The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project
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The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project The Interpreter Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries Number 145 zRemember September 11, 2001z [email protected] March 1, 2010 Our Mission erected before the First World "Everything Chinese now but the evacuation to the general War when the Germans face," my new friend hospitals in the Philippines and In the Spring of 2000, the colonized Tsingtao. Some commented. (to be cont’d) ultimate return to their native Archives continued the origi- American aviators were already Donald L. Keene lands. We spent the last part of nal efforts of Captain Roger living on the second floor of the JLS 1943 August on this task and then Pineau and William Hudson, club. I left my belongings on an Daily Yomiuri Online were sent to Tsingtao to accept and the Archives first at- empty cot. April 15, 2006_ the surrender of a small Japanese _______________ tempts in 1992, to gather the I walked out into the street naval detachment and embark papers, letters, photographs, and was immediately surrounded JLSer to them on a Japanese transport for and records of graduates of by a crowd of men clamoring, repatriation. If memory serves, the US Navy Japanese/ Russian OLSer urging me to board their we were at Tsingtao in the early Oriental Language School, rickshaws. I had never actually Ahoy, H.H.: days of September. University of Colorado at seen a rickshaw before, but I had Subsequently, we were sent to Boulder, 1942-1946. We thought it typical of the worst My initial message to David Chefoo and Weihaiwei to assemble these papers in aspects of the Western presence Hays will explain my curiousity evacuate white prisoners of war recognition of the contribu- in China; photographs often about the transport of some from camps in the Shantung tions made by JLS/OLS showed Chinese pulling arrogant Japanese [POWs] at Tsingtao. Peninsula. We also paid a instructors and graduates to foreigners who wore tropical There must have been something courtesy call at Inchon and the War effort in the Pacific helmets. But, not knowing what special about those people to visited Tientsin on board an LCI, and the Cold War, to the else to do, I got into a rickshaw have warranted such a pickup. I which grounded overnight on the creation of East Asian and gestured to indicate the man would appreciate any details you Taku Bar. LCI's did not have language programs across should go straight ahead. can provide. Your experience flag accommodations, and the the country, and to the Thinking it would make it easier with the assignment to Admiral presence of a half-dozen staff development of Japanese- for him, I leaned forward as far Settles was one of a kind. strained the vessel's facilities and American cultural rec- as I could. This was actually the I was a Marine Language crew, particularly as, during the onciliation programs after least helpful thing I could have Officer (Japanese) graduate from grounding, the engines had to be World War II. done; sitting back would have Boulder May '44. I was in stopped in order to avoid sucking made it easier. Ashamed that I Tsingtao from October 1945 to mud into the evaporators. was using another human being, February 1946. By November, there was Chronicles Semper Fi! I dug my nails into the armrests really nothing more for us to do, of My Life Glenn Nelson of the rickshaw. JLS 1944 and the task group, having at in the 20th Century In the meantime, I had _______________ some point been transferred into become an object of attention to the light cruiser Springfield, was 14. Memories of postwar On Admiral Settle’s Tsingtao sour people in the streets. Children, disbanded. I had succeeded in running after my rickshaw, Staff being named Assistant Naval We did not leave Guam until the shouted at me, a group of actors Attaché for Shanghai and end of September. The Dear Glenn: dressed in the traditional disembarked there. headquarters section of the costumes and false beards of the How interesting to hear from I do not recall any contact division boarded a destroyer that Chinese theatre saluted, as did a you! Admiral Settle's staff, of with Marine detachments while reached Tsingtao before the main work party of Japanese soldiers. which I was a junior member, we were in north China, but body of marines. The night Unlike the descriptions I had was originally destined for there may have been one at before we arrived, the destroyer read of the food shortage in Vladivostok to establish a liaison Tientsin, where we were amazed was caught in a storm and rocked postwar Tokyo, the markets office with the Soviet navy, a to find the jai alai front on in full so badly that I had to cling to the along the streets of Tsingtao project that engaged the operation with Basque players rails at the side of my bunk to overflowed with food, cigarettes, enthusiasm of Admiral King, but only a few weeks after the end of avoid being thrown out of bed. articles of clothing, pots and not that of Admiral Nimitz, who the war! The next morning it had pans. Nobody wanted to barter kept us at Guam for the last The Japanese detachment at cleared, and Tsingtao from the masterpieces of art in return for several weeks of the war. Tsingtao was small and pretty sea looked like a huge picture cigarettes. Immediately upon news of scruffy; I don't recall anything postcard. I was among the first to I got down from the rickshaw, the surrender, we were sent very special about it. go ashore. I was instructed to gave the man a few American aboard the heavy cruiser H.H. Cloutier proceed to the International coins, and began to wander OLS Russian 1945 Louisville, with a small task _______________ Club. I couldn't find the club on aimlessly through the streets. group of a couple of destroyers my map, and I was trying to The depression I had felt while and a submarine, and ordered to Allan Hathorn Smith remember how to ask directions in the rickshaw lifted, and I felt Dairen to establish contact with Anthropological Reprise in Chinese when two Chinese exhilarated. I was in China! A the Red Army at Harbin in order ALLAN H SMITH, 85, passed officers approached and asked Chinese army officer who spoke to effect the evacuation of white away on September 27, 1999 and me in English to guide them. English joined me and guided prisoners of war incarcerated in will be remembered as one of the Before long we found the me into shops where I bought Manchuria, transport them to early Plateau ethnographers, an building, a monstrosity of late myself a Chinese robe, Chinese Dairen and embark them in in able administrator and a father nineteenth century architecture shoes and a jade ring. U.S. Navy hospital ships for figure to many who are now senior faculty. Smith attended belief that anthropology was a on Asia toward the end of the answers were not always helpful Yale receiving a degrees in unified discipline, Smith worked Edo era and the Meiji or well informed. The British anthropology (BA 1935; PhD closely with archaeologists in the Restoration, which is his Museum, for example, it 1941). His dissertation, Pacific Northwest. His specialty. After retirement, he incorporated what is now the “Dynamics of Cultural Diffusion Ethnographic Guide to the has also written about youths British Library, certainly had the in the Plateau Area of North Archaeology of Mount Rainier who were sent to Europe for largest collection of Japanese America” was based on studies National Park prepared for the studies from Choshu. This year, works; but it did not have a among the Kalispel Indians in National Park Service (1964) is a his past academic papers were librarian who could read northeastern Washington (1936- splendid example. Following compiled and published as his Japanese. Discovering what was 38). While working on his retirement in 1978, Smith collected writings. Please allow available was therefore difficult doctorate, Smith also taught at remained active. Two major me to convey Prof. Beasley's and time-consuming. And that the U of Texas (1939-42). He publications, Kutenai Indian message on his behalf: was true for material for research served as a Japanese Language Subsistence and Settlement William Gerard Beasley and teaching as a whole. Work Officer in the central and Patterns, Center for Northwest "It is a great honor to have became a kind of treasure hunt. western Pacific in the US Navy Anthropology, WSU, Project been awarded the Japan What you could do depended on (1943-46), and was awarded the Report 2 (1984) and Foundation Prize for the year what you could find. Purple Heart. In 1947, with his Ethnography of the North 2001. I feel this all the more, In my case, these problems wife Ann Gertrude, Smith Cascades, Center for Northwest because I have long regarded the were largely overcome after moved to Pullman, WA to join Anthropology, WSU, Project work of the Japan Foundation 1950. In that year, I was granted the Department of Sociology at Report 7 (1988) are his final with admiration and respect; it sabbatical leave together with Washington State College (now contributions. provides a means not easily finance to make a journey to Washington State U) as an Smith was a meticulous available in other ways by which Japan. On arrival in Tokyo, I met associate professor of scholar who utilized historical foreign students and teachers Vere Redman, then information anthropology.