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 (2824)
Military Intelligence Service (1146)

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1146 items

img Two men sit at a desk (ddr-densho-404-376)

Two men, one wearing a military uniform, sit at a desk piled with papers and books. Caption written in Japanese and English next to photograph: Varobby off.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-376/

img Tokeo Tagami stands at a lectern (ddr-densho-404-377)

Tokeo Tagami stands at a lectern at the front of a classroom. Caption written in Japanese next to photograph.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-377/

img Man in military uniform at a chalkboard (ddr-densho-404-388)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-388/

img Man writes at a desk (ddr-densho-404-402)

A man in military uniform, possibly Tokeo Tagami, writes at a desk. Japanese text written on photograph

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-402/

img Man reads at desk (ddr-densho-404-405)

A man in military uniform reads at a desk.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-405/

img Man writes at a desk (ddr-densho-404-403)

A man in military uniform reads at a desk.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-403/

doc Honorable discharge (ddr-densho-404-436)

Honorable discharge papers for Toke (Tokeo) T. Tagami from the Army of the United States.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-436/

img Man in military uniform sits at a small desk (ddr-densho-404-394)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-404-394/

img Matuso Sakagami at Fort Snelling (ddr-densho-328-11)

Caption in album: "Matsu in Fort Snelling."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-11/

img Two servicemen and a baby (ddr-densho-328-74)

Caption in album: "Sam & baby, Matsu."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-74/

img Ken Kaneshiro in from of an orderly room building (ddr-densho-328-337)

Caption in album: "Ken Kaneshiro at California."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-337/

img Nisei soldiers (ddr-densho-325-122)

Sumito Horiuchi on left with another Nisei soldier.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-122/

img Page of Hisa Nimura Horiuchi Scrapbook (ddr-densho-325-32)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-32/

img Nisei soldier (ddr-densho-325-125)

Written on the back of the photograph "Fort Snelling, Minn 1945 Sumito Horiuchi"

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-125/

img Four mess workers holding a "Best Mess MISLS" banner (ddr-densho-328-65)

Matsuo Sakagami kneeling.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-65/

img Mess workers at Fort Snelling (ddr-densho-328-66)

Matsuo Sakagami far right.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-66/

img Ken Kaneshiro in uniform (ddr-densho-328-339)

Caption in album: "1947 / Ken Kaneshiro of Hawaii."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-339/

img Mariyo Natsuhara and Matsuo Sakagami (ddr-densho-328-76)

Caption in album: "Mariyo & Matsu."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-76/

img Two MIS soldiers at Fort Snelling (ddr-densho-328-276)

Caption in album: "Eddie, [Matsuo] Sakagami."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-276/

img Matsuo Sakagami in uniform (ddr-densho-328-125)

Caption in album: "Washington / Matsu."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-125/

img Matsuo Sakagami in uniform (ddr-densho-328-75)

Caption in album: "Matsu."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-328-75/

img Military Intelligence Service political cartoon (ddr-densho-381-45)

Political cartoon; captions: THE SECRET WEAPON! -- Cover of the M.I.S. Calendar for 1982, commemorating the role of Nisei in the U.S. Military Intelligence, World War II. Cartoon by Jack Matsuoka, Pacifica, California. (picture on reverse side) COME, COME, NOW READ THIS! - Classroom scene at Camp Savage, Military Intelligence Language School, Minnesota, form the M.I.S. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-381-45/

doc Military Intelligence Service language School Graduate Dinner Dance program (ddr-densho-382-13)

Program for the Graduates Dinner Dance at Hotel Nicollet for the Military Intelligence Service Language School

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-382-13/

doc Letter to Yuri Domoto from Yoshito Shibata (ddr-densho-356-252)

Letter to Yuriko Domoto from Yoshito Shibata in which he describes his reaction to letter she sent (appears to be the final version of the drafted letter in ddr-densho-356-250), congratulations to Kan and Sally's new baby, hope that this will be the last war ever, description of seeing koalas not kangaroos, discussion of the corresponding in …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-356-252/

doc Letter to Yuri Domoto from Yoshito Shibata (ddr-densho-356-258)

Letter to Yuriko Domoto Tsukada from Yoshito Shibata in which he tells of the journey her postcard took to reach him, his family's life in Chicago, and the change of routine now that he is out in the field.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-356-258/