Lieutenant Colonel Bruce G. Johnson and Kathleen Johnson Frisbie Collection, 1964-2019 | Dole Archive Collections

Scope and Contents: Kathleen Johnson was the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Bruce G. Johnson, who went missing in Vietnam in 1965. The Lieutenant Colonel Bruce G. Johnson and Kathleen Johnson Frisbie Collection contains materials involving missing Americans, the war in Vietnam, and advocacy for prisoners of war and Americans missing in action in Southeast Asia. Most materials found in the collection fall between 1969-1975. The material found in this collection is diverse in medium and topic, but most of it relates to Kathleen Johnson and various advocacy groups.

The collection is organized narratively and divided into four thematic series that reflect Kathleen Johnson’s involvement with POW/MIA advocacy. The International and National Advocacy series encompasses all national and international advocacy efforts for prisoners of war and Americans missing in action in Southeast Asia, including legislative relations and national and international events and trips. The Community Advocacy series includes materials about specific local advocacy groups; this also includes documentation about specific wives and families who served as advocates. The Johnson Family series encompasses all documentation related to Kathleen, Bruce, and the Johnson children, emphasizing Kathleen Johnson’s individual advocacy work and information about Lt. Col. Johnson’s death. The Objects/Ephemera series includes all objects that are part of the Johnson/Frisbie collection. Together, these series trace the evolution of global, national, local, and personal efforts related to POW/MIA advocacy.

This collection includes materials from several organizations: most prominently, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, but also groups like the Forgotten Americans Committee of Kansas (FACK), and Voices in Vital America (VIVA). In addition to these advocacy groups, the collection includes information pertaining to specific events, such as Kathleen Johnson’s trips to Paris, the Freedom Tree Dedication in 1974, and the National Week of Concern for Americans Who Are Prisoners of War or Missing in Action in 1971.