Extensions of Remarks 9793 Extensions of Remarks

May 3, 1988 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 9793 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS TRIBUTE TO COL. KAI E. THE NISEI SCHOOL By mid-summer 1941 I had interviewed RASMUSSEN ( 1902-88) <Excerpts From the Graduation Speech some 3,700 Nisei, all of whom were already Given by Kai E. Rasmussen, June 25, serving in the drafted Army. I had prepared 1977, at the Defense Language Institute, a scale upon which to gauge the result and I HON. NORMAN Y. MINETA Monterey, CA> must admit that I had set up my sights too high, in that I found only 3 percent fully OF CALIFORNIA When I'm speaking of the language school and its students during the period of 1941 to qualified and another 8 percent potential IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1946 I often use the term Nisei. It is not be students after a long training period. As a result of these discouraging findings, the Tuesday, May 3, 1988 cause I denigrate the other students or lan guage divisions but because, during my War Department directed the Fourth Army Mr. MINETA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tenure at the school it was truly a Nisei in San Francisco to establish a Japanese pay tribute to a great and noble American. school in which the staff and faculty as well language school, which was then informally as the great masses of students were indeed known as the Fourth Army Intelligence Col. Kai E. Rasmussen, who passed away on School. By November 1, when the school March 1O at the age of 85, had the vision and Nisei and the principle language taught was Japanese. The American people normally was activated, we were ensconced in the old courage to propose the establishment of a have never been linguistically gifted and the Crissy Field airhangers in San Francisco military intelligence school, relying on Ameri belief has sprung up accusing the United with sixty students, eight civilian instruc cans of Japanese ancestry as soldier students States of being a dullard where foreign lan tors and a commandant. We antedated Pearl at a time when they were regarded with suspi guages are concerned. This is, of course, Harbor by six weeks. We take great pride in cion and prejudice-indeed, at a time when clearly not supported by fact when we real it as an organization. Despite the care with which these initial 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry ize that the very country we live in has been settled by diverse ethnic groups, all speak students were selected, only 35 of the 60 were summarily removed from their civilian ing separate and different languages. This early students managed to finish the course homes and interned in distant, desolate belief, however, has some root in actuality of study. Even before the first graduation, camps. in that these diverse and polyglot groups commanders in Alaska and Guadalcanal Colonel Rasmussen knew this to be both were all seeking a common goal of rapid and were clamoring for Japanese language per unjust and wasteful of a key resource he complete Americanization and often pre sonnel, so the course had to be cut short knew the United States would need in fighting ferred not to speak the mother language though it had been planned for six months and the graduates were sent to the field the Second World War. He doggedly persisted with the result that a second generation fre quently actually had lost their bilingual commands immediately. in his proposal until the Military Intelligence heritage. Then, also, our budding nation During the planning and early operational Service Language School [MISLS] was acti quickly became an inwardly expanding phases of the school it was inevitable that vated at the Presidio of San Francisco on No nation and the only lingua franca accepta some negative minds should question the vember 1, 1941 . That school is now the De ble to them was that of English. In a need loyalty of the American Japanese in the war fense Language Institute [DLI], Presidio of for social intercourse between various na against Japan. However, as a result of the Monterey, CA, and continues as an invaluable tions of the world, languages have been the early intelligence successes of the graduates, asset toward the national security of the means by which this intercourse has been predictions of these doubters were quickly achieved.... I shall attempt to outline in stilled and the school work was pursued at United States. part the Army's role in satisfying national an ever-increasing tempo. As historical fact, The story of Kai Rasmussen is a uniquely linguistic needs during the last three-quar not one American Japanese nor one of his American one. He arrived in the United States ters of a century. alien parents was guilty of an un-American from Denmark in the late spring of 1922 with The requirements for Oriental language act at any time before, during or after the less than $10 to his name. He looked for any were recognized early by the Intelligence war with Japan. job to keep body and soul together and drifted Department and assignment to both U.S. As the first class of the school was coming up the Hudson Valley in New York. His first Embassies in Tokyo and Peking were made to a close, the relocation of all Japanese as on a regular basis in that one or two officers well as Americans of Japanese origin was or full-time job-which was 7 days a week, 12 were detailed each year to each embassy for dered and we had to select a new home. I hours a day-was as a dishwasher in Albany. a four year period as language students and was on the road once again, finally settling Not too much time passed before he was ac service attaches. I might point out that in Minnesota, where I received a great deal cepted into the U.S. Army for service in the in General Pershing, Class of 1886, was one of of help from, at that time, Governor Stas fantry with station in Scofield Barricks, HI. And those students as well as General Strong, sen. We resettled at Savage near St. Paul. in 1924, barely 2 years after arriving in the who was at G-2 at the beginning of World Later on, when we had outgrown the tempo United States, Kai Rasmussen entered the War II, Class of 1904. This system was kept rary camp at Savage, we took over the his in use until World War II. The require toric old Fort Snelling where we stayed U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. ments for French and Spanish were largely until 1946, when we returned to California Through hard work, dedication, and a belief dictated by the need for language instruc to an equally historic fort, the Presidio of in excellence rather than expedience, Kai tors detailed to the Military Academy and Monterey. Rasmussen graduated from the Military Acad each instructor selected was afforded a one As time progressed, and as the war, the emy and went on to attain the rank of colonel. year study in Europe. With the addition of contact war, grew in all directions in the Pa In 1941, his level of expertise in military intelli German and Russian to the system, it had cific, all major commands and the chiefs of gence enabled him to create the MISLS. been enlarged to accommodate the added intelligence wrote highly commendatory let Thirty-six years later, on June 25, 1977, Colo requirements. In the meantime, World War ters back to the War Department and the II was raging in Europe and by the summer Commandant at the MISLS. These were ac nel Rasmussen addressed the graduating of 1941 the war clouds were hanging heavily companied with ever increasing praise and class of the school's successor, the DU. In over the Pacific Ocean area and it became requests for more and still more intelligence his address he spoke not only of why the clear that, in the event of open hostilities language specialists. school was created and how it was so impor involving American military forces, they In sending out intelligence teams we felt a tant to the war effort-but also how it proved would be fighting with the distinct handicap need for caucasian team leaders and we so invaluable to the acceptance of Americans of not having the necessary linguistic assets were authorized to secure and train those of Japanese ancestry as true patriots. in support. It also became apparent that the leaders. The main purpose of this was to only possible solution to the problem initial have an unmistakably caucasian officer as Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join ly would be utilizing bilingual Americans of sociated with Oriental faces in order not to with me in this tribute to Colonel Rasmussen, Japanese ancestry, known as Nisei. have some trigger-happy G.I. pop a gun. a great American whose wisdom was timeless At that time, I was detailed to conduct a The candidates for this detail were selected and still graces our Nation. rapid survey of Nisei language capabilities. on academic excellence. They were largely • This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 9794 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS May 3, 1988 taken from the national Phi Beta Kappa Gunars Astra first became seriously ill while did not die on the hands of his wardens.

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