On November 5, Congress adopted a resolution declaring November 9 a National Day of Prayer for U. S. servicemen being held prisoner in North Viet Nam, and sent the resolution to the President for his signature. The measure, prompted by the appeal of several wives of imprisoned servicemen, drew scant advance attention from the media.
The action won support from a Southern Baptist, Admiral James W. Kelly, who is chief of Navy chaplains. His prayer for “courage and hope and a never-failing confidence” in God was written into the Congressional Record.
Government figures list 1,325 Americans missing in North Viet Nam and Laos. Fewer than 100 of those in prison have been able to write their families, despite a Geneva Convention rule requiring that privilege for prisoners.
