Register of the Juliene Williams papers
Finding aid prepared by Paige Minister
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2016
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Juliene Williams papers
Date (bulk): 1970-1988
Collection Number: 2013C9
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
15 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box
(7.3 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, notes, newsletters, printed matter, photographs, memorabilia, and personal documents relating to American
prisoners of war and missing in action in the Vietnam War, and to activities of the National League of Families of American
Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Includes the papers of William's first husband, Captain Gordon C. Hill, who was reported
missing in action in Laos in 1970.
Creator:
Williams, Juliene, -2011
Creator:
Hill, Gordon C.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2012.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Juliene Williams papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
Juliene Williams (née Afton Andrews) was the wife of Captain Gordon Clark Hill, a United States Air Force pilot who was reported
missing in action (MIA) in Laos in 1970.
Williams was born on July 11, 1946 to Paul J. and Marilyn Andrews in Payson, Utah and attended high schools in Washington,
Montana, and Colorado. She graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 1968. While attending NMSU, Williams met
Gordon C. Hill (born October 9,1944), also known as "Bud." They married on January 22, 1966 and together had a son, Brian
Ray Hill, born February 4, 1968.
Gordon C. Hill entered the Air Force in May 1967. In 1969, Hill was transferred to the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base as
part of the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On June 30, 1970, Hill and Captain Mitchell O. Sadler, Jr. were declared missing
in action (MIA) after their plane failed to meet a refueling tanker during a reconnaissance mission in central Laos. Hill's
status was changed from MIA to KIA (killed in action) in 1978.
Shortly after receiving news of her husband's MIA status, Juliene Williams moved to Palo Alto, California and became actively
involved with Vietnam prisoner of war (POW) and MIA organizations. She was a member of the National League of Families of
American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia and served in leadership roles with the Friends of the POW/MIA League of
Santa Clara County.
Juliene Williams married Thomas E. Williams on December 6, 1980, with whom she had a second child, Afton Elizabeth Williams.
With Thomas she ran AIW, Inc., a plumbing, hardware, and lighting business in downtown Palo Alto for several years. Juliene
Williams died on February 8, 2011.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Juliene Williams papers contain correspondence, notes, newsletters, printed matter, photographs, memorabilia, and personal
documents relating to American prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) in the Vietnam War, mainly from the years
1970 to 1988. Included are the papers of her first husband, Captain Gordon C. Hill, who was reported MIA in Laos in 1970.
The papers document Williams' activities with POW/MIA organizations, such as the National League of Families of American Prisoners
and Missing in Southeast Asia, as well as her own efforts to raise awareness of MIA issues and to uncover more information
about what happened to her husband.
The
Correspondence section contains Williams' personal correspondence with government officials, family, and friends. Much of the correspondence
relates to POW/MIA issues and letter writing campaigns against Bo Gritz, a former United States Army Special Forces officer
who had conducted a series of private trips to Vietnam in the 1980s to search for live POWs. Correspondence can also be found
in the
POW/MIA Research File, organized by topic.
The
Air Force File contains materials Williams received from the Air Force following Hill's MIA status. This includes her official notification
of his status, subsequent updates on his status, mailings sent to all MIA families, and copies of documents from Hill's official
case file. It also includes her correspondence with the Air Force requesting more information about her husband's case.
Mailings, correspondence, newsletters, notes, ephemera, and other printed mater related to Williams' involvement with POW/MIA
organizations can be found in the
Organizations File. It includes material documenting the activities of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in
Southeast Asia, also known as the National League of POW/MIA Families, from 1970 to 2010. It also includes meeting minutes,
notes, and other material from the Friends of the POW/MIA League of Santa Clara County, with whom Williams held positions
as public relations officer and treasurer. Although the group dissolved in 1974, Williams remained friends with many women
from this group, which is documented in the Correspondence series.
Most of the material related directly to Captain Gordon C. Hill can be found in the
Gordon C. Hill Biographical File,
Oversize Material, and
Memorabilia sections. The
Biographical File contains some of Hill's personal papers, including his baby book, yearbooks, photographs, and Air Force training records.
Military awards and medals Hill received can be found in the Oversize Material and Memorabilia series.
The
POW/MIA Research File contains news clippings, correspondence, and notes organized by Williams according to subject. Additional news clippings
and articles relating to Vietnam POW/MIA issues and organized by year can be found in the
News File. All other printed matter, including periodicals, is located in the
Printed Matter section.
Related Collections
Maerose J. Evans papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia miscellany, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Richard A. Stratton papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Prisoners and prisons, North Vietnamese
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Missing in action
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
Correspondence
1970-2009
undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains Williams' personal correspondence, mainly with government officials, regarding Vietnam POW/MIA issues. Also included
is the collected correspondence of Don Marquart, whom Williams worked with on letter writing campaigns; drafts of letters;
and some family correspondence.
General
1970-1973, 1982-1984
Scope and Contents note
Also includes the collected correspondence of Don Marquart.
box 1, folder 9
Andrews family
2006, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains a draft of a letter to Williams' father, as well as printouts of emails between Williams and her two brothers, Greg
Andrews and Michael Andrews.
box 1, folder 10
Beckstead, Robert W.
1992 August 17
box 1, folder 11
Christmas cards
1970-1971, 1996, 2002-2008
Scope and Contents note
Contains eight Christmas cards from U.S. presidents, some of which are addressed to Hill and Williams' son, Brian C. Hill.
Also included is one card from Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Secretary of the Air Force.
box 1, folder 13
Evans, Maerose
1971-1974, 1990
box 1, folder 14
Page, Lou
1995 January 23
General note
See also: file of the same name in POW/MIA Research File series.
box 1, folder 15
Stratton, Alice
2007, 2009
Scope and Contents note
Mainly relates to discussion of a reunion of some of the members of the Friends of the POW/MIA League of Santa Clara County.
Gordon C. Hill Biographical File
1945-1978, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains material related to Gordon C. Hill's childhood and time in the Air Force. Includes his baby book, personal documents,
photographs, yearbooks, and Air Force training materials.
box 1, folder 16
Baby book
1945-1955
Scope and Contents note
Includes childhood photographs of Hill and his family.
box 2, folder 1
Diploma, New Mexico State University (NMSU)
1967
box 2, folder 2
Fishing and hunting licenses
1960-1964
box 2, folder 3
Passport application,
1969
box 2, folder 4
Personal documents
1963-1970, 1978
Scope and Contents note
Contains Hill's passport and a semester report from NMSU, and documents regarding Hill's posthumous promotion to major and
his change in status from MIA to KIA.
box 2, folder 5
Photographs
1967, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains Hill's official Air Force portrait, a portrait of Hill getting into an Air Force jet, and two photographs with his
mother and Williams taken at his ROTC graduation.
box 2, folder 6
Tree dedication ceremony
1973
Scope and Contents note
Contains photographs, programs, and news articles from a tree dedication ceremony held in Mountain View, California on June
30, 1973. The ceremony honored Hill and Major Joseph Bors, who was reported MIA in South Vietnam in 1968.
United States Air Force training file
1967-1970
Scope and Contents note
Contains certificates, records, progress reports, and other material related to Hill's Air Force training prior to his deployment
overseas.
box 2, folder 7
469th Tactical Fighter Squadron
circa 1969
Scope and Contents note
Includes Hills letter of recommendation to the USAF Operational Training Course, as well as a group photograph of the squadron.
box 2, folder 10
Jet school, Webb Air Force Base
1967-1970
box 2, folder 11
Survivors school, Fairchild Air Force Base
1968-1969
box 2, folder 12
Operational Training Course student folder
1969
box 2, folder 13-15
Yearbooks
1958, 1962-1964
box 3, folder 1
Yearbooks
1958, 1962-1964
box 3, folder 2
Miscellaneous
1960, 1970-1973, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains an application for a Red Cross Safety Instructor course filled out by Hill, correspondence between Hill's parents
and Congressman Glenn M. Anderson regarding Hill's MIA status, and a postcard for the Friends of the POW/MIA League of Santa
Clara County featuring Hill.
Air Force File
1970-1978, 1993-2010
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence, official reports, documents from Hill's official Air Force file, and other material Juliene Williams
received from the Air Force regarding her husband's MIA status and her efforts to find out more information about what happened
to him.
Correspondence
1970-1978, 1984-2010
box 4, folder 17
1994 case review
1994-1995
Scope and Contents note
Contains documents relating to a Department of Defense review of cases of American servicemen and civilians who were unaccounted
for during the Vietnam War.
box 4, folder 18-20
1998 crash site investigation file
1993-2010
Scope and Contents note
Contains copies of documents, photographs, and correspondence relating to a Joint Task Force investigation of a site in the
Phou Kout District of Laos, where a plane was believed to have crashed in mid-1970. Although the task force originally believed
the crash site could be related to Hill's disappearance, a direct correlation could not be determined. The first file includes
a CD-R.
box 5, folder 1-2
1998 crash site investigation file
1993-2010
box 5, folder 3
Accounting
1971-1973, 1978
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence and information Williams received from the Air Force regarding Hill's earnings after he was declared
MIA.
box 5, folder 4
Belasco, Amy, Larry A. Niksch, Lynn J. Cunningham, and Hannah Fischer,
Congressional Restrictions on U.S. Military Operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Somalia, and Kosovo: Funding and Non-Funding
Approaches,
2007 May 7
Gordon C. Hill case file
1970-1978, 2010
box 5, folder 5
Case file CD-R
2010 August 20
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence.
box 5, folder 6
Printouts
1970-1978
Scope and Contents note
Contains printouts of documents from Hill's official Air Force file.
MIA status
1970-1978, 1994
Scope and Contents note
Contains information Williams received regarding Hill's MIA status and his subsequent change in status to KIA.
box 5, folder 7
Notification
1970-1972
Scope and Contents note
Includes
Information Pamphlet for Families of United States Servicemen Who Are Prisoners of War or Are Missing in Action in Southeast
Asia.
box 5, folder 8
Review of status
1970-1978, 1994
Scope and Contents note
Includes two microfiche copies of Hill's Air Force personnel record.
box 5, folder 9
Change of status
1978, 1994
box 5, folder 10
Promotions
1970-1971, 1978
Organizations File
1970-2010
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence, agendas, newsletters, and ephemera from the National League of Families of American Prisoners and
Missing in Southeast Asia and the Friends of the POW/MIA League of Santa Clara County that Williams collected as a result
of her involvement with the organizations.
National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1970-2010
box 8, folder 17
"Analysis of the Final Report of the House Select Committee on Missing Persons in Southeast Asia,"
1977
box 9, folder 1
Eastern Washington chapter
1970-1971
box 9, folder 2-4
Friends of the POW/MIA League of Santa Clara County
1971-1974
Scope and Contents note
Includes meeting notes, correspondence, and newsletters generated by the group, which was active from 1971 to 1974. Williams
served as an active member of the group, acting as a public relations officer and later as treasurer. Arranged by year. See
also: Evans, Maerose; Page, Lou; and Stratton Alice files in the Correspondence series.
POW/MIA Research File
1970-2011
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence, clippings, newsletters, notes, and other printed matter related to POW/MIA issues and organized by
Williams according to subject. Arranged alphabetically according to Williams' original folder titles.
box 9, folder 5
ACTION/VISTA [Volunteers in Service to America]
1984
Scope and Contents note
ACTION was a federal domestic volunteer agency that was active from 1971 to 1994. VISTA was one of several volunteer programs
transferred to ACTION after it was established.
box 9, folder 6
Bamboo Connection: A Rambo Faction Publication
1985-1986
box 9, folder 8
Childress, Richard T. and Stephen J. Solarz, "Vietnam: Detours on the Road to Restoring Normal Relations,"
circa 1995
box 9, folder 9
Central Intelligence Agency,
2006-2010
box 9, folder 10-11
Department of Defense
1970-1971, 1983-2011
Scope and Contents note
Includes news releases, the
Next-of-Kin Newsletter, the
POW/MIA Newsletter, and correspondence. Also included are issues of the
POW-MIA Fact Book from August 1986 and July 1988.
box 9, folder 12
DNA registry
1995, undated
box 9, folder 13
Franklin, H. Bruce, "The POW/MIA Myth: How the White House and Hollywood Combined to Foster a National Fantasy,"
1991
box 9, folder 14
Freedom of Information Act,
1983-1984
box 9, folder 15
Geneva Convention violations flyer
1970
Gritz, James "Bo,"
1981-2009, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains newspaper clippings, articles, correspondence, and other material related to James "Bo" Gritz, a former United States
Army Special Forces officer who gained fame in the 1980s for taking a series of private trips to Vietnam, where he claimed
to have recovered the remains of American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War. Much of the material pertains to a controversy
surrounding how Gritz funded these trips and letters Williams and Don Marquart wrote to various people criticizing Gritz and
his refusal to turn over the remains to the authorities for examination. Organized by year and then topic according to Williams'
original folder titles.
box 10, folder 14
1995 lawsuit
1982-1983, 1995
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence, reproductions of documents, and an audio cassette produced by Bo Gritz titled "Maybe Tomorrow" that
were provided by Williams for use in a defamation case involving Gritz. Also includes a copy of
New Information on U.S. MIA-POW's in Indochina?: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
that features testimony by Gritz.
box 10, folder 15
Anderson, Jack
1984-1985
Scope and Contents note
Contains articles about Gritz written by Anderson, a journalist for
The San Francisco Chronicle. Also includes a draft of a letter written by Williams.
box 11, folder 1
Congressional bill
1984
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence and news clippings regarding a Congressional bill that would allow the Department of Defense to confiscate
alleged remains of servicemen for examination.
box 11, folder 2
Federal charges
1988, 2004
box 11, folder 5
Tax information
1982-1984
box 11, folder 6
Van Atta, Michael
1988
Scope and Contents note
Contains correspondence and articles written about Bo Gritz sent to Williams from Michael Van Atta, author of
The Insiders newsletter (one copy of the newsletter is included). See also:
The Insiders file later in this series.
box 11, folder 7-8
Hayden [Tom] and Fonda [Jane]
1985-1990
box 11, folder 9
House Task Force on American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1984 August 7
Scope and Contents note
Contains a statement regarding the Task Force's findings on William Hendon's allegations that there was a government cover-up
pertaining to live POWs in Southeast Asia.
box 11, folder 11-13
The Insiders
1984-1986
Scope and Contents note
The Insiders was a publication produced by Michael Van Atta. It was first published in 1982 with the aim of informing the American public
of "the proof that live POWs are still being held in Southeast Asia" and securing their release.
box 11, folder 18
MIA identification
1983, 1986-1987
box 12, folder 1
Miscellaneous POW/MIA newsletters
1970
box 12, folder 2
Miscellaneous POW/MIA newsletters
1972, 1988
Notebooks
1994, 2008-2011
Scope and Contents note
Contains various handwritten notes relating to MIA issues and organizations. Also included are some printouts of online articles
that were originally found between the pages of the notebooks.
Notes
1983-1994
Scope and Contents note
Contains loose handwritten notes, mainly related to MIA news and James "Bo" Gritz.
box 12, folder 11
Page, Lou
1998
General note
See also: file of the same name in Correspondence series.
box 12, folder 12
Pentagon Papers
1971
Scope and Contents note
Contains news clippings related to the publishing of what were dubbed the "Pentagon Papers" by
The New York Times. The papers, formally titled
United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, were released by Daniel Ellsberg in 1971.
box 12, folder 14
Photograph with Congressman Ed Zschau
undated
box 12, folder 15
POW/MIA pamphlets and bumper stickers
undated
box 12, folder 16
Roger Hall lawsuit,
2007
Scope and Contents note
Contains copies of an email containing a court case file from Roger Hall, et al. v. Central Intelligence Agency.
box 12, folder 17
Reestablishment of trade with Vietnam
1988, 2003
box 12, folder 18
Remains identification
1985
box 12, folder 20
Scowcroft, Brent
1973, 2005-2006
box 12, folder 21
Senate Select Committee
1993 January 3
box 12, folder 22
Southern Texas POW/MIA newsletter
1971-1972
box 12, folder 25
United States Senate
1995 July 20
box 12, folder 26
Unknown Soldier - Vietnam
1984
box 12, folder 28
Vietnam Veterans of America
1987
box 12, folder 29
Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy Had Lived
2009
Scope and Contents note
Contains articles and clippings about the documentary film that speculates how John F. Kennedy might have handled Vietnam
if he had not been assassinated.
box 12, folder 30
Voices in Vital America (VIVA)
1971-1973
Scope and Contents note
Contains mailings and correspondence regarding permission to use Captain Hill's name on one of VIVA's POW/MIA bracelets. Also
included is VIVA's 1972 annual report and a letter addressed to Williams from someone who wore Hill's MIA bracelet.
box 13, folder 1
The Wall
undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains two rubbings and a photograph of Hill's name from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.
box 13, folder 2
Miscellany
1983-1994, 2006-2010, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains materials from an unlabeled file. Includes a group photograph of unidentified men, a printout of the article "National
Security Archive Publishes Digitized Set of 2,100 Henry Kissinger 'Memcons' Recounting the Secret Diplomacy of the Nixon-Ford
Era," and ephemera.
News File
1970-2010, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains news clippings and printouts of online news articles related to POW/MIA news, Laos, and Vietnam. These files were
arranged chronologically by Williams.
Printed Matter
1970-1971
1984-1986
Scope and Contents note
Contains periodicals and pamphlets related to Vietnam POWs and MIAs.
box 15, folder 3
The Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. With Reservations, if Any, by Governments Participating
in Hostilities in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos,
1970 May
box 15, folder 4
House Concurrent Resolution 322, 98th Congress
1984 June 19
Periodicals
1970-1971, 1986
box 15, folder 5
Air Force and Space Digest
1970 June
box 15, folder 7
Commanders Digest, Department of Defense
1970
Scope and Contents note
Contains issues from June 13, July 11, and October 17, 1970.
box 15, folder 8
Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 91st Congress, Second Session
1970
Scope and Contents note
Contains numbers 90, 91, and 165.
box 15, folder 9
The New American: A Weekly Review of the News & American Opinion
1986 February 24
box 15, folder 10
Pottstown Mercury
1970 June 18
box 15, folder 11
The Prisoner of War Problem
1970
Oversize Material
1970
1978
undated
box 16, folder 1
Gordon C. Hill military awards and certificates
1970, 1978, undated
Scope and Contents note
Contains certificates for various military awards bestowed upon Hill for his service in the Vietnam War. Each certificate
includes a citation or letter describing the award. Also included is a photograph of Air Force jets in midair.
box 16, folder 2
Distinguished Combat Wife Award certificate
undated
box 16, folder 2
"High Flight," poem by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
undated
box 16
Memorabilia
circa 1970-1983, undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes five of Hill's military medals and a Psi Omega fraternity charm.
