Orange County Register

Edison Miller, the former Orange County supervisor who’s at odds with John McCain over their POW experiences, has responded to my story today about the dispute. If you don’t see it below, click where it says, “Read the rest of this entry.”

Two points I’d like to make. Miller asked me why I didn’t ask McCain to take a side-by-side polygraph test, as Miller wants. Miller also brings up the question of how McCain could have seen him “eating delicacies.” I submitted both of these issues in my list of questions to the McCain campaign. After mulling the issues for a couple of days, they decided not to respond to Miller, as noted in the story.

Here’s the unedited, unabridged email from Edison Miller:

Dear Mr. Wisckol:

I have read your article, its okay. However, there are a number of facts
left out.

I think the main one is: I have repeatedly offered to discuss and/or debate
any POW on our imprisonment and conduct while in prison, anywhere, anytime
or, anyplace of their choosing. My only request is that we both be strapped
to polygraph machines to add a little creditability to our stories. I have
had NO TAKERS- WHY? Even you were going to ask McCain if he wanted to take
me up on my Offer. Why didn’t you?

It would be even more revealing if McCain would tell us when and where he
was when he thinks he saw me eating “delicates” with Wilber and talking to
guards ( who to my knowledge spoke only a hand full of English words ), and
then turned him into the Vietnamese guards, and he says he was beaten.

While you have a copy of my locations while in Hanoi, I would appreciate
your not revealing them to McCain or, his associates until he reveals his
location at the time and place of his alleged sighting of me and Wilber.

I’m always amazed that if they thought I was asking for, or ” ‘Earning’
Special Privileges” why I didn’t ask for, or get, any Medical care since I
was more injured than he and both my cell mates and the Vietnamese thought I
was going to die. It was McCain who hollered at the top of his lungs who
he was and who his Daddy was and demanding Medical care- which he got the
end of November 1967. He is probably unaware that I and my 3 cellmates
offered to go live with him and take care of him, poor boy.

Was I only interested in my last meal?

Also, the Defense Department has gone on Record saying over 92 % of the
American Prisoners in Vietnam took some form of Anti-War action and that is
why they choose not to prosecute anyone.

Unfortunately, Most Prisoners thought the easy way out was to say they were
tortured to reveal Secrets or make anti-war statements. Believe me it would
be easy for anyone to write a statement-that could easily be read as being
forced and not sincere.

Unfortunatly, my first 2 1/2 years in prison I saw many anti-war letters
praising the Vietnamese for their kind treatment and condemning the War as
being Unlawfull by the most senior officers in prison with me. I was not
writing nor saying anything at that time. I have never thought the “Bob and
Ed Show ( our introduction meeting ) was an anti-war tape (I’ve never heard
it), and it was Bob’s statement, that it was his Boss (a Navy Captain) in
Wasington’s correction of his use of the term POW comment telling him (Bob)
that they were “Americans Detained by a Foreign Power not POW’s.-

I would be grateful if you would use the above as a “Letter to the Editor”,
a response, or rebutall or, a follow-up to your Article. You have my
Telephone numbers.

I would like the materials I gave you back also. You can make copies if you
wish.

Sincerely,

Edison W. Miller

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