The JC is a Presidential commission, on which nine commissioners are supposed to sit. In the early years, we had a worthy representation of U.S. dignitaries on the JC. These individuals…Senators, Congressmen, State Department officials, etc…oversaw the work of their support directorate; met regularly with their Russian counterparts; and went to bat with the Administration and with Russian officials, when necessary, over difficult issues that arose.

Now, the JC appears to be a mere shadow of its prior form, beleaguered from the passing of time and waning interest by whoever it is that is supposed to keep the fires of inquiry burning. In January of this year, General Roland LaJoie, head of the U.S. side of the JC, resigned. No replacement has been found and DPMO head Jerry Jennings has been acting in his stead. We're told that this situation is only temporary, and well it should be, since Mr. Jennings' attention and efforts are needed elsewhere. But, here it is late in May, at this writing, and no replacement for General LaJoie has been named. Indeed, no announcement was even made to families about the change in leadership of the Commission.

Also, we have learned that there has been a reshuffling of office organization, again something that was not announced to the families. Apparently, the JCSD has been drawn from its once autonomous status as an office outside of DPMO and integrated into the multi-layered bureaucracy of that office. While one can certainly appreciate the need for communication between the JCSD and DPMO, the idea of DPMO subsuming the JCSD was fully discussed and rejected by the families and our congressional supporters years ago.

But that was when Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) was still a commissioner and when Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX) was much more active on the JC than he has been lately. That was when the JC was a more viable entity, with more apparent support from the Office of the President, from whence it comes. The disturbing news we got in DC at the annual family update in April is that there are only two commissioners actively serving on the JC right now and neither of them is really doing much of anything. There have been no plenary sessions recently, where there used to be one every year, and none are in the works.

To be sure, this message of lackluster interest is not lost on the Russians. It is no wonder that progress remains elusive on the issue of gaining access to records that would likely reveal the secret Soviet program to exploit American servicemen. It would be so much more compelling if President Bush himself raised the issue with Russian President Putin, and with the American People. It would be so much more compelling if President Bush would see to it that his half of the JC was fully appointed with individuals who are ready and willing to actively pursue the Commission' s objectives. Instead, we see a once-promising cooperative investigation dwindling into a diluted process that limps along without the support that it needs to be truly productive.

This is in no way meant to undercut, or demean, the work of the fine people who have staffed the JCSD all these years. Quite the contrary. These people have been bedrock investigators on the issue of men having been taken to the Soviet Union. They have weathered a number of political crises. They have continued to present initiatives and develop leads, despite the falling-off from the top of leadership and support for the work they do.

They sought and obtained a contract with the military archives in St. Petersburg, pursuant to which a team of about 30 people has been reviewing this collection for information about American servicemen. The first deliverable result of this work is due to the JCSD soon.

The Korean War working group of the JCSD has conducted extensive interviews with Ukrainian veterans. A request for declassification of documents in Ukrainian archives is pending.

Efforts in the Czech Republic and Hungary continue, and we are told that soon work will begin in Belarus and Moldova.

Retired Soviet Admiral Boris Novyy has been conducting extensive research in Russian archives on behalf of the JCSD. Recently, he has received clearance to expand his efforts into the Far East and we are told that he will be conducting interviews in that region.

The JCSD's work has always been innovative. That work should be allowed to flourish in the light of articulated support by the U.S. President and a fully embodied Commission. To that end, the Coalition requests that a full compliment of U.S. Commissioners be appointed quickly.

We also ask that a family member be given a seat on the Commission. It is a mystery that the families have not been represented on the JC in the past. We asked a few years ago, but there was no interest in having us join the effort in that capacity at that time. This might be a good time to revisit the idea.

The families lend a measure of credibility and urgency of a sort that no one else can provide. We are the only people who have lived with this issue for 50 years. We are the only ones who will stay with it for another 50 years, if that's what it takes. The JC is currently fading away. It' s time to reinvigorate it; to put a new face on it. Let's add some new blood. Let's add the blood of the missing men.