Vietnam releases MIA photos WASHINGTON (AP) — U S officials on a weekend trip to Vietnam gained access to a cache of secret information, including thousands of photographs, that could shod light on the fate of Americans missing in action in the Vietnam War. government sources said Tuesday. "There's a good chance we'll got a lot of cases solved — dozens, hundreds maybe," said one De fense Department official, like others, speaking only on the condition of anonymity One source said the photographs are all of dead servicemen. Another official said intelligence personnel are "working night and day" to glean clues to what became of U.S. servicemen believed captured or killed. If positive identifications are made, families of the missing men will tie noli Hod first, the officials suid. President flush is to be briefed on the results Thursday; then there will he a public announce ment. At tile Pentagon, spokesman Bob Hall refused to comment on the situation except to promise that, if now information is developed, "wo will talk fairly quickly with the families to alert them to the issue." Another official said the information "may Ik; a whole new vein” of evidence about those listed as prisoners of war or missing in action during that war It could he especially useful In pursuing the scores of so-called "discrepancy cases," in which servicemen were last seen or heard from alive, but in imminent danger of i upturn "We know it's gmxl, but we won't know how good until wu run clunk it against whirl we al ready know , said the official A Senate source said between 4.000 and 5.000 photos are in tile newly uncovered archives, but many are duplicates, or different shots of the same individuals And. he said, "They all deal with dead people " The United States had long suspected that such information, which reportedly includes more than 4,000 photos, existed in Vietnam Out the trip over the weekend to Hanoi bv retired (len John Vessey Jr and Sen Joint McCain, K-Ari/ , was die first time its existence lias been officially acknowledged Vessey is President Bush's special emissary lor POW-MIA affairs, and McC.im is a former Viet nam prisoner of war and a member of the Sen ate’s Selis t Committee on POW-MIA Affairs The three-day trip was hastily arranged after the United States got word that Vietnam was pre pared to cooperate in turning over material it It.is previously held buck In addition to the photos, then- may Ih- other documentation that could shod light on the l it.- ol POYVs and MIAs That could ini lude reports ol aircraft being siiol down, prisoner lists or other data, the officials said One official said the information appears In be the most important breakthrough tit the long POW-MIA effort in two dot udes #Take your best shot KM1 RK( RKA I ION ( KNTKR »*Ji oc rvmt* n ‘nw « Mam. T*» *•* «m *»>•**«» «r*»* i*tm K**n*m*r* •*« •** m •* «m mp m iiw hk*wii—w *« im nmJ m Mm umwm, *i kmm ••»*** • !»•> i# f »■» On *3*4 35r