Salute!
True, much about Fonda was not a hoax, but were "wannabe" stories.
HOWEVER!
Other stories about other incidents were very true. My sources are impeccable. The pow's told them to me personally. Our zoomie class had the most pow's of the USAFA bunch, and they are several of the main narrators and pow's that are prominately shown/heard in the "American Experience" didy "Return With Honor" done by Amercan PBS back in the 80's or early 90's.
see:
Watch Return With Honor | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
One fellow I worked for at Air University was a 7 year man that was tortured and hung from the ceiling arms behind his back. After they cut him down, his hands were the size of grapefruits and ny classmate, who is heard on the video with that great, syrupy voice gad to wipe his butt for a few months. Another, who I was fairly close to was beaten so badly his head was mis-shapened. He made the mistake of telling a guard his mother died during a B-52 raid because he had not dug the bomb shelter close enough to their hootch! After the first rifle butt or two, he alledgedly told them 'you guys just don't have a sense of humor" !!! At Clark AFB first day out he's the guy that tells the story bout escaping and evading for abut 8 seconds in the village he came down in.
So not all the stories are accurate, but the ones I heard and repeat came from the principles themselves. Enuf, but I do not suffer at night because I had closure when I raised the gear of my A-7D at Korat in December 1975 leading the last flight of fighter-bombers of the whole damned war back to the states.
Gums says have a good night....