POWs crediting 1969 change to
President, Congress and letters from
refusal of being ignored by
reluctant sorority of
shades of grays for
stages of death experienced by
State Department and reactions of
subversive activism among
survival school for
Sweden and media exposure for
as unleashed
U.S. and silent treatment of
U.S. as tranquilizing
U.S. government used by
U.S. power lobby as
Virginia Beach donated building to
war, government questioned by
West coast meets East coast
WSP bringing letters for
years and uncertainty for
POWs. See prisoners of war
prisoners of war (POWs)
accumulation of U.S.
African Americans as
Alvarez as first naval aviator
anti-war activists with hostages of
Army joined by son of
for bargaining
black market photos of
California parade for
cease fire agreement details on
children suffering over
Christmas bombing supported by
Civil Rights Act of 1964 shutting out
Code of Conduct and
coded letters sent by
COLIAFAM and
Denton, Jerry, as spokesman of
diplomacy as futile on
Dole on Congress not knowing
early release accepted by injured
family reunions with
first returns of
Gartley on treatment of
grapevine for wives of
Harriman as ambassador over
Hawaiian good luck sign given by
IRC inspecting camps of
Keep Quiet policy urged on
Keep Quiet worsening treatment of
Kennedy, R., and investigation over
Kissinger on priorities of
Korean War experiences of
Laird and
maltreatment of
media on treatment of
mental health component of
MIA wives sad on return of
1970 incomplete list of
Nixon, R., on respecting return of
on Nixon, R.
no caring about
North Vietnam marching
Palme declining internment of
Pentagon identifying
Perot and graphic display of
Perot running newspaper ads for
Pollard, B., with letter showing
POW/MIA wives and fates of
POW/MIA wives society as mirroring
propaganda and early release of
PTSD low occurrence among
savings plan excluding
savings plan including
Senate recognizing
SERE training useful for
60 days for release of
600 returning
Son Tay raid news to
State Department on treatment of
Stockdale, S., on Communists and
Sweden and media coverage of
tap-code for communications among
on television
torture of
U.S. going public on
Vietnam veterans contrasted with
Vietnam War creating
Vietnam War with college educated
war crime victims among
war criminal treatment contrasted with
Weis delivering information for
White House gala for
wives and communications to
wives credited on 1969 change for
propaganda
POW early release and
Stockdale, S., newsletter as anti-
Vietnam and anti-war activists using
protests
anti-war activists in
Denton, Jane, and letter of
Paris with
Pentagon and
PTSD. See post traumatic stress disorder
publicity
COLIAFAM using deaths for
North Vietnam concern on
North Vietnam convinced with
Vietnam and National League with
Rander, Andrea
as African American
family reunion for
on feeding husband
marriage as unsaved by
Nixon, R., rally POW yell by
Paris meeting for
Rander, Donald “Don”
as African American
captured in winter 1969
family reunion for
PTSD for
Reagan, Ronald
Nixon, R., meeting with
on POW California parade
Risner, James Robinson “Robbie”
Rumble, Wesley
savings plan
POWs and MIAs excluded from
POWs and MIAs included in
Semmes, Benedict “B. J.” Jr.
distrust of
placating form letter from
Stockdale, S., invoking
SERE. See Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape
sexism
Shields, Roger
Shumaker, Lorraine
coded letters written by
Shumaker, Robert H. “Bob”
Shuman, Edwin “Ned”
Shuman, Eleanor Sue Allen
Singleton, Bonnie
Perot contacted by
Son Tay camp raid
State Department, U.S.
collaborative approach as no by
communication inadequacies of
doors barred by
formal organization and response by
Mobe and activists counted on by
no collaborative approach by
no response from
Pentagon and Defense mistrusted by
on POW treatment
POW/MIA wives and reactions of
prisoner problems with low priority in
on torture of POWs
Stockdale, James Bond
coded letters and
family reunion for
on forced visits with COLIAFAM
interlude with Stockdale, S.
In Love and War by
Medal of Honor for
Navy unknowledgeable of imprisoned
shot down, beaten in Sept. 1965
solitary confinement for
Vietnam War destination for
war declaration impression by
young life of
Stockdale, Sybil
anti-propaganda and newsletter from
California move for
clout increasing for
coded letters by
on Communists and POW treatment
Dennison, S., and mother as
depression, financial challenges for
depression and illness for
Distinguished Public Service Award for
family reunion for
government meetings for
Haig as nervous with
Harriman and
husband and preparation by
on husband and torture
husband as missing for
Keep Quiet addressed by
LBJ truths known by
letters for
life celebration service for
Look magazine interviewing
In Love and War by
media appearances for
media receiving torture story from
motherhood for
Nixon, R., informed by
Nixon, R., meeting with
on Nixon, R.
North Vietnam and nervousness of
on North Vietnam as U.S. territory
ONI and
paycheck fight by
POW wives and POWs mirroring by
recording Nixon
, R., delegates
Semmes invoked by
sociability and career advancement for
spa break for
Stockdale, J. interlude with
system inadequacies informed by
on telegrams to Nixon, R.
U.S. acknowledgement for
U.S. covert tool as
Washington, D.C., move for
welcome party planner as
Stratton, Charles W. “Chuck”
Stratton, Sallie
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)
Code of Conduct taught in
combat training in
Eisenhower prescribing
Morse code and
POWs and training by
PTSD lack as from
Sweden
Dole on POWs interned in
IRC meeting in
North Vietnam embassy visit in
Palme as prime minister of
POW/MIA media coverage in
POWs not interned in
secret meeting in
Viet Cong support from
Teague, Olin Earl “Tiger”
television
Denton, Jerry, and POWs on
Vietnam War as first on
Texas wives. See also Johnson, Kathleen; Perot, Ross
torture
Denton, Jerry, blinking about
Hanoi Hilton and
McCain, John S. III, and
North Vietnam
POW/MIA wives telling media of
Tschudy, Janie
Boroughs working with
coded letters written by
meeting Denton, Jane
on U.S. State Department reactions
Tschudy, William “Bill”
Twinem, Pat
United States (U.S.)
Code of Conduct disobedience and
early release advocated by
job not done by government of
MIAs as public for
Mobe going for
North Vietnam denounced by
North Vietnam territory claimed by
POW/MIA letters to government of
POW/MIA recognition by Senate of
POW/MIA wives and Congress of
POW/MIA wives as power lobby in
POW/MIA wives questioning
POW/MIA wives using
POW/MIAs, wives and tranquilizing by
POWs of
prison camp communications and
Stockdale, S., acknowledged by
Stockdale, S., as covert tool for
Stockdale, S., meetings with
Vietnam and government divide in
Vietnam War being lost by
wives and silent treatment by
wives without sponsorship of
Vietnam War
aftermath of
college educated POWs and
Coronado influenced by
diplomatic history of
domino theory reason for
first television war as
LBJ and
Marines with African Americans in
McNamara and declaration of
military and government divide over
Mulligan, L., on
1960s epicenter as
Nixon, R., pledging to end
no exit strategy in
no significant threat as
Paris for peace negotiations on
POWs and MIAs from
POWs contrasted with veterans of
Stockdale, J., leaving for
U.S. losing
Vietnamization of
Vinson, Joan
National League coordinator as
Voices in Vital America (VIVA)
war criminals
North Vietnam not trying POWs as
POW treatment contrasted with
U.S. POWs as victims of
Weiss, Cora
left-leaning background of
POW/MIA information delivered by
POW/MIA wives on danger of
West coast wives. See also Coronado peninsula
cultural changes for
East coast meets
Hotel del Coronado and
1967 formal meetings for
POW California parade on
White, Sharon
White House
National League picketing
POW gala at
POW/MIA families attention from
wife or widow
women. See also sexism
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and
Dole on strength of
moral motherhood for
World War II with working
Women Strike for Peace (WSP). See also Weiss, Cora
Hanoi visit in 1969 by
letters brought home by
Mulligan, L., letter to
Pentagon protest by
Vietnamese personal relations with
World War II
Keep Quiet policy from
women working in
“Write Hanoi” letter campaign
Perot support of
WSP. See Women Strike for Peace
Zinn, Howard
As Mobe member
POW/MIA wives impression on
Zumwalt, Elmo
ABOUT THE LEAGUE OF WIVES EXHIBIT
In her role as the 2017 Dole Archives Curatorial Fellow, Heath Hardage Lee conceived of and curated a museum exhibit titled The League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/MIA Allies & Advocates, based on her research for The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took On the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home from Vietnam. The Dole Institute’s assistant director and senior archivist, Audrey McKanna Coleman, led the exhibit team, which also included assistant curator Minda Stockdale and filmmaker Kristine Bartley. The exhibit premiered at the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, on May 7, 2017, and ran through December 31 of that year.
Further venues include but are not limited to:
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado, March 24–December 29, 2018
Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond, Virginia, March 2, 2019–September 3, 2019
Coronado Historical Association, Coronado, California, October 1, 2019–March 31, 2020
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum (RNPLM): June 1, 2020–August 31, 2020
Also by Heath Hardage Lee
Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heath Hardage Lee comes from a museum background, and she has worked at history museums across the country. She holds a BA in history from Davidson College and an MA in French from the University of Virginia. As the 2017 Robert J. Dole Curatorial Fellow, Heath’s exhibition entitled The League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/MIA Allies & Advocates premiered at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics in 2017 and is now traveling to museums throughout the United States. Potomac Books, a division of the University of Nebraska Press, published Heath’s award-winning first book, Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause, in 2014. Heath lives in Roanoke, Virginia, with her husband, Chris, and her two children, Anne Alston and James. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
1. The Right Wife
2. It Can’t Happen to Us …
3. A Great Society for Some, Not for All …
4. Wives or Widows?
5. A Reluctant Sorority
�
��6. New Girl Village
7. The League of Wives
8. Incredibly Screwed Up
9. You Say You Want a Revolution?
10. “Nixon’s the One!”
11. Go Public
12. Don’t Mess with Texas
13. May Day Debut
14. Here Comes Your Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown
15. Write Hanoi and Silent Nights
16. Is Peace at Hand?
17. “We Chose to Be Together”
18. To the First Ladies of America!
Epilogue
Photographs
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the League of Wives Exhibit
Also by Heath Hardage Lee
About the Author
Copyright
THE LEAGUE OF WIVES. Copyright © 2019 by Heath Hardage Lee. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Young Jin Lee
Cover photograph courtesy of the Richard Nixon Library and Museum; Phyllis Galanti photograph courtesy of author
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Lee, Heath Hardage, author.
Title: The League of Wives: the untold story of the women who took on the U.S. Government to bring their husbands home / Heath Hardage Lee.
Other titles: Untold story of the women who took on the U.S. Government to bring their husbands home
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018041164 | ISBN 9781250161109 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250161123 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Prisoners and prisons, North Vietnamese. | Military spouses—United States—Biography. | Families of military personnel—United States—History—20th century. | Prisoners of war—Vietnam—Biography. | Prisoners of war—United States—Biography. | Air pilots, Military—United States—Biography. | United States—Politics and government—1969–1974 | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—United States.
Classification: LCC DS559.4 .L44 2019 | DDC 959.704/37—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018041164
eISBN 9781250161123
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: April 2019
The League of Wives Page 38
