IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1387 

Recognizing the heroic contributions of Japanese-Americans who served in 

the Military Intelligence Service during and after World War II. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2010 

Mr. FARR (for himself, Mr. HONDA, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, 

Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. WATSON, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland, Ms. CHU, Ms. HARMAN, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. STARK, Mr. FILNER, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. CARTER, Mr. UPTON, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. GALLEGLY, 

Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. COLE, 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. 

KUCINICH, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. PETERSON, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. REYES, Mr. 

GARAMENDI, Mr. COSTA, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. HOLT, Mr. SHERMAN, and 

Mr. MCDERMOTT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Armed Services 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the heroic contributions of Japanese-Americans 

who served in the Military Intelligence Service during 

and after World War II. 

Whereas the approximately 6,000 troops, mostly second generation Japanese-Americans (Nisei), volunteered for the 

Military Intelligence Service (M.I.S.) to learn the Japanese language and use their knowledge of Japanese culture in order to help the United States win the war in 

the Pacific; 


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•HRES 1387 IH 

Whereas the Nisei volunteering for this service became the 

nucleus of the Military Intelligence School established on 

November 1, 1941, with 4 Nisei as the instructors and 

58 Nisei among the 60 students; 

Whereas the Military Intelligence School later came to be 

known as the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, located in Monterey, California; 

Whereas in 1969, the Defense Language Institute Foreign 

Language Center dedicated Nisei Hall and several buildings in honor of the outstanding Japanese-Americans 

who served in the M.I.S.; 

Whereas many of these founding members who volunteered 

for the M.I.S. had been incarcerated, along with their 

families, in one of 10 ‘‘camps’’; 

Whereas this duty was determined so essential to the war effort that the M.I.S. agents served in all units of the 

United States Army, Navy, and Marines stationed in the 

Pacific, participated in all theaters of the Pacific War, 

and were embedded with other Allied Forces fighting in 

the Pacific; 

Whereas members of the M.I.S. served with distinction by 

translating acquired Japanese plans, personal interpretation, POW interrogation, monitoring Japanese radio 

broadcasts, intercepting enemy radio messages, and preparing surrender leaflets, while requiring body guards to 

avoid mistaken identity by their fellow soldiers; 

Whereas the greatest contributions of M.I.S. agents, among 

many, included the discovery of ‘‘Operation Z’’, a plan to 

conduct an all-out counterattack by the Japanese Combined Fleet in the Central Pacific that allowed the United 

States Navy to defend against and weaken the Japanese 


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•HRES 1387 IH 

military, and the discovery of the plane that Admiral 

Isoroku Yamamoto arrived in to visit front line troops, 

thereby allowing the Allies to intercept and destroy the 

leader who orchestrated Pearl Harbor; 

Whereas these M.I.S. linguists were instrumental in the occupation and rebuilding of Japan, cultivating cooperation 

between the occupational forces and the Japanese people 

as cultural ambassadors, helping to draft the new Japanese Constitution, and building the foundation of current 

United States relations with Japan; and 

Whereas M.I.S. agents were heralded by President Harry S 

Truman as the ‘‘human secret weapon for the U.S. 

Armed Forces’’ against the Japanese in the Pacific and 

by Major General Charles A. Willoughby, MacArthur’s 

intelligence chief, who said, ‘‘The Nisei shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million 

American lives and saved probably billions of dollars’’, 

yet, due to the national security implications, they only 

received recognition for their valor, a Presidential Unit 

Citation, the highest honor given to a United States military unit, in 2000: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses its deepest gratitude to the brave 

3 Japanese-Americans who constituted the Military In4 telligence Service and the invaluable contribution 

5 they provided during and after World War II; and 

6 (2) recognizes and appreciates the hardships 

7 that the Nisei experienced while serving the United 

8 States with honor and distinction. 

Æ 


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