Summary Information
Harold Kamps Papers and Photographs
1958-1998
WVM Mss 2000
1.6 linear ft. (4 archives boxes and one oversized flat folder) of papers, 0.4 linear ft. (1 archives box and 21 negative flaps) of still images, and 2 VHS tapes (98 min).
Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)
Papers and photographs pertaining to the service and disappearance of Harold Kamps, a Coleman, Wisconsin, resident who served as an airman second class in the United States Air Force during the Cold War. The collection was compiled by Harold's brother, Raymond, in an attempt to discover what happened to Harold. Kamps was on a reconnaissance mission in 1958 while flying over Soviet Armenia when the plane was shot down. Kamps and all members on board were killed, however neither the United States or Russian government were willing to release any information regarding the status of the crew. The collection includes Government crash reports and memorandums, Russian crash reports, correspondence with government officials, news reports of the crash, and additional research into similar shoot downs during the Cold War, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In addition there are some personal papers relating to Kamps, which include biographical information and service records. The photographs primarily document the C-130 dedication, and crash site. In addition, there are family photographs, photographs of Kamps while in service, and the reinterment ceremony for his remains. Of particular interest are photographs taken by the Russian military during the shoot down.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss02000 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Harold T. Kamps was born September 15, 1936 in Marinette County, Wisconsin. After graduating from Lena High School, Kamps joined the United States Air Force, and was promoted to airman second class. On September 2, 1958, Kamps and sixteen other crew members set out on a reconnaissance mission in a C-130 plane that flew into Soviet controlled Armenian airspace. Soviet planes were deployed and shot the C-130 down, killing everyone on board. Due to the strained relations of the United States and the USSR during that time, the fate of Kamps, and several other crew members, was not brought to light until the 1990s.
Scope and Content Note
The Harold Kamps papers and photographs are organized into three series: Service and Disappearance, Research, and Still Images.
Service and Disappearance (1938-1998) is subdivided by Personal Papers, Government Reports and Military papers. The papers within each subseries are arranged alphabetically. The bulk of this series consists of government reports regarding the shoot down of the C-130 plane that Kamps was on. Included is a crash report compiled by Raymond Kamps, along with government memorandums and reports over the course of several decades documenting government knowledge of the crash. Of particular interest is a translated Russian report of the crash. The photographs that belong with this report are located in the Still Images series. Personal papers contains biographical information regarding Kamps prior to his military service, and documentation of his burial, including a video of his reinterment at Arlington National Cemetery. In addition there is a folder regarding the Vigilance Park Memorial that was built in honor of those killed on September 2, 1958, which also includes a video recording of the park's opening ceremony. See Still Images series for photographs relating to reinterment and Vigilance Park Memorial Service. The subseries Military Papers consists mainly of Kamps service records, including award certificates he received, and documentation regarding his missing person compensation.
Research (1957-1999) is subdivided into Correspondence, Kamps Research, News, General Research, and Reference. All items are arranged alphabetically within each subseries. The Correspondence subseries makes up the bulk of this series, and primarily documents the Kamps family's attempt to gain information regarding the disappearance of Harold. Included are correspondence with congressmen, senators, and presidents over the course of many decades as his brother, Raymond, attempted to access information regarding his brother. There is also correspondence with the Department of the Air Force and Director of Military Personnel, which includes the telegram that the Kamps family received informing them that Harold was missing in action. In addition, there is correspondence from Raymond Kamps to other service families who lost loved ones during Soviet attacks on American surveillance aircrafts. All of the correspondence offers insights into political attitudes and fears during the Cold War, and frustrations of the families. Interviews taken from Armenian villagers, who witnessed the crash, can be found within the Kamps Research subseries, and have been translated by government officials. The News subseries includes military newsletters, newspaper clippings about Kamps and the shoot down, and many articles related to the C-130 incident. These items range in date from the time of the shoot down (1958) to after Kamps' reinterment (1999). These items enhance the collection by providing insight into changing public opinion on this issue, the amount of information provided to the families over time, and it provides the opinions of other military veterans on the subject. The subseries on General Research provides information on other shoot downs that occurred during the Cold War and Korean War. There is also a folder with information about a private detective who attempted to get more information from the government regarding these shoot downs, and the possibility of having American prisoners of war returned from Russia. Oversized posters for the private detective are located in Box Ov38. Reference includes briefing booklets that provide information on congressional hearings and government jargon.
Still Images (ca. 1950-1998) is subdivided by Photographs and Negatives. The Photograph subseries is arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are images of the crash site and crash memorial in Armenia that were taken by Raymond Kamps after the Soviet Union fell. Included in the photographs are many family images of outings and holidays, as well as photographs of Kamps while in active military service. There are several images of the reinterment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery that enhance the video and biographical information of the first series, along with images relating to the Vigilance Park Memorial. Finally, there are photographs taken by the Russian military of the attack on the C-130 and crash site, that relate to reports in the first series. These images are all numbered and have description on the back, and are in chronological order. Many of these images are grainy and difficult to make out, however several are graphic in nature. The negatives are of a similar subject matter to the family photographs in the previous subseries.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Raymond Kamps, 2001. Accession Number: TR 1295.
Processed by Mimi Loran in 2014
Contents List
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Series: Service and Disappearance
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Subseries: Personal Papers
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Biographical, 1938-1998
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Video
5
Folder
1
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Arlington Funeral Ceremony, 1998 (Videocassette)
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Correspondence, 1952-1958
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Vigilance Park Memorial
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Video
5
Folder
2
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Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial, 1997 (Videocassette)
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Subseries: Government Reports
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Box
1
Folder
4-6
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Crash Report 1990, circa
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Box
1
Folder
7-10
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Government Memorandums and Reports, 1958-1994
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Government Memorandums (continued), 1958-1994
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Remains Report, 1998
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Russian Crash Report, 1958
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Box
2
Folder
4-8
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U.S. Russian Joint Commission Minutes, 1994-1995
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Subseries: Military Papers
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Missing Person Compensation, 1956-1993
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Service Records, 1955-1997
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Training Notebook undated
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Series: Research
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Subseries: Correspondence
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Box
3
Folder
4-7
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Government, 1959-1998
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Department of Air Force, 1976-1997
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Director of Military Personnel, 1958-1962
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Box
3
Folder
10-12
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Congressmen, 1959-1975
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Box
4
Folder
1-2
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Senators, 1959-1960
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Miscellaneous, 1957-1997
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Box
4
Folder
4
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With News Publications, 1959-1999
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Box
4
Folder
5-7
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With other Families, 1959-1997
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Subseries: General Research
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Box
4
Folder
8-9
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Other Shoot Downs, 1959-1997
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Private Detective, 1975-1997
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Ov
38
Folder
10
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Oversized, 1975-1997
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Subseries: Kamps Research
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Interviews, 1959-1995
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Research Notes undated
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Box
4
Folder
13-20
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News Publications, 1957-1999
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Subseries: Reference
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Box
4
Folder
21
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Information Documents, 1993-1995
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Box
4
Folder
22
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Briefing Booklets, 1978-1998
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Series: Still Images
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Subseries: Photographs
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Box
5
Folder
1-4
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C-130 Dedication, 1997 [42]
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Box
5
Folder
5-7
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Crash Site, 1993 [28]
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Box
5
Folder
8-9
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Family Photographs 1950 [22], circa
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Box
5
Folder
10
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Kamps 1950 [7], circa
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Box
5
Folder
11
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Memorial 1990 [6], circa
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Miscellaneous 1955 [5], circa
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Box
5
Folder
13
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Reinterment, 1998 [13]
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Box
5
Folder
14-15
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Russian Photographs, 1958 [22]
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PhN
4
Folder
102-122
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Negatives, circa 1950 [21]
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