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vim: Department Japancsa Doc\uJJent t'onforence

15 Jlmunry 191+~;

I em happy to lla:ve the pr1 vi lege of 'Halco:ming yot to thie eon:":'e:r; ce, happy because I feel that this conference 1a n~ceae.w.y, a-:ld. evan ha.,p:tol' because ·i;he rosponae from a.ll interested agencies has 'bet.u so wholGlr> ~·tet"l. I should like to extend o. particular welcom.e t.o the ropr.o.Jenta·ivaa ox· our Allies f:::ont tho War Office 1 Canada and Auatrnlia.. I am gla.cl. to ha·l·'i 0Ul'

Nav.v hera 1dtl1 us. Om:· .Alnet-1can aii' forces, g~.·ound f orcvs and eervic·o fo1•cea m•a reprGDented. We hnYe for th~o meeting e COtl,PJ.ote :late'!:··Allied_, inter-se~v1.ce view.

At the a.pprop:r.ia.te time cllll'ing your seeaicna \':~ lJ:l.lJ. h!!.v ~ as o~ ~.r;:rv­era Ji representatives of our Alilsr.ican intelligence S..}hool£ 1.:ihie'1 w.•o ':;en~ cerned with the ection that '\till probab::.y result from th:l.s co:n:~eren,}a. v.fc uill have r.epreoenta.t~.ves o:t' OUl' Ja.paneoe Language ~1chooJ., eo ·(:.hat i;hey 1JJa3 have oppol•t1u11ty to see your view of the :problem. W<= · u~.11 have 1•epre­aentati vas from the MITC at Camp Ri t.chie, ao that tbey nu.y l:.not; in ·uhat respects their t1·aining in docUio.ent processirl..g and .PW :intos>:roga't;io:.l. :I.e good or bad and hoH it ffiBY be streil@..then0d. or cor:rcct0d.

\fe a1·e ho.l.,PY to hr.::~e h~re ,dth us com,plete rspresent.at:on fron all the t.heat;;.,:rs. It ia their conference. lie are here to supper·;; then a.1d t;o get to th6m in the best form that we can uha.tevc:r. they :!:'oquire. l'hs whole :rllu·poaa of the War Office fl.nd Washingi:ion is to suppo:d; the r:·.eld. forces. They have to carry the brunt, and on hat i.ihey c.o eue:.;yth:_n.~ atande or falls.

App>.•oxir..ately a. year ago thinga ""Vre:r.e going well in f!ou:Lht~e.st, f 3 i.~l ~.nd the Southwest Pa.cific. We uere nibbl:L"'lg at th€ cYapf.ll eae 01 t.hn eE~..stE>rn edge of New Guinea. We vere just aboilt to atop ·(,hem iu Bm·ma. Hs "Were on the verge of taking effective measures i•l Chine.. AlthouSt'l the situat:i.on lfOO go~.:r..g \':ell, 1t bad not advanced f!lr enough f .r the coorfi.ination of document ex:plo1t::ttion to be made efi .. ectiva. The p!•oo terns uere not then l-rall enough understood. to pe1•m:tt an ovol'-all apy .. OE.ch to the mechauice of getting intell:tgence t:r.om captured. docv.tlim·t.e 'nci i:.:o:m Ja.pe.nese pr1aone1·e.

The number of pr:tsonera 5n our hands at that t:lme 'ilE>o E a:Ll. Although i:.hey ·Here a produc-tive source> of intellige 1ce, :i.nsu~~fic:i.cl!t p!'ogresa had been made in that field.. It had bean ·l.nm:rediately ap:rmrent that the bottleneck or the whole system l18.S go~.ng t.o be pereoru~el i1ith Japanese lingti:letic qu.e.lificatione. l!.'ve~yth:tng na cculd do he,·e in /uJ")3ric~ t.o meet tha·c situation 1as immedie.t.el.v init"la ad.

'l'ho crt.art required a great deal of effort.. It vas :~:·eceflom·y to t'PG our ha.nds on the Nisei in this country ·chl'ough Seleot:l.va Sorv~.c:g. . ~(1L0 Nisei v1ore the most advance1l type of Japanese lengv.f'.l{?;C pr:: l'SOIUlGl izr.F·t1i­ately available. It was nccee:anry to determine ho~;· they ~rou.lit fuac:: 11.ion in the thee. tors and whether they liould be reliable. I lmou of t'Wo o~;· t;lu,.ee cases 'Hhere, d.1.te to pressure fl•o:n home-, Nisei felt t.hey could not carry on m1d hEld the JV,oral courage to go to t11e:1.r corr.iTi!l9lld5.ng off1c~~ra anC. requf:lst f4 transfer to othel' t>Tork. Two or ·three ask d. ·to 'be pu.i; in a 1J:l.ee:t CO'"..:lbat unit in the field. They were willing to die fo1· flJr-:o:•ioa, but ·uit.h their k1.nfolk back in Japan th ·Y felt unable ·;;o car1•y on ... he"'.r lru1gua"" 1·ro1·k. I lmov of no single case in the last year wh3ro OI"..0 of them has been a traitor. This ia a fine record for o~~ American Kioei.

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Ou.'t' !Ja;.,y has ~~x-plo:ttoC:. as affoct:tvely as :poc.ofblo the prochcticn ot' Caucaaian Japanese le.ngtleb · personnel for i ·ta ra.nl;:s . We ha~re pru: llele<l tha·~ to the extent of pl'Odtwilag lend.a?s to direct. the uol'l: of tno N!eet. ''~a illCI'ee.sed our pi ogram ru. cler great difficult leE:!. The dem.·mds of t.be thea~er~ exceed.ed our output.; e.nd if we failed. to keep up, '·Je conld not e.cco.npliah oul' pu:t:pcss.

Ou.x ef'fol't has b3sn o::~:pended to a production bruds, l•ut. ~'lhet.har it will succeed haF~ no·~ yei:; bc,em detm.'IIllned. :c say that bee~:tuae t '1o 'lUBU­fica~io .. 'lB o:f the traineeu have been ,goill8 p:r.ogress:i.vely dc:W.lJard.. lVatu:!'ally tha cream w.;:~s ek:.1llll•3d off firs~:.. 'l'hoae beat. quP 1 ifietl have already been utilized. As a result wa now find that futun~ training :re~ qui:r.·)B a great. d.eal more work. O:p:poaad to Jchia, the demand-a of tb.e thencers m:'O incrae.sing 1\J leapA and bounds and wo c:a:.mot nave the tiue we nt~ed. We have teen unal:: le to hold bo.c!t <>.nou,gh good im:tYuct'll e .. W'e havo wo:rl~ed diB.ge:r~tly on 1.h1s }>rol)le.m. ,.,e have the :ti:r.s"t. t1rnclt e:·~ eve?.y N:lsei who volur~teel's or io callad by Selact:'.vo fierv~co. ·~c ~leVel accotlS to all there 1a, nnf wheu that etock is e :ha.u.ated there \-1i l1 bo no lilf)re.

In ·err'lliga:t1.on 1n Cana.C.e. indicates that "'e cs.rtr•.ot exp,.._,c t. too lli:l.lch frOl!l the Conadia..'i'l :,; 1.ee1. 'Thel"e ere tJ9rtain legal diffieuJt:i.ea ln o'bto.:1.n·· ing nuch Pf"'!'Sonn.3l and we :1 in1l the.t ·i;hey have not bee~1 as ~om:.l eclu.~atect 1n the Sapaneoe langc.eg.:J ao h,lve our oli-n. ~:he mef;ter -was · t~llten up wi.tll the J>MI to dete:tmin·e ~hati c.ould be dono tbel'e; btrl.; ag31n t.hat i ' not e;oin.J to be e. produ.ctivo aciu.rce of personnel. Tt.e Brit:teh T:J&lpo,:er e5.tuation hoo al~eady caused them to skim off the cx·eam.

Fo:~:·eaeeing all this , 1t ose:rr.ed das1rable ·~o contact i.he thee.t ere and :~ind out the:l.r problew•. The ne:tter was originally ht:·ndJ.ed thz-cugh cor1• s:pondenca 'but tb.e l'esr lts trere not enti!'ely sa.t:tsfoot'>~?y. J.t be­cEUOO ap:,.eront that '!fa ·wou.H have to )_perate on an. in't.i~r-All ~.od, int.er·· aerv:tee basis if ,.,e wer.., tc- kf~ep fi•om waating vitnl langu~ ge parsc:nneJ..

The p1·oble:m of eo:>rd:l.r.at:lng Japanese air 1ntf:)lJ.igence !J.a.a been sol vad on tha1; basis. Nm1 .an a.greetoont between the \far Offlc:e a:r~d the We:r l>epe.rtlllent cen·e:calizes t.h.(~ responsibility for procae31 ag os.,:te.in captured Japan'f)ae dotn .. lnarltEl 1n i~he Vni ted States A:r:'lrrJ. Coopm·at~ on and. coorcl1..'118t1on \11th cul~ NaV'J an<l the BJ.•ititth l'lavy have been sa;t;ie:."t:tctory. We trill try to mska th1a it!teL• -Allied, in:t;er-servlce ooope:ru.t~.o:r\ even more effective in th~ aan , in3 of captured documents.

Becaune reaul'ta ~:1111 6.epend on the pereonnel we have to vo:;:k with, the limited number of Nisei fmd other Japanese lenguage pct"f:>onnel ia !>he;, core of our difficulcy. Wl1at this conference shculd r:lo if, '-'O a:~~llline the problells in the varlcU£ t heaters and their operations, eo the.t eaoh thee:lier knous v7hat is t;akir.g place in the others> kno':JB WL3.t hao been :founcl :prof1 t.a.b le ·o3 th:~;n, Jrno~Je what has been tr :ted l>aforE P ... nd whether it has been satiafacto·ril· We have had su:ff1e1ent e:q>erie:r.co ~.n the thea.t.era eo that ~111e should know hou ~~hey operate. It was ,1 little d19-appo~.n·t :tl"..g uhen :: contMted a . l theators to find t.hat SOillE of them wel'e vork~ on the aru-na in-celligeooe material, d.uplieat1116 the· •orlc of othe?t vhen we coul d not tJpar;~ the poraonne:'.. to do it. It uas d:iln:ppo:1.nting 1r-­visit1ng various docmunn.t eec·Uona ill the f3.eld to find tl'a·:. :!:'our months ago the backlog llas so greet tne.t the material could not 'te procceoed during the war. That sltU!l.t:l.c>.n will grow steadily worae-w:JJ.."lr':\Y tioos worse--because \.,e will ce.:ptur o untold numbers of d.ocuroonta ae wo e;et int( ' more heavily ge:rr1soned are'-'lB . Even ·the selection of thosa t.o be p:roGeaf,,3d vill become a great taak. 'rh:". s conference can WCl'k out a rncm&a ~:o that ve w:1.11 not he.vu duplicaticn and so that ·the materia). for :;>recessing ·;.r:J.lJ. became prompt~v available. _

I eun not prepa=red 'to tall: e.bout the details of an;r eclu.t1on, nor is it zcy· purpose to rlo so. That !a the ::problem of this con.fe:rence. Ham.:>en:

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c:J: J:jhe OOllf'erence ah'eady 1n \Iashington have preparnd a. r:r al:tm~ nn:::y report which ·Hill be submitted to you a.s an initial ba.s1e ~o1• yov.:i~ del1bet"ations. I WO..'"lt to lll.."ili:e it perfectly clear that. thQ :prelindnn. ·y report is eat up only as a "atra.w men 11 for you to shoot a\~ .

.PreYlous confe:rences on Order of Battle and similar 2r·· tte.ra havo been p:roc"'..uctive of much good. I thinlc the :possibiJ.:tty of pro!'lO·~:i.ng ··· h3 .err.wd wm- eff'or·c. in ·this conference will be even gt't.;ater thsn in '·,hot-a held before. Perhapf:' e are a 11 ttle late in holding th:i. ccn.f e: e::1co, b1.1i; I am r..oJG at all sure of that.. rle could not poEr~pone 1~:. :an:ch :.or.r:;er. We could not he:.,.e held it much sooner and aohievad desire rem1.ltn. We 'illllBt ju.~e onr time 8lld it eeemad. thB:c tbia ~1aa the beat.

I feel tha:G it :to going to be a hs.l)py thing for you vO meet ·~he porao:nneJ. n•an the various thee.tera 1 to ruiJ shoulde::~a ilitil each o· .. he:. :s.nd to e:m~hange ·the e.xper:J.anees of your work. I ho1,1e the:b there uil .• be free diseuaeiona so that all our difficulties ca.l'l. be r13n.lhE d and aol~d.

I shculd. like to make another point. :rt ~ill i)e mxi:.J.=..•cl :tor "Ooople vllo have had success "!11th one :procod~e to feel ·;.ha ~ t.horn ie r,o other a.pproach. I think 11e should be extremely i;oleze:n:t of eaca oth :r 'o -;r:'e't:a a.ncl inqu:tre "t>Jby they axe eo strongly held. w·o all j:'eal,.Z') t,hat. tlle?•' SJ:'e many ~rD.ys to solve a. problem. 01.1r job is to ae1ect t:.1o beut.

I want to let you know ·iiha.t you are \Jelcomo hcce. J: hope tuat ;v·otll" :p~ogram has been so arl'~ed that tber~ '~'dll 'bi:.. sow 1;:1Ino fo;r l'l.l­

lo.xat1on en well aa hard wo1•k.

I e1.."tend to you my sincere beat vi shea for a su.ccesaftll cc.nference.

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