Less than a month ago, the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs silently marked its ninth
anniversary. Long past the days of its youth, the Commission is now struggling against all the ailments
of bureaucratic middle-age: idealism that has given way to a sense of drift and aimlessness; high-level
political support that seems to have gone to seed, and, from all appearances, signs from the Russians
that, nowadays, it’s hardly business as usual.
This last point is most troubling and requires a word or two of explanation. Through generally
reliable, unofficial sources, our Coalition’s leadership has learned that, swept up in the latest round
of diplomatic expulsions, are a number of folks who serve on the frontlines of the Commission’s Moscow
research and investigative unit. While the US Government is mum on the names, it looks as though those
asked to leave their Moscow assignments include key members of the Commission’s staff. If true, the
Commission has more than the Washington bureaucracy to contend with; it’s more like a fight for its
survival.
Against this backdrop, some interesting events are unfolding. For one, the Commission will soon
release a joint report covering its work over the past five years. Even though this point apparently is
not in the text, we might wonder if this document is really a final testimonial rather than a periodic
update. The report is significant because it provides President Bush and his cabinet with their first
glimpse into the Commission’s work. Hopefully, the President will recognize the report for what it
represents: a noble idea harnessed, in fact, by his father to seek information about all those servicemen
who may have wound up in Soviet hands.