Speech #920072416

Go to the hospital we visited and take a look wt the Americans who have shed their blood for causes in which I do not believe and probably they do not believe. That was the basis on which I was introduced to Father Menger. During the interview of the eight refugees. four of them in the first round I was interviewing with Father Mengers assistance and one other reporter. who unfortunately did not speak Laotian and neither did I. With Mr. MCCLOSKEY Was Reverend Roffe and several others who spoke Laotian to check his translation. We met after 2 hours and he commented to me. he said. "It is remarkable." I said. "What is remarkable?" He said: The fact that there was not in one instance of one interview that I conducted an enemy soldier either within the village or closer than 2 to 10 miles from the village at the time of the bombing attack on the village that produced the wounded refugees or the evacuated refugee. I said. "That is remarkable." Among my four interviews there was not one who did not say in his village that in fact there were either both Laotian or North Vietnamese soldiers. We decided that coincidence was remarkable. so remarkable that it should be tested. He then took Father Menger on the next round of interviews. I took Reverend Roffe along with two men who also spoke Laotian. I tried to find all four of the refugees whom I had first interviewed to check Father Mengers translation. This was a massive village of refugees. and they had faded into that population with the exception of one. I found that one refugee. I asked the identical questions I had asked in the presence and with the assistance of Father Menger. The responses as to the presence of enemy soldiers in the village were entirely contrary to what Father Menger had testifid. The next three groups of refugees that I interviewed. not one said that there were enemy soldiers in the village. So Reverned Roffe to you was telling the truth when he said there was no distinction between the translations of the refugees given to me and those given to Father Menger. What he was saying is that there was no difference between the translation of refugees given to him than given Father Menger when he accompanied "PETE" MCCLOSKEY with a backup interpreter. because in the second round of interpretations with Father Menger interpreting for "PETE" with a backup interpreter. in fact. there were no enemy soldiers in the village. So let me suggest to you from personal experience. as a fairly neutral observer. not total. and becoming less so as the days progress on this issue. Father Menger in my view is not a credible translator.