its leaders opened their records. Until they do, as completely as Yeltsin has opened the records of the former Soviet Union, relations between our two countries should not be normalized.

Unfortunately, we may never know for sure what happened to some Americans missing in action. That is, indeed, one of the many prices of war.