Remarks at Pentagon Mall Entrance by Secretary Cragin Following Nokuen-Ri Meeting
Ladies and gentlemen, I am Charles L. Cragin. I am the Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Joining me is Mr. P. T. Henry, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Lt. Gen. Ackerman, the Army's Inspector General, who is engaged on a day-to-day basis in the fact-finding regarding the Nokuen-Ri incident. We would like to just read a very brief statement:
We had an hour-long meeting today and each of us expressed our appreciation to the group for making the trip to the United States. We reiterated the pledge of the United States to continue to work closely with the Republic of Korea government, and assured the survivors that the Department of Defense will vigorously pursue and publish the facts of what happened at Nokuen-Ri. Mr. Henry, General Ackerman, and myself also explained how the review is being conducted. Members of the Korean group related their experiences about the Nokuen-Ri bridge incident. Both parties agreed that communication is key to the integrity of the review.
The meeting ended with assurances from each of us on behalf of Secretary Cohen and Secretary Caldera that the U.S. will continue its effort to determine expeditiously the facts of what happened at Nokuen-Ri as a tribute to the shared sacrifices of the Korean and American people during the Korean War. Thank you folks. That completes our statement.
