S-4246               _______________________________________________

                                 SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 132

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Warnke, Bender, Owen, Newhouse, Deccio, Zimmerman, Bauer, Barr and Rasmussen)

Read first time 1/29/86.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, Two thousand four hundred forty-one American servicemen and civilians are still missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia; and

          WHEREAS, Reliable intelligence data indicates that the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is withholding information about missing American personnel; and

          WHEREAS, The American public considers gaining a substantiated account of missing American personnel to be of a national priority; and

          WHEREAS, The governments of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic have shown signs of wishing to provide more information on missing Americans in return for improved relations with the United States; and

          WHEREAS, The fullest possible accounting for missing Americans is achievable only through government-to-government efforts, with the full cooperation of Southeast Asian authorities;

          NOW THEREFORE, Your memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress of the United States seek all reasonable means of pursuing information and resolving the nation's concerns regarding missing Americans in Southeast Asia.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.