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February 5, 2022 22 mins

You’ve seen it- a black flag bearing the silhouette of a forlorn prisoner, emblazoned with the letters POW MIA. The enduring myth of the missing Vietnam POWs, symbolized by this flag, is a conspiracy theory that has persisted into the current day, but its roots can be traced back to the political schemes of Richard Nixon. What’s the story behind the POW MIA flag and the right wing mass movement that inspired it?

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Sources and Further Reading

The Enduring Cult of the Vietnam ‘Missing in Action’: Link

The Story Behind the POW/MIA Flag: Link

The Myth of the Lost POWs: Link

Prisoners of hope : exploiting the POW/MIA myth in America: Link

The Vietnam myth that gave us all those ‘Rambo’ movies: Link

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency: Link

Review: Nixon as Madman: Link

VIETNAM: The Other Prisoners: Link

Americans Missing In Southeast Asia, Final Report: Link

Colonel Gritz's Dubious Mission: Link

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