Speakers of the Japanese language were in short supply in the United States what with the war with Japan. Only a few universities offer instruction, and so the country is playing catch up to get more people knowledgeable about the enemy's language. Japanese Americans are available--many having learned the language at Japanese language schools--but the military is somewhat hesitant to use them because of the reputation of the schools as being fonts of Japanese culture.

The Weapon of Language: Japanese Are Better Equipped for Linguistic Role of War

Jan. 5, 1942

1900.5411