
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 28, 1992                   TAG: 9203280035
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: MOSCOW                                LENGTH: Short

RUSSIA: 8 FROM U.S. DIED IN SOVIET CAMPS

For the first time, Russia on Friday formally gave the United States information about the fate of American soldiers held in Soviet prison camps after World War II, confirming that at least eight died there.

The Russian government provided the information to the United States at the conclusion of the first meeting of a Russian-American governmental commission. The commission is charged with finding out what happened to American prisoners of war or servicemen missing in action after World War II, during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and throughout the Cold War period.

The commission said it has not found any evidence of American POWs or MIAs from the Vietnam or Korean wars in the former Soviet Union. It will continue investigating.

Gen. Dmitri Volkogonov, the Russian chairman of the committee, gave former American ambassador to the Soviet Union Malcolm Toon an envelope with files on the eight Americans who died in Soviet prison camps shortly after World War II. The eight, whose names were not publicly disclosed Friday, were buried in Russia.

At least another 74 Americans were imprisoned in central Russia after World War II, mostly because they had Russian, Ukrainian or Jewish last names, Volkogonov said. The commission did not say what had happened to them.

The Soviet secret police, known then as the NKVD, believed they were traitors trying to pose as Americans, Volkogonov said. He added that information in the files indicates that some, including the eight whose names were turned over Friday, were believed to be Nazi collaborators.

by CNB