“The MISLS Album,” Military Intelligence Service Language School, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, 1946

“The MISLS Album,” Military Intelligence Service Language School, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, 1946

The idea for the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) was formed prior to the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The strained relations between Japan and the United States deemed a need for an intelligence unit with knowledge of the Japanese language. The school first opened in November 1941 at the Presidio in San Francisco. In June 1942, the school moved to Camp Savage, Minnesota, as a result of the relocation of Japanese Americans from the West Coast into internment camps and the need for larger facilities. A move to Fort Snelling followed shortly thereafter.

In November 1944, the first women including Nisei (second generation Japanese American) WACs were assigned to Fort Snelling. They learned to read, write, translate and interpret Japanese military and technical terms as well as studying Japanese geography, culture and sociopolitical background. By the middle of 1945, peak WAC strength reached 51 and included 3 Caucasians, 1 Chinese-American, 18 Japanese Americans from Hawaii and 29 Nisei from the mainland, some of whom were recruited from internment camps. After training, half of the WACs were assigned to the East Coast and half remained at Fort Snelling.

Prior to V-J Day, there was a shift from teaching military to general Japanese and particularly, civil affairs Japanese. By the time the school closed in June 1946, some 6,000 personnel had graduated.

Atsuko Moriuchi Collection, MWM

Military In Military Service For America Foundation, Inc.