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The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project
The Interpreter
Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries
Number 69 Remember September 11, 2001 November 1, 2003
Our Mission Douglas T. Wada passengers from Japan, working East, to assist in the prosecution
CDR, USNR, with Noboru “Hunchy” of Class A war criminals,
In the Spring of 2000, the Murakami, who later volunteered including General Hideki Tojo
Naval Intelligence, 1937-1975
Archives continued the origi- for MIS. During this period, and other high-ranking Japanese
nal efforts of Captain Roger Wada worked with Gero Iwai, war leaders. At first Wada
The story of Douglas T. Wada is
Pineau and William Hudson, then with Arthur Komori and disliked the assignment.
an incredible, one-of-a-kind
and the Archives first at- Richard Sakakida, the latter two However, when he saw utter
experience of the only Nisei
tempts in 1992, to gather the having been recruited in early devastation of the cities and the
specifically recruited to serve in
papers, letters, photographs, 1941. All four of these pre-war suffering of the Japanese people
the U.S. Naval Intelligence
and records of graduates of intelligence pioneers basically caused by the vain decision of
Service, before, during, and after
the US Navy Japanese/ engaged in counter-espionage these leaders to prolong the
World War II.
Oriental Language School, work. struggle even when faced with
Douglas Wada was born in
University of Colorado at Prior to the outbreak of World certain defeat, Wada felt no
Honolulu in 1910 and was
Boulder, 1942-1946. We War II, the District Intelligence compunction about prosecuting
educated in local schools
assemble these papers in Office (DIO) increased its them. He also helped to organize
including the University of
recognition of the contribu- personnel from seven to 25 the Interpreters Section until his
Hawaii (1933-37), except four-
tions made by JLS/OLS officers and 30 enlisted men, and departure in November 1946.
and-a-half years of study in
instructors and graduates to entrusted Wada with highly After his reassignment to the
Kyoto, Japan. He starred on the
the War effort in the Pacific classified assignments such as District Intelligence Office, 14th
University of Hawaii baseball
and the Cold War, to the radio and wireless intercepts. He Naval District in November
team, as well as the Nippon
creation of East Asian
team, in the Honolulu Japanese researched Japanese books for 1946, Wada’s primary mission
language programs across strategic information on the focused on efforts to ferret out
Senior League, where he played
the country, and to the history, industry and geography Communists from among naval
with Joe Takata, who later
development of Japanese- of Japan and also interviewed and civilian personnel within
became a 100th Battalion war
American cultural rec- returnees from Japan to obtain Pearl Harbor Naval Base. During
hero.
onciliation programs after topographical data. this period, he wrote a report,
During his senior year at the
World War II. Immediately after the Pearl “brief History of Communism in
University in 1936, Wada
Harbor attack, Wada’s first Hawaii,” which reportedly was
Sono Hi No Uwasa learned of an F.B.I. investigation
important mission was to regarded as the Bible on the
on him. While enrolled in
Quips Professor Yukio Uyehara’s translate the navigational chart subject by other investigative
Japanese class, he befriended a taken from the Japanese midget agencies.
COMING EVENTS OF THE submarine beached at From December 1954 to July
WEEK middle-aged haole in the class,
who later turned out to be Lt. Waimanalo. Wada and Iwai also 1975, Wada was assigned to
Thurs. Sept. 3 - Pay will Cmdr. W.J. [K.D.?] Ringle, a translated documents confiscated Commander, US Naval Forces,
probably be available, and will Navy intelligence officer. from the Japanese Consulate by Far East. He worked on
be paid in cash by the Paymaster. Toward the end of Wada’s senior Honolulu Police on the morning classified naval intelligence in
year, Lt.Cmdr Ringle offered of the Pearl Harbor attack. conjunction with the intelligence
---------
Wada a job. But Wada had no Just as Gero Iwai had sections of the Prime Minister’s
“No, lady, I don't come from experienced, Wada found Office (“Sorifu”), Maritime Self-
idea what the job entailed until
either Columbia or Harvard. I'm himself isolated socially from the Defense Force (Japanese Navy),
interviewed by Capt. Kilpatrick
just naturally repulsive.” Japanese community in Hawaii. Maritime Security Agency
in the District Intelligence
--------- Office, 14th Naval District, and Very few knew of Wada’s work (Japanese Coast Guard) and
Vol 1, No 2: Pearl Harbor. and affiliation with naval Japanese National Police. Also,
With foresight, the Navy had intelligence. One of them was functioning as the Admiral’s
Men in the courses who plan to hired Wada in anticipation of the Masaji Marumoto of the first liaison and interpreter, Wada
have dental treatment had need for a language specialist in MIS volunteer group from associated with high-level
better start adjusting their the event of war with Japan. The Hawaii, who-encountered Wada Japanese government officials.
budgets immediately. As Chief Navy, looking to the future, also as a witness for the Office of Among them were Prime
Gergen pointed out to two tutored Wada in Chinese, Korean Naval Intelligence in a litigation Minister Shigeru Yoshida, for
horrified students who had and Russian, so that he acquired against a Japanese society that whom he acted as personal
already incurred bills proficiency in these languages Marumoto represented. bodyguard when Yoshhida
for dental work, you will have to and could translate into English Marumoto could have revealed passed through Hawaii enroute
pay for it yourself. with the aid of a dictionary. Wada’s identify to the public but to San Francisco, House Speaker
The Manual of the Medical In the beginning, Wada was never did, and for this, Wada Naka Funada, Chief of National
Department of the United States assigned to the HASP holds the highest esteem and Police Asonuma, and
Navy definitely states that men Commander Capt. Dickey, to respect for Marumoto. Parliamentary Members Ohira,
on detached duty (that's us) are extend the courtesy of the port Following Japan’s surrender Kishi and Furuya.
liable to all bills incurred for when Japanese naval ships in August 1945, Wada received Wada retired from the Navy
dental work.... visited Honolulu. Later, on duty orders assigning him to the in July 1975 with the rank of
Bill Amos Prosecution Section, Commander, after 38 years of
JLS 1943
with U.S. Customs, Wada
_______________ checked the baggage of International Tribunal for the Far service. Douglas Wada’s unique
stature as the first and probably A Navy JICPOAn on a Liberty ship that carried surrender of the atoll by the
the only Nisei known to be prisoners back to Oahu. During Japanese. Following that, I was
entrusted by the U.S. Navy with Some of my days at JICPOA the trip I was expected to help assigned to a Marine Division at
its most classified intelligence were spent at a prison camp identify the officers and Sasebo where I was the interface
secrets highlights a remarkable which the Navy maintained on specialists since they were to be with the providers of such
career as a special agent and an overgrown breakwater that kept in our camp on Oahu. The critical services as laundry and
commissioned naval officer. jutted out from Oahu into the Japanese enlisted men and the local beer delivery. It was
Pacific Ocean. There we kept Koreans were sent Stateside. fun, but by that time I had been
Article provided by Allen Meyer officers and nonmilitary
US Army MIS Before the end of the War, I overseas for two years. I was
specialists who might be useful was assigned to a unit in ready to come home and see my
[Ed. Note: The story of Lt. Cdr. K.D. in confirming or identifying Honolulu to write a summary of (one year and four-month-old)
Ringle is no less remarkable. We will equipment, or location of intercepted Japanese messages son, Mike, for the first time.
reprint his story with his son’s manufacture. The enlisted each week to be distributed to
permission in the future. For those personnel were shipped to the Daniel Busch
who do not know, Allen Meyer is our units of our fleet JLS 1944
States. At the end of the War, I was
ex officio liaison to the veterans of [Ed. Note: This is an old letter I
the US Army MIS, the Army version I was with a Marine Division sent to Truk to help in translating found going through the files. Thanks
of the JLS. He laments that the Army assigned to Saipan and Tinian chores involved with the go to Dan Busch for the note.]
MIS has no central archives as does during that operation. I returned _______________
the Navy JLS/OLS.]
_______________
WAVE Letter me back to the JLS and he to the pressures of learning to write Contact
Washington, DC. On his way to a a couple of thousand kanji where
… We did win a medal of new assignment in Pearl Harbor, the omission or misplacement of David Hays, Archivist
commendation for our work. I he spent a week with me in one stroke made it all wrong. Archives,
will say that one of my lingering Boulder, where we stayed at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Mary Jane Carroll
memories was of reading a terse Bolderado Hotel. Mine was the Campus Box 184
JLS 1944
Japanese message of an last group of WAVES in the JLS; Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0184
explosion of a monstrous bomb nearly everyone else had [Ed. Note: This is another of the
on the city of Hiroshima. No one graduated, so we went from the letters I have uncovered in the files. I Phone (303) 492-7242
knew what it was. That bomb Phi Delt house into vacated space thought it was high time we heard Fax (303) 492-3960
changed my husband’s mission in the Men’s Dormitory for the from a WAVE. All you WAVES out Email:
from the invasion of Honshu to there, send in stories, please. Wives arv@colorado.edu
rest of our time there.
the occupation [of Japan]. too – we need stories from wives to
I will never forget Boulder and interrupt all these masculine stories.
Bill and I were married in our the University of Colorado, as New JLS Website:
Not that I don’t appreciate the men’s
Naval dress uniforms in my they were then; small and friendly stories. I do. I just think that variety http://www-
church in Columbus, Ohio and and beautiful. I have been unable makes a better newsletter.] libraries.colorado.edu/ps/arv/col/
after a brief honeymoon returned to return, but I wouldn’t have _______________ jlsp.htm
to our individual assignments – missed those 14 months, despite
