WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT PARIS AIRPORT; GROUP ENTERING NOTRE DAME TO PRAY; LEAVING NORTH VIETNAMESE LEGATION; SPOKESWOMAN SPEAKING TO NEWSMEN (SOF).



TRANSCRIPT: WOMAN: "WE WERE REFUSED AN AUDIENCE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO-ONE THERE, DESPITE OUR PREVIOUS TELEGRAM STATING THAT WE WOULD BE HERE. BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT MADE PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS HERE IN PARIS, WE HAD HOPED SO TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE NORTH VIETNAMESE DELEGATION, NO PREVIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS WERE MADE, AND BECAUSE SO MANY OF THE MOTHERS HERE HAVE VERY, VERY, LITTLE ONES AT HOME IT HAS BEEN THE DECISION OF THIS GROUP THAT EVERYONE WILL LEAVE AND RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THREE WIVES WHO WILL ACT AS REPRESENTATIVES TOMORROW".




Initials RJ/VS/AS/PC



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Background: MORE THAN 50 WIVES OF AMERICAN POWS IN VIETNAM ARRIVED IN PARIS TODAY (THURSDAY) IN AN EFFORT TO DISCOVER THE FATE OF THEIR HUSBANDS. IT WAS A FRUSTRATING DAY FOR THE WOMEN. THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE NORTH VIETNAMESE LEGATION WAS CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS, SO THEY WENT TO NOTRE DAME TO PRAY. LATER, THREE WOMEN WERE LEFT BEHIND AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GROUP AND FINALLY MANAGED TO SEE A NORTH VIETNAMESE DIPLOMAT.

IN ALL 58 WOMEN, WITH 94 CHILDREN, WENT TO PARIS TO FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR HUSBANDS. AFTER BEING TOLD THAT THE LEGATION WAS CLOSED THEY DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES LEAVING BEHIND THREE WOMEN AS THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. ONE OF THE WOMEN SPOKE TO NEWSMEN: