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 (277)
Military service (4131)
Military Intelligence Service (1387)

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1387 items

img Five men outside camp building in snow. Joe Iwataki on far left (ddr-ajah-2-457)

Caption below photo: Tak / Moff / Hooch / Yuki

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-457/

img Two men standing outside tents (ddr-ajah-2-576)

Caption below photo: Ken Ota / Ken Kawaguchi

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-576/

img Five men standing by tents. Joe Iwataki in center (ddr-ajah-2-626)

Caption below photo: Don / Bill / Bill / Maurice

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-626/

img Buildings in the distance surrounded by wall (ddr-ajah-2-681)

Caption below photo: The old Spanish walled city

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-681/

img Man sitting at desk (ddr-ajah-2-705)

Caption below photo: M/Sgt Elmer Grieder Cambridge, Mass.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-705/

img Portrait of man in uniform (ddr-ajah-2-572)

Caption below photo: Victor Abe

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-572/

img Three men standing outside camp buildings (ddr-ajah-2-529)

Caption below photo: Sally / Bob / Stamy

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-529/

img Group of buildings (ddr-ajah-2-801)

Caption: Mess Hall, Camp Savage, Minnesota, October 1942 to October 1943. Joe Iwataki, of Alameda, CA., was there to learn better Japanese as part of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and all Japanese America unit during WWII. Supplemental scan of ddr-ajah-2-421 with additional notes

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-801/

doc Certificate for Joe Hidao Iwataki for service in the Pacific and Southwest Pacific Area, signed by Charles Andrew Willoughby (ddr-ajah-2-834)

Supplemental scan of ddr-ajah-2-747

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-834/

img Path leading to building (ddr-ajah-2-420)

Caption below photo: Mess Hall

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-420/

doc Certificate for Joe Hidao Iwataki for service in the Pacific and Southwest Pacific Area, signed by Charles Andrew Willoughby (ddr-ajah-2-747)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-747/

img Man taking photo of another man outside camp building (ddr-ajah-2-468)

Caption below photo: Yuk snapping Darryl Taniguchi

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-468/

img Men standing next to car (ddr-ajah-2-715)

Caption below photo: Gen. Kawabe / Gen. Willoughby G-2, GHQ / Col. Mashbir ATIS

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-715/

img Two men standing by trees. Joe Iwataki on left (ddr-ajah-2-662)

Caption below photo: Bill Cox

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-662/

img Large damaged building (ddr-ajah-2-694)

Caption below photo: Legislative building

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-694/

img View across river with rubble in foreground (ddr-ajah-2-711)

Caption below photo: Looking across Pasig river

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-711/

img View of military parade from above (ddr-ajah-2-609)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-609/

img Five men in uniform (ddr-ajah-2-869)

Caption below photo: Yasuharu (second from right) poses with a group of unknowns. He served with he Military Intelligence Service (MIS) in the China-Burma-India campaign during WWII. Photo 1944

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-869/

img Two men in uniform outside stadium (ddr-ajah-2-513)

Caption below photo: Taira / Yuk

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-513/

img Men posing for group photo outside camp building (ddr-ajah-2-504)

Caption below photo: Class picture

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-504/

img Group of men around speakers table with banner in background (ddr-ajah-2-17)

Written on back: 25th Anniv. MIS Reunion, Jack Tar Hotel S.F. / Nov. 11-13, 1966 / Col. K. Rasmussen, Col. Sydney Mashbir, Gene Uratsu, Lt. Col. Barry Saiki, and Aki Yoshimura

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-17/

img Four men sitting at desks studying (ddr-ajah-2-426)

Caption below photo: Moff / Tak / Hooch / Yuk

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-426/

img Joe Iwataki with two women and man at night club (ddr-ajah-2-825)

Caption: Joe Iwataki and friends visit a night club while on furlough from Manila, Philippines during WWII. Iwataki and Tomita had known each other since their days of basic training at Fort Ord, near Monterey, CA., in 1941. The pair continued their friendship at Camp Savage in Minnesota, training with Military Intelligence Service. This May-June 1945 …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-825/

img Man standing in front monument to Andres Bonifacio (ddr-ajah-2-708)

Caption below photo: Gus Wurzer in front of Rizal Monument

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-708/

img Man sitting at desk (ddr-ajah-2-704)

Caption below photo: Sgt Bernard J. Strain San Francisco

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-704/