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)

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1145 items

img Garden and building (ddr-ajah-2-680)

Caption below photo: the garden of the Malacanan Presidential Palace

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-680/

img Rows of men standing in formation (ddr-ajah-2-479)

Caption below photo: Retreat

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-479/

img Two men in uniform. Written on front: Joe-Tsutomu 1941 / Joe / Tsutomu Inouye (ddr-ajah-2-8)

Inscribed on back, unable to scan: "Joe-Tsutomu Inouye"

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-8/

img Rows of men standing in snow (ddr-ajah-2-451)

Caption below photo: Ten-shun!

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-451/

img Group of smiling men walking in snow (ddr-ajah-2-452)

Caption below photo: Starting out -

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-452/

img Men walking in hallway (ddr-ajah-2-709)

Caption below photo: Second Floor corridor City Hall

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-ajah-2-709/

img Signed photograph of a soldier in uniform (ddr-manz-10-82)

Handwritten note on front: "To Gracie, Always, Yosh."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-10-82/

img Signed photograph of a soldier in uniform (ddr-manz-10-81)

Handwritten note on front: "To Gracie, Always, Yosh."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-10-81/

doc Military Intelligence Service Language School U.S. Army, Fort Snelling, Minnesota (ddr-csujad-1-188)

Photographic documentary of Nisei soldiers served in World War II, Pacific Theatre as military intelligence operators. Photographs were taken by Stone S. Ishimaru, Official U.S. Army photographer, 8th Army, originally for a magazine, "Life." Includes Military Intelligence Service Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Pacific Theater of operations, and occupation of Japan. See this object in …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-188/

doc [Documents on Military Intelligence Service] (ddr-csujad-1-73)

Contains a collection of photocopied documents on the Presidential Unit Citation to the Military Intelligence Service. Includes a map, "The Pacific War: 1942-1945 the Allied offensive." See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_02_07_002

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-73/

doc Military Intelligence Service Language School: Camp Savage, Minnesota, 1942-1944 (ddr-csujad-1-187)

This book was published "to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Military Intelligence Service Language School and to document the records of wartime episodes of Japanese-American Nisei soldiers in the Pacific Theater of Operation and to compile a collection of treasured remembrances of Camp Savage ..." See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-187/

doc 50 years of excellence (ddr-csujad-1-189)

An event program for Military Intelligence Service Language School Reception and Defense Language Institute 50th Anniversary, held Monterey California, October 31-November 1, 1991. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_03_01_003

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-189/

doc Americans of of Japanese Ancestry WWII Memorial Alliance (ddr-csujad-1-201)

A list of the Americans of Japanese ancestry who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service. The information was collected by Jim Yamashita and volunteers with the support from Americans of Japanese Ancestry WWII Memorial Alliance for "Echoes of silence," an educational project dedicated to honoring the Nisei soldiers …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-201/

doc Veterans of Military Intelligence Service: second national reunion (ddr-csujad-1-197)

A booklet published for the second national reunion of Military Intelligence Service veterans. Includes a directory of veterans of Military Intelligence Service personnel. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_03_10_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-197/

doc Letter from Jim Mita, President, Military Intelligence Service Club of Southern California to the members (ddr-csujad-1-186)

A letter from Jim Mita, President, Military Intelligence Service Club of Southern California, to the members. Includes updates on their activities. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_02_17_002

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-186/

doc MISLS album 1946 (ddr-csujad-1-208)

An album of the Military Intelligence Service Language School. It depicts the operation, training, life, and activities at the schools of Presidio San Francisco and Savage and Fort Snelling Minnesota, and also includes the description of the oversee campaign in the Pacific where MIS solders served. The names of MISLS graduates from three schools are listed. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-208/

doc Highways of honor, Military Intelligence Service, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion (ddr-csujad-1-185)

A booklet of California memorial highways to honor three entities of the United States Army, 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service. Includes an article, "The Nisei soldiers of U.S. Intelligence: America's superb secret weapon of World War II" by Dan Nakatsu. Images and map during the Pacific War are included. See …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-185/

doc 4 Day MIS 50th Anniversary Reunion program outline (ddr-csujad-1-191)

Program outline for 4 Day MIS 50th Anniversary Reunion held from October 29 to November 2, 1991. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_03_01_005

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-191/

doc MIS intelligencer, volume 32, number 1, Jan 2000 (ddr-csujad-1-74)

An issue of "MIS intelligencer," volume 32, number 1, (Jan 2000). which is an official newsletter of the MIS Association, Northern California, Inc. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_02_07_003

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-74/

doc [Newspaper articles from "Pacific citizen"] (ddr-csujad-1-192)

Newspaper clippings from "Pacific citizen" published on November 22, 1991. Includes two articles collecting Nisei Military Intelligent Service's experience. "Surviving and spying behind enemy lines" written by Harry K. Honda, Senior editor, Pacific Citizen, describes Sakakida's story of wartime intrigue, which was delivered at the MIS 50th anniversary reunion dinner on October 31, 1991. "Anecdotes by …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-192/

doc Letter from Drusilla Tanaka to Col. Kim with article (ddr-csujad-1-65)

A photocopy of a letter from Drusilla Tanaka, one of the Board's Research Team members, to Col. Kim. In the letter, Drusilla Tanaka described her team's research on Americans of Japanese Ancestry who were killed in action during World War II. The other members' names of the Board's Research Team, Karleen Chinen and Ted Tsukiyama, are …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-65/

doc Military Intelligence Service Club of Southern California, No. 2, 2000 (ddr-csujad-1-72)

An issue of "Military Intelligence Service Club of Southern California" published in 2000. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ike_02_07_001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-1-72/

img Nisei veterans and spouses group photograph (ddr-densho-325-108)

Eighteen Nisei veterans and their spouses met for a reunion on April 7, 1995. These eighteen men had all been stationed at Camp Grant, Illinois in 1941-1942. From there the group separated some attending combat infantry training at Camp Blanding, Florida and then to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe and others like Sumito Horiuchi …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-108/

doc Nisei veterans news (ddr-densho-325-109)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-109/

doc Page of Hisa Nimura Horiuchi Scrapbook (ddr-densho-325-41)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-325-41/