[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6625-6626]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            NISEI LINGUISTS

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, as we mark our fourth anniversary of our 
involvement in Iraq, I wish to highlight

[[Page 6626]]

an important chapter in our military history. With foresight that 
proved to be a significant factor in America's victory in World War II, 
the U.S. Army established a Japanese language school a few months 
before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and recruited students, second-
generation Americans of Japanese ancestry, or Nisei, who would become 
interpreters and translators in the Military Intelligence Service. 
Their ability to infiltrate the psyche of our enemy through their 
knowledge of Japanese culture and language is credited with bringing 
the war in the Pacific to a quicker conclusion and later, helping turn 
bitter foes into strong allies.
  In 1994, I was among a number of Members of Congress, including my 
colleague and fellow World War II veteran, the senior Senator from 
Hawaii, Dan Inouye, who asked the Secretary of the Army to publish an 
official history of the Military Intelligence Service. Today, I am 
honored to announce the publication of Nisei Linguists, Japanese 
Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II, by 
Dr. James McNaughton, Command Historian, U.S. European Command. Nisei 
Linguists chronicles the history of the Japanese in America, the events 
leading to the War, the creation of the MIS, and the Nisei involvement 
in the War.
  For the soldiers of the Military Intelligence Service, and their 
brethren in the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental 
Combat Team, their service was much more than an obligation to the land 
of their birth; it was an opportunity to prove themselves as loyal 
American citizens. As many friends, neighbors, and relatives were 
transported to concentration camps in various locations around the 
United States, Nisei soldiers enlisted and served with great 
distinction.
  According to Chief of Military History Dr. Jeffrey Clarke, Nisei 
Linguists also reminds us that:

     the entire experience provides valuable lessons to U.S. Army 
     officers both present and future. In fact, the Global War on 
     Terrorism underlines the need for similar capabilities and 
     programs as the Army girds itself for the sustained struggle 
     ahead.

  As chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am privileged to 
co-host an event marking the publication of Nisei Linguists on Tuesday, 
March 20th. Among those in attendance will be Dr. McNaughton, Dr. 
Clarke, and a number of World War II Nisei veterans, including those 
who served in the MIS.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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