Military Intelligence Service

The first Japanese Americans to serve in the military during World War II were linguists involved in the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS). The MISLS was charged with training soldiers in the Japanese language for intelligence purposes. Japanese Americans served as both instructors and students at the school, which opened on November 1, 1941. The Language School began recruiting instructors and later students directly from concentration camps as early as July 1942. MISLS graduates were assigned in small teams to units fighting in the Pacific and to intelligence centers throughout the Allied command. They translated captured documents, interrogated prisoners of war, wrote propaganda, encouraged Japanese soldiers and civilians to surrender, and monitored radio broadcasts. After the war, they acted as interpreters at the war crime trials and for the occupation government in Japan.

World War II (231)
Military service (2806)
Military Intelligence Service (1145)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
John Aiso, Fort Snelling, Masaji Marumoto, Jack Matsuoka, Military Intelligence Service, Military Intelligence Service Language School, Walter Tsukamoto, Karl Yoneda

Facilities
Format
Genre
Usage

Use <Ctrl> or (⌘) keys to select multiple terms

1145 items
Men standing in field (ddr-ajah-2-481)
img Men standing in field (ddr-ajah-2-481)
Caption below photo: Wednesday Afternoon Recreation
Joe Iwataki with two women and a man seated at nightclub (ddr-ajah-2-730)
img Joe Iwataki with two women and a man seated at nightclub (ddr-ajah-2-730)
Caption below photo: Alice Takeuchi / Frank Tomita / Amy Okazaki / Visit to nite club during furlo from Manila May, June 1945
Two men in park (ddr-ajah-2-607)
img Two men in park (ddr-ajah-2-607)
Caption below photo: Gene Schrader / Dave Siegel. Caption on right: Botanical Gardens Brisbane
Men cleaning in field with tents (ddr-ajah-2-764)
img Men cleaning in field with tents (ddr-ajah-2-764)
Caption: G.I.s clean up (kitchen patrol) at a camp near Longview, Washington after maneuvers in late 1941. Supplemental scan on ddr-ajah-2-265 with additional notes
Joe Iwataki:  a photographic Journey from Fort Ord to Australia (ddr-ajah-2-838)
doc Joe Iwataki: a photographic Journey from Fort Ord to Australia (ddr-ajah-2-838)
Digital document comprised of photos, documents and text related to the military service of Joe Iwataki
Two woman and two men in uniform (ddr-ajah-2-487)
img Two woman and two men in uniform (ddr-ajah-2-487)
Caption below photo: Joanne Nagata / Mary Tani / Yuk / Midori Inouye
View of village on island (ddr-ajah-2-630)
img View of village on island (ddr-ajah-2-630)
Caption below photo: Native Village on Lake Sentani
Portrait of group of men in uniform outside barracks (ddr-ajah-2-743)
img Portrait of group of men in uniform outside barracks (ddr-ajah-2-743)
Caption below photo: Yas Koike / Johnny Kitagawa / Yoshimura Noburu / Darryl Taniguchi / Karl Branstad / Bill Fuji / Harvey Watanabe / Grant Hirabayashi / Iwao Shimamoto / Bill Nuno / Harry Sekiya / Tak Hirabayashi / George Hatakeda / Lincoln Taira / Yukio Kawamoto / Frank Hachiya / Moffitt Ishikawa / Members of …
Joe Iwataki standing in snow (ddr-ajah-2-797)
img Joe Iwataki standing in snow (ddr-ajah-2-797)
Caption: Joe Iwataki, of Alameda, CA., enjoys the winter conditions at Camp Savage, Minnesota. He was there as a member of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). October 1942-June 1943. Supplemental scan of ddr-ajah-2-459 with additional notes
API