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 243 Remember September 11, 2001 [email protected] May 1, 2018 Our Mission stationed. All of that stopped not know what it did exactly. I draft. A Russian complimented when I landed at Cold Bay. The told him what it was, and he at me on using the correct and In the Spring of 2000, the best I could do was to draw a last recognized it. rather obscure word for “draft” Archives continued the origi- picture of snow on the envelope, in Russian. American Lifestyle nal efforts of Captain Roger to give my wife a hint that I was In addition to seeing movies Pineau and William Hudson, somewhere cold. Seeing life from the Russian side about America, the Russians had and the Archives first at- Because of my language was interesting. For example, heard about our lavish life style. tempts in 1992, to gather the skills, I had been assigned to Russian cooks liked how we had They wanted to know how many papers, letters, photographs, Project Hula, although it was so pictures of the food on the cars I owned. When I told them I and records of graduates of secret, the Navy never outside of the cans [some did not own a car; I had to the US Navy Japanese/ mentioned the name or what it imagination required]. In explain that I was only 20 years Oriental Language School, was about. Much later, I found America, many different old and a student before the war, University of Colorado at out the United States was companies sell the same kind of so I had not had a chance to buy Boulder, 1942-1946. We surreptitiously transferring naval food, so they strive to win over a car. assemble these papers in vessels to Russia in anticipation the consumer with colorful Again, curious about recognition of the contribu- of their use against Japan. pictures and advertising. In American life, they asked if I tions made by JLS/OLS Until then, Russia and Japan Russia you have one brand, take drank milk, and did we really instructors and graduates to had an agreement not to attack it or leave it. Capitalism had not have it delivered to our the War effort in the Pacific each other. If word had gotten made its way into Russia yet. doorstep? I think food was an and the Cold War, to the out about Hula, Japan would Since we had a Russian cook important matter for the Russian creation of East Asian have attacked Russia before and an American cook on board, sailors. Before the war Stalin had language programs across Russia was equipped to defend they took turns preparing meals, introduced collective farming the country, and to the itself. Of course at my level, I and the crew ate accordingly. and it was a disaster. The change development of Japanese- was not told any of this. All I The Russian cooks loved to resulted in widespread American cultural rec- knew was that we were turning make borscht, a hearty stew of starvation. Some farmers onciliation programs after over a bunch of our ships to the cabbage, potatoes, sour cream, protested by burning their crops, World War II. Russians. In order to do this, we and beef stock. The Russians or slaughtering their livestock. would board a ship and sail out loved their cabbage. Millions died of famine, and the Lloyd A. Kramer to sea for ten days. A skeleton The Russians were good ones that survived suffered from OLS (Russian) 1945 crew of American sailors would sailors, but they were a little malnutrition. *A Secret Mission* teach the Soviet sailors the behind in radar, sonar, and the I used to watch the Russians workings of the ship. ship’s propulsion plant. To make in close order drill in a field. And [Cont’d from #242] I was still My sole purpose was to matters worse, initially there I couldn’t help but notice how working in Washington, DC interpret between the American were no manuals printed in short they were. I don’t think any when I got secret orders to report crew and the Russians. I covered Russian. When I explained that of them were over five foot four. to a base in the state of three areas of the ship: the the curtains aboard ship were I am sure this was a result of not Washington for my next galley, the engine room and fireproof because they were getting enough food during that assignment. I was told only to topside, including the bridge. made of fiberglass, they were difficult period. pack my duffle bag and where to Once I was topside confused, because they had not Life at Cold Bay report. interpreting, when I saw a hears of fiberglass. Once I arrived at the base, I Russian sailor climbing a mast. Not only did I interpret on Cold Bay was a desolate and was put on a large passenger Unbeknownst to him, he was board ship, but my language cold place [260 miles east of plane with wooden benches on heading straight for some high skills came in handy when we Dutch Harbor]. There were no the sides. We took off and I had power wires that could kill him were in port. We had a theater local inhabitants and it was an absolutely no idea where I was instantly upon contact. I yelled in that held hundreds of people, and apt place to conduct a going, or what I was going to do. Russian for him to stop. Since I the movies were in English. clandestine operation. Cold Bay The orders were so secret I was an American officer, he felt During the movie I whispered to was not a place for sightseeing. couldn’t tell my new wife, no need to obey my orders and the Russians near me what was The best I could come up with Martha, even if I knew kept climbing. A Russian officer, going on, and they in turn was seeing three bears from afar. something. hearing my order, repeated the whispered to the persons next to We did find some foxholes We flew for several hours and order. Fortunately, the sailor them. In a few minutes you left by the Japanese that were then landed. I grabbed something heeded his officer’s command could hear laughter, as my littered with trash that they had to eat, found my quarters and hit and stopped climbing before translation spread across the left behind. However, the living the sack. When I reported next getting electrocuted. entire hall. It was a great feeling. accommodations were fine, the morning, I found out I was in Once, while walking through Sometimes Russians asked food was good, and we even had Cold Bay, Alaska, in the the engine room, a Russian sailor me how to say something in an ice cream machine [trust the Aleutian Islands. pointed to a box and asked what English, and I would explain the military to put an ice cream Before going to Cold Bay, I it was. I recognized it from a correct word to use and how to machine in the Aleutians]. would write to my parents and picture in my physics class in say it. Once, while riding in an Although the wife, letting them know how I high school. I knew it was called old pickup truck, I commented in accommodations were good, the was doing and where I was a Wheatstone Bridge, but I did Russian that there was a nasty weather was dismal. Out of the five months I was there, I didn’t keen interest also in art, music, School from 1950-53 [It could University of Texas was able to see blue sky until the day I was and the theater. But later he not have escaped his attention prevail upon him to return to join leaving. We were sailing away geared his education to that this Naganuma JLS was the faculty at the Department of when the cloud cover broke, and becoming acquainted with using the same teaching methods Linguistics as a Visiting I saw a row of smoking various languages and cultures. and many of the same texts that Professor, with a joint volcanoes in the distance. After Latin and French in high had been used by his USN JLS appointment in English. In the By the time I left, I had been school, he studied German as comrades at CU in 1944-1945.]. meantime, he had achieved involved with about a dozen well as Anglo-Saxon and Middle The position that he took in major accomplishments at ships, mostly frigates, which the English in college, also learning Japan required teaching graduate Southwestern University where Navy really didn’t like and was Italian, Middle High German and courses in English to non-native he had restructured freshman and glad to get rid of. After each 10- Old Norse on his own. In speakers, and, in this context, Dr. sophomore English by day cruise, we decommissioned graduate school he improved his Teale taught courses ranging broadening the curriculum and the ship and gave it to the knowledge of French and added over the whole field of English focusing on a world literature Russian Navy. We held a old Irish, Old Welsh, studying literature, while he himself approach. Back at the University celebration each time in the hall under Roger Sherman Loomis, continued to explore Japanese of Texas he tried to concentrate we used for large gatherings.