The Russian List of 41 Names:
Worthless
This article may be a bit difficult to follow, but, it is important. Here is the story. There is a document that the US government received from the Russians in 1992 that the MIA "activists" like to point to as "proof" that US POWs from Vietnam were taken to the Soviet Union. Here is an analysis of the document.
The Russian List
First, let's start with the document itself, reproduced here in this typeface and color.
QUOTE
CERTIFICATE
A check of a list of 3,752 U.S.
servicemen missing in action in Southeast
Asia, and other foreigners, against the
records of the Main Information Center of
the Russian Federation's Ministry of Internal
Affairs, has established a similarity in the
information recorded for 41 individuals who
have undergone accounting by last name and
who were sentenced for various offenses
during the period of 1922 through 1968.
These included the following sentences:
1. Espionage - 10 persons
Filinov, Peter Mikhailovich, listed as
Fellon, Patrick M. (F057)
Gaider, Rolf, listed as Geiter, Ralph Ellis
(G045)
Grauert, Hans Georg Hudwig, listed as Groert,
Hans Herbert (G383)
Hill, Daniel Davidovich, listed as Hall
Donald J. (H004)
Mayer [Maier?], Theresa, listed as Kerber,
Maria Theresa (K733)
Stefan, Leopold, listed as Leopold, Steven
Rider (L049)
MacDonald, William Lionel, listed as
MacDonald, Joseph Willian (M172)
Thomas, Robert, listed as Thomas, Robert J.
(T067)
Wano [Ueno?], Tomaso, listed as Thomas,
William Z. (T064)
Washington, Leroy, listed as Washinton,
Bobby (W149)
2. Heinous crimes in the occupied territory
and collaborating with the fascists --
14persons
Clifford; this is Braun, Charles, listed as
Braun, Charles A. (B198)
Daniel, Herbert, listed as Herber, Daniel A.
(G600)
Dewitt, Martinas, listed as Martin David Earl
(M365)
Meyer, Benno Edward, listed as Meyer, Elton
Benno (M065)
Miller, Carl Davidovich, listed as Miller,
Carl D. (M062)
Niko, Felix, listed as Neko-Kuinones,
Felix B., (N021)
Ernst, Arthur, listed as Olds, Ernst
Arthus (0004)
Parra, Richard, listed as Perry, Richard
Clark (P378)
Herold, Robert, listed as Roberts,
Harold J. (R106)
Thomas, Robert, listed as Thomas,
Robert J. (T067)
Leisten, Fritz, listed as Lestien F. (L751)
Thomas, Paul, listed as Pail, Thomas Show
[Shaw?] (R073)
Thomas, Carl, listed as Weideaquist,
Thomas Earl (W138)
3. Counter-revolutionary activities --
6 persons
Holland, Arnold Mikhailevich, listed as
Hollend, Melvin Arnold (H189)
Holinger-Hullinger, Edwin Henrikhovich, listed
as Hollinger, Greg Neimen (H402)
Jans [?], Georges, listed as Jones, George
Emerson (J372)
Gere, Robert, listed as Lenrn [?], Gary
Robert (L092)
[Note: Page 1 ends here; bottom is stamped
"OSIA/DXL" with handwritten "TFR 2-152]
Herber, Bernard Samelovich, listed as
Plascmeyer, Bernard Herber (R097)
Thomas, Paul, listed as Pail, Thomas Shaw
[Show?] (R073)
4. Criminal offenses -- 8 persons
Un-Bon-A, listed as Cho Un Ban (C746)
Herbert, Lange, listed as Lanford,
Herbert L. (L036)
Maider, Kurt Max, listed as Meidar,
Kurt (M742)
Parsons, Michael James, listed as (P102)
Peterson, William-Jay, listed as Patterson,
James Kelly (P057)
Francis, Robert Fridrikhovich, listed as
Praiss [?], Robert Francis (P407)
Kurt, Frederich, listed as Waisman [?],
Kurt Frederick (W374)
Worren, Dale, listed as Worren, Gray D.
(W081)
5. No indication of articles of indictment --
3 persons
Un-Bon-o, listed as Cho Un Ban (C746)
Pepper, John Wilhelm, listed as Pepper,
Anthony John (R375)
Roper, John Thomasovich, listed as Roberts,
Harold J. (R106)
Chief, State Information Center
Colonel, Internal Services
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
[signature] G.L. Lezhikov
14 May 1992
END QUOTE
So, What's This About?
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a US - Russia joint commission was established to investigate what, if any, knowledge the Russians had of Americans missing from WW II, the Cold War, Korea, and Vietnam. As part of the work of the US-RJC (US-Russia Joint Commission), we passed to them a list of Americans missing in Southeast Asia and asked if the Russians had records that mentioned any of these men.
Part of their answer was to take the list of missing Americans and compare it to foreigners who had been arrested in the Soviet Union for various crimes. They found that the names of 41 individuals who had been arrested at some time in the USSR more or less matched the names of missing Americans. They passed to our side this list.
The MIA "activists" immediately elevated this list to the status of the Fifth Gospel. I have heard and read several statements that a man is "known to have been taken to the USSR because his name was one of 41 on a list the Russians provided us of Americans who were in their prisons." Let's examine the list and compare it to facts.
Here is how to read the list. The entry:
Niko, Felix, listed as Neko-Kuinones,
Felix B., (N021)
Means that the Russians found in their files the name Niko, Felix, who had been arrested for
2. Heinous crimes in the occupied territory
and collaborating with the fascists --
And the Russians have equated Niko, Felix to an American who appears on our POW-MIA list, named Neko-Kuinones, Felix B., (N021) . The "activists" who wave this document around, then, would have us believe that Neko-Kuinones, Felix B., (N021) was taken to the USSR and never released. In fact, Felix B. Neco-Quinones, list number N021, is an Army PFC who was captured in 1968 and released at Operation Homecoming in 1973.
Errors in the Russian List
The entire Russian list is filled with nonsense and mistakes. Here is a summary of the errors in the list. Note that the Russian list contains the names of, in their words,
A check of a list of 3,752 U.S.
servicemen missing in action in Southeast Asia, and other foreigners, against the records of the Main Information Center of
the Russian Federation's Ministry of Internal Affairs, has established a similarity in the information recorded for 41 individuals who have undergone accounting by last name and who were sentenced for various offenses during the period of 1922 through 1968.
Note the two dates. This list contains the names of people arrested in the USSR between 1922 and 1968. We did not start losing men in SEAsia until the early 1960s, not 1922. And, any American lost after 1969 should not be on this list because the Russians established 1968 as the cutoff date. So, here are some interesting things that show up on this list:
 |
Eleven -- 11 -- of the people on this list are returnees; they returned to the US at Operation Homecoming in 1973. They never heard of or saw any Russians and most certainly were not taken to the USSR. |
|
Ten -- 10 -- of the people on this list were lost after 1968. Because the Russians establish 1968 as the cutoff date, these people could not possibly be the ones named on the list. |
|
The bodies of two -- 2 -- of the people on this list were recovered at the time of their loss. |
|
The remains of three -- 3 -- of the people on this list have been recovered since the end of the war. |
|
Seven -- 7 -- of the people on this list, who were lost prior to 1968, the Russian cutoff date -- are KIA/BNR. This means that there is clear evidence that they died in their loss incident. |
Thus, 33 of the people named on this list could not possibly have been sent to the USSR because they returned home, their remains were recovered, they did not meet the date criteria established by the Russians, or they were known to have died in their loss.
Of the 41 names on the list, two are repeated, leaving only 39 individual names on the list. Thirty-three -- 33 -- of these 39, comprising 85 percent of the list, are demonstrably not true. This list is worthless and in no way is a listing of missing Americans taken to the USSR.
The Date Span
Another factor to consider is the date span of the Russian "research." Note that the Russians indicate that they searched their records from 1922 through 1968. What they did was to look at records of people who had been arrested in Russia with "foreign" names and compare those names to the names of Americans lost in SEAsia, looking for matches. As we have already demonstrated, 33 of the 39 "matches" have nothing to do with missing Americans because the American names to which the prisoners' names were matched are Americans who returned alive, were killed in their loss incident, whose bodies were recovered or returned, or who were lost after 1968 (the Russian cutoff date). The Russians did not provide us with the dates of arrest or imprisonment of the names on their list.
Let's take a theoretical case. Look on the Russian list for this entry:
Herber, Bernard Samelovich, listed as
Plascmeyer, Bernard Herber (R097)
This means that a person named Bernard Samelovich Herber was arrested and convicted in Russia for a crime. For some reason, they want us to believe that Bernard Samelovich Herber could actually be Bernard Herbert Plassmeyer, a Marine 1st Lieutenant lost in the crash of an A4E in South Vietnam, September 11, 1970. Disregard the fact that Plassmeyer was lost in 1970, after the 1968 cutoff date for the Russian list. What if -- and we have no way of knowing this -- Bernard Samelovich Herber had been arrested in, say, 1958. How in the world could he actually be an American lost in 1970?
Because the Russians did not provide the dates of incarceration associated with the names on their list, we have no way of knowning if the people in jail in Russia were jailed in 1922 or 1968 or some date in between. We must assume that some of the names that the Russians used were people who were imprisoned well before the US started losing people in SEAsia. Thus, when we find that 33 of the 39 names are men who could not be in a Russian prison, and when we have no way of double-checking dates, it becomes obvious to even a brain dead person that this "Russian 41 list" is of no value and has nothing to do with missing Americans.
Point by Point
Let me now reproduce the list and insert comments on each name. Here is a reminder as to how to translate this list. The entry:
Filinov, Peter Mikhailovich, listed as
Fellon, Patrick M. (F057)
means that the Russians searched through their prison records and found an individual named Filinov, Peter Mikhailovich. They equated this name to an American named Fellon, Patrick M. (F057).
Got it? Ready to go? Here we go. (Note: The designation KIA/BNR means "Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered." This means that, at time of loss, all evidence, including US eyewitnesses, determined that this man died but his body could not be recovered. KIA/BNRs were not alive to be taken anywhere.)
1. Espionage - 10 persons
Filinov, Peter Mikhailovich, listed as
Fellon, Patrick M. (F057)
(F057) is Fallon, Patrick M., lost in 1969, still missing. Does not meet 1968 criteria.
Gaider, Rolf, listed as Geiter, Ralph Ellis
(G045)
(G045) is Gaither, Ralph Ellis; returned at Operation Homecoming.
Grauert, Hans Georg Hudwig, listed as Groert,
Hans Herbert (G383)
(G383) is Grauert, Hans Herbert, KIA/BNR, 1967.
Hill, Daniel Davidovich, listed as Hall
Donald J. (H004)
(H004) is Hall, Donald J., lost in 1967.
Mayer [Maier?], Theresa, listed as Kerber,
Maria Theresa (K733)
(K733) is a foreign national civilian, Kerber, Maria Theresa, who was captured in 1969, does not meet the 1968 criteria, and who died in captivity.
Stefan, Leopold, listed as Leopold, Steven
Rider (L049)
(L049) is Leopold, Steven Ryder; returned at Operation Homecoming.
MacDonald, William Lionel, listed as
MacDonald, Joseph Willian (M172)
(M172) is McDonald, Joseph William, lost in 1972, does not meet 1968 criteria.
Thomas, Robert, listed as Thomas, Robert J.
(T067)
(T067) is Thomas, Robert J., remains returned in 1978.
Wano [Ueno?], Tomaso, listed as Thomas,
William Z. (T064)
First, how do we get William Thomas from the Russian name Tomaso Wano?? (T064) is Thomas, William E.; returned at Operation Homecoming.
Washington, Leroy, listed as Washinton,
Bobby (W149)
(W149) is Washington, Bobby; listed as deserter, 1969; does not meet 1968 criteria.
2. Heinous crimes in the occupied territory
and collaborating with the fascists --
14persons
Clifford; this is Braun, Charles, listed as
Braun, Charles A. (B198)
(B198) is Brown, Charles A., returned at Homecoming.
Daniel, Herbert, listed as Herber, Daniel A.
(G600)
(G600) is Gerber, Daniel A.; a missionary, kidnapped with two other missionaries from a compound in 1962. All three were killed within a few days of being captured. Interrogations of local enemy troops confirmed the fates of these three.
Dewitt, Martinas, listed as Martin David Earl
(M365)
How do you get David Earl Martin from Martinas Dewitt? (M365) is Martin, David Earl; KIA/BNR, 1967.
Meyer, Benno Edward, listed as Meyer, Elton
Benno (M065)
(M065) is Meyer, Alton Benno; returned at Homecoming.
Miller, Carl Davidovich, listed as Miller,
Carl D. (M062)
(M062) is MIller, Carl D., lost in 1967.
Niko, Felix, listed as Neko-Kuinones,
Felix B., (N021)
(N021) is Army PFC Neco-Quinones, Felix V.; returned at Homecoming.
Ernst, Arthur, listed as Olds, Ernst
Arthus (0004)
(O004) is Olds, Ernest Arthur; lost in 1968.
Parra, Richard, listed as Perry, Richard
Clark (P378)
(P378) is Perry, Richard Clark; remains returned in 1986.
Herold, Robert, listed as Roberts,
Harold J. (R106)
(R106) is Roberts, Harold J., KIA/BNR, 1965.
Thomas, Robert, listed as Thomas,
Robert J. (T067)
(T067) is Thomas, Robert J.; remains returned, 1978.
Leisten, Fritz, listed as Lestien F. (L751)
(L751) is Leistenne, F., a foreign national civilian, who was arrested in 1972 and released.
Thomas, Paul, listed as Pail, Thomas Show
[Shaw?] (R073)
(R073) is Rhodes, F. A. No way that the names match. However, (P073) is Pyle, Thomas Shaw, returned at Homecoming.
Thomas, Carl, listed as Weideaquist,
Thomas Earl (W138)
(W138) is Widerquist, Thomas Carl; remains recovered at time of loss.
3. Counter-revolutionary activities --
6 persons
Holland, Arnold Mikhailevich, listed as
Hollend, Melvin Arnold (H189)
(H189) is Holland, Melvin Arnold; KIA/BNR, 1968.
(NOTE: In a follow-up meeting, the Russians provided more information on some of these names, including the fact that Arnold Mikhailevich Holland was an Estonian who was born in 1929 and sentenced in 1945. Thus, Arnold Mikhailevich Holland is not USAF Sergeant Melvin Holland, lost in 1968.)
Holinger-Hullinger, Edwin Henrikhovich, listed
as Hollinger, Greg Neimen (H402)
(H402) is Hollinger, Greg Neyman; KIA/BNR, 1971; dead, does not fit date criteria.
Jans [?], Georges, listed as Jones, George
Emerson (J372)
(J372) is Jones, George Emerson; KIA/BNR, 1967.
Gere, Robert, listed as Lenrn [?], Gary
Robert (L092)
(L092) is Lehnrn, Gary Robert; returned at Homecoming.
[Note: Page 1 ends here; bottom is stamped
"OSIA/DXL" with handwritten "TFR 2-152]
Herber, Bernard Samelovich, listed as
Plascmeyer, Bernard Herber (R097)
(R097) is Robertson, Leonard, lost in 1972. But, the name Robertson is not even close. (P097) is Plassmeyer, Bernard Herbert; lost in 1970; does not meet date criteria.
Thomas, Paul, listed as Pail, Thomas Shaw
[Show?] (R073)
This name appears twice. (R073) is Rhodes, F. A. No way that the names match. However, (P073) is Pyle, Thomas Shaw, returned at Homecoming.
4. Criminal offenses -- 8 persons
Un-Bon-A, listed as Cho Un Ban (C746)
(C746) is Cho Joon Bun, a Korean who was released.
Herbert, Lange, listed as Lanford,
Herbert L. (L036)
(L036) is Lunsford, Herbert L., lost in 1967.
Maider, Kurt Max, listed as Meidar,
Kurt (M742)
(M742) is Mader, Kurt, a foreign national lost in Cambodia in 1970. Is not an American and does not meet the date criteria.
Parsons, Michael James, listed as (P102)
(P102) is Parsons, Michael James; lost in 1971; does not meet date criteria.
Peterson, William-Jay, listed as Patterson,
James Kelly (P057)
(P057) is Paterson, James Kelly. Parachuted from aircraft, hit the ground; Other crewmember was captured and released at Homecoming. He reported shots and shouting from Patterson's direction, Vietnamese reported that Patterson was shot evading capture. KIA/BNR.
Francis, Robert Fridrikhovich, listed as
Praiss [?], Robert Francis (P407)
(P407) is Preiss, Robert Francis; KIA/BNR, 1970; does not meet date criteria.
Kurt, Frederich, listed as Waisman [?],
Kurt Frederick (W374)
(W374) is Weisman, Kurt F.; remains recovered at time of loss in 1972.
Worren, Dale, listed as Worren, Gray D.
(W081)
(W081) is Warren Gray D.; lost 1969; does not meet date criteria.
5. No indication of articles of indictment --
3 persons
Un-Bon-o, listed as Cho Un Ban (C746)
Name listed twice. (C746) is Cho Joon Bun, a Korean who was released.
Pepper, John Wilhelm, listed as Pepper,
Anthony John (R375)
(R375) is Robbins, Richard Joseph, KIA/BNR, 1966; obviously an error. (P375) is Pepper, Anthony J.; KIA/BNR, 1968.
Roper, John Thomasovich, listed as Roberts,
Harold J. (R106)
(R106) is Roberts, Thomas J.; KIA/BNR, 1965.
Conclusion
So, there you have it folks. The "Russian 41 list," hailed by the MIA activists as proof that US POWs were hauled off to the Soviet Union, is worthless. Of course, that will not stop any of the activist clowns from waving this list around and using it to convert the unwary. The next time you hear or read something coming from the true believers claiming that "This man's name appeared a list of 41 men known to have been taken to Russia," please call it what it is: absolute nonsense.