Frank J. Johnson ’51

Frank J. Johnson ’51—a scholar, author, and speaker in the field of United States-Soviet and Russian affairs who described himself as “a cold warrior”—died in Phoenix on January 24. Frank’s international interests were fostered at Dartmouth, where he was an international relations major. During his undergraduate years he was also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and the Dartmouth Outing Club and was active in experimental theater. He went on to earn a master’s in Russian area studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and became fluent in Russian. Frank received a commission in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Soviet Navy desk of the office of naval intelligence in the Pentagon. He served in this role for seven years, first as an officer and later as a civilian. He retired from the Navy reserves as a lieutenant commander. He loved writing and was for 13 years the Washington, D.C., editor for the American Security Council, writing newsletters, radio scripts, and strategy proposals. In 1964 he served as a speechwriter for the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign. He was the author of five books, including No Substitute for Victory, advocating a vigorous U.S. anti-Communist strategy. With his former Dartmouth roommate, Rabbi Bill Leffler ’51, he cowrote Jews and Mormons: Two Houses of Israel. A man of wide-ranging interests, Frank was active as a stockbroker and investment counselor. He was for many years a dedicated member of the Mormon Church.