Partial Transcript: Typically, Ray waited until the person finished speaking, then he would translate for the Lieutenant. Ray explains the gist of what the person is trying to say.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; Japanese American soldiers; Military Intelligence Service; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: Ray translated for the hakujin (White people). As a Nisei, Ray understood the Japanese culture and customs. He also explained the Japanese customs to his Lieutenant when he translated. Ray was not tired of explaining the Japanese culture because it was his job.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; Hakujin; Military Intelligence Service; Nisei; Nisei soldiers; occupation

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Partial Transcript: Ray discusses translating to his Lieutenant when they meet the Japanese police or Japanese locals. They bow instead of shaking hands when they greet one another. Moreover, Ray translates the subject no matter if it is harsh, rude, or angry. Ray preferred translating documents rather than interpreting because he felt his strength was in reading and writing. When Ray worked for the Civil Censorship Detachment, it was dissolved. His next job was at Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) translating classified secret documents into English for a year or more. He recalls his boss requesting him to translate a book about the Soviet Union within two days. The objective of ATIS was to find out information about the Soviet Union and Communist activities in Japan.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; Japanese American soldiers; Military Intelligence Service; Nisei; occupation

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray translated handwritten documents about the Soviet Union and Communism in Japan. The United States Army wanted to know about any illegal activities taking place. He had several dictionaries for reference because one dictionary did not have the kanji. Ray gave an example of sousho - cursive Japanese characters in shortened form. Sousho was difficult to Japanese in writing. When Ray heard about a job opportunity in Okinawa, he volunteered to go.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; Japanese American soldiers; Military Intelligence Service; Nisei; occupation

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray heard about a job opportunity in Okinawa and volunteered to go to work on translating and interpreting. Translating the written documents about the Soviet Union and Communism was a lot of pressure. There were seven to eight Niseis on a team, men and women. After translating a document, Ray had a team leader who reviewed the translation work to verify his work. Ray reflected on when he was working a temporary duty assignment (TDA) for a surveillance team. After that job concluded, Ray worked in Maizuru and found out there was a job in Osaka for his qualifications. When Ray was a GI working in Maizuru, the living conditions were better. Furthermore, when Ray worked at the Civil Censorship Detachment for about three months, it was time for Ray to be discharged. Ray was discharged at Camp Zama and then returned to work at the same job at the Civil Censorship in Osaka.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Japanese American soldiers; Military Intelligence Service; Nisei; occupation

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray stayed in Japan for five years as a civilian. In October 1949, the Civil Censorship dissolved, and Ray worked at ATIS as a translator. He translated classified documents into English for a year. After, Ray went to Okinawa to work for the Civil and Information Department in the military government. He was promoted to Visual Presentation Information Specialist. Ray had many Okinawan people working with him to spread propaganda about democracy in Okinawa. Ray screened movies and documentaries around different towns in Okinawa. Afterward, Ray started renting out regular American films, and his job was to control that.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; Nisei; occupation; propaganda

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: As a Visual Presentation Information Specialist, Ray showed movies in different areas in Okinawa. The films were translated into Japanese. Ray and his team showed movies, and documentary films about America, and they got the Okinawa movies started. When Ray was a GI, he would meet actresses but not in Okinawa. As a GI during the occupation, there were benefits, and you could do anything. For example, go to movie studios, take pictures of movie stars, attend baseball games, and travel on a train.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Nisei; occupation

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Partial Transcript: In Maizuru, Ray met local girls working at the repatriation center. Sometimes Ray would visit their families and bring them food. In return, the family would cook Japanese food for him. In Tokyo, Ray visited his aunt and uncle (photographer). Ray has not seen his sisters and younger brother for 11 years. He reunited with his sisters and brother in Kagoshima and helped them come back to the United States. One of Ray's sisters got married there. After the war, Ray's father returned to Japan.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Japanese Americans; Nisei; occupation; post-war; siblings

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Partial Transcript: After 11 years of not seeing his siblings, Ray reunited with his two sisters and younger brother in Kagoshima at the train station. He brought them food and cigarettes. Ray recalls having his first drink of alcohol and cigarette at Camp Lee, Virginia. Ray helped his sisters and brother return to the United States because the situation in Japan after the war was not good. There were food shortages and hardly any jobs available. One reason Ray's siblings survived during the war and post-war was the family-owned rice fields. The farmers would share some of the rice with them. Also, Ray's father sent money to his stepmother.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; family; farming; living conditions; Nise; occupation

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray's siblings and stepmother did not suffer much during the war because they were landowners. Ray's siblings lived in the country, and that area was not affected but the atomic bomb. They continued going to school during the war. There was no speaking of the Japanese military, his siblings were country folks. When Ray's father returned to Japan, he owned the same amount of land pre-war. Ray also sent his father money to help support him. During the occupation, there was land reform. Ray remembers they had a forest, and perhaps his father sold the land.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: atomic bomb; education; farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei; siblings

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Partial Transcript: When Ray's father returned from the United States, he started working for the Army because he knew English. He was an interpreter for the Army stationed at Kagoshima. Ray was discharged from the Army and censored telegrams. Ray had girls working under him examining the telegrams. There was a Master Tax Guide written in English to Japanese. Anything that showed up in the Master Tax Guide in the telegrams, they would select that. Then ten men would translate those telegrams into English and give them to Ray. Ray would then either correct or reject them and refer them to his boss.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Nisei; occupation

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Partial Transcript: Ray explains the Master Tax Guide helped decipher what was Communist activities, illegal activities, or some uprising taking place. Anything about those activities, the girls would select that subject, and the men would translate them into English. Ray would review it and then give it to his boss. Many telegrams came in, and some of them were simple ones. In Osaka in the late 1940s, there were no computers or emails like today. Therefore back then, work was through written documents.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Nisei; occupation

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Partial Transcript: Ray had about 20 staff members working under him who helped him translate telegrams in Osaka. The staff members were Japanese locals. Outside work, Ray would have parties and eat with his staff. He was not close with his employees, but he had a close relationship with his boss's secretary because she was a Canadian Nisei. Later, Ray helped her go back to Canada.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; friendship; Nisei; occupation

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Partial Transcript: In the Army, there were rules about relationships with the locals. When Ray was discharged from the Army, he went to work in Osaka, and there was no difference. In Japan, Ray met his wife. His wife was working for the CCD in Tokyo. Ray's friend also worked at the CCD in Tokyo, and when Ray transferred to Tokyo, Ray's friend introduced them. CCD dissolved in December 1949, and Ray lost his job. Then Ray worked for ATIS as a translator.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Allied Translator and Interpreter Section; dating; Japanese Americans; Nisei; post-war

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Partial Transcript: Ray explains dating during the occupation. He went on dates with his wife to restaurants. Ray's living quarters were at the Yaesu Hotel, and there was a mess hall. Ray had friends there too. Ray and his wife took the train to different places like Kamakura and visited friends. In 1949, Japan was starting to rebuild, and it was not as bad right after the war.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: dating; Japanese Americans; Nisei; post-war

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Partial Transcript: By 1949, Japan was rebuilding. The buildings were built, more food was available, and various transportation. Ray's wife lived in Chiba with her parents. When Ray started dating his wife, he was American, and she was a Japanese citizen. (Interview pauses 47 minutes, 36 seconds. Resumes at 48 minutes, 10 seconds). In March 1950, Ray worked in Okinawa. In October 1951, Congress passed a law that veterans or a GI could marry a Japanese girl. When Ray heard the news in Okinawa, he asked to transfer back to Tokyo. In October 1951, Ray returned to Tokyo and married in June 1952.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; dating; Japanese Americans; living conditions; Nisei; Nisei veterans; post-war

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray's wife's parents did not mind Ray was an American. By the time Ray was married, he had a car and everything. Ray and his wife lived in Tokyo, and the Army had to approve the housing to get a housing allowance. In 1952, Ray lived in Japan for five years, and in 1953, Ray resigned and moved back to the United States with his wife. Ray attended the University of Minnesota and received his degree in Bachelor of Business Administration. His major was Accounting. Ray worked for a CPA firm for a couple of months in Minneapolis until the Air Force Audit Agency hired him. Ray went to school for two weeks in Philadelphia and studied contact auditing. Then he was sent to work in Seattle in the Boeing Airplane Company.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: dating; education; higher education; Japanese Americans; Nisei; Nisei veterans; post-war; wedding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Ray worked a year in Seattle at the Boeing Airplane Company, and his daughter was born. There was an opening in Japan, and Ray volunteered to go. From 1955 to 1956, Ray worked at Kawasaki Aircraft Company in Gifu. Ray also worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and they had a Komaki Aircraft plant in Nagoya. Ray went to both places to audit contracts. Ray spent eight years in Japan, one-year auditing at two aircraft plants, and later transferred to Tokyo. Ray started auditing contracts through Japan and master labor contracts in Japan. Ray had many Japanese auditors working for him, and they would go to various places and audit contracts. Ray would supervise the auditing. Then, Ray was sent to Okinawa and audited contracts in Okinawa. He became the auditor in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company, and this was a choice assignment. After, Ray went to audit in Manila, Saigon, Bangkok, and Taiwan. Ray's wife took care of the children. Ray had a daughter and two sons. Ray compares Japan from when he first arrived in 1947 to 1960. Japan has progressed and changed a lot in buildings, housing, jobs, and transportation.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Nisei; Nisei veterans; post-war

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