ACCESSION 
NUMBER:370268

FILE ID:EUR213

DATE:12/06/94

TITLE:U.S.-RUSSIA JOINT COMMISSION ON POW/MIAS VISIT U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY (12/06/94)

TEXT:*94120608.PFE

*EUR213   12/06/94

U.S.-RUSSIA JOINT COMMISSION ON POW/MIAS VISIT U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY

(Text: State Department statement) (240)

Washington -- The Department of State announced that the U.S.-Russia Joint

Commission on POW/MIAs toured the U.S. Naval Academy December 5.



Following is a December 6 statement on the visit by Christine Shelly, acting

spokesman at the State Department:



(Begin text)



On Monday, December 5, 1994, the United States-Russia Joint Commission on

POW/MIAs (USRJC) toured the U.S. Naval Academy, visited with the

superintendent, Admiral Charles Larson, and had lunch with naval cadets.



The USRJC has been actively involved in locating the remains of United

States Air Force Captain John Dunham.  Captain Dunham was a 1950 Naval

Academy graduate who was shot down on October 7, 1952, during an

intelligence collection flight over the South Kurile islands.  The Russian

side has assisted United States efforts by providing information from

Russian archives, producing witnesses, as well as searching for and

excavating remains thought to be those of Captain Dunham on Yuri Island.

The remains were found on September 2, 1994.  They are now undergoing

forensic analysis at the United States Army Identification Laboratory in

Hawaii.



The visit to the United States Naval Academy was designed to continue to

stimulate initiatives with our Russian counterparts that are expected to

produce more witnesses, documents, and leads to additional information

regarding our POW/MIAs.



(End text)

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