AUSTRALIA -
Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS)
The Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) in Australia
was of great importance in the Pacific theater during World War
II. Major General Charles Willoughby, General Douglas MacArthur’s
Chief of Intelligence in the South West Pacific during WWII, first
conceived the idea for ATIS in 1942. ATIS was originally established
in Melbourne and later moved to Indooroopilly in Brisbane, Australia.
More than 3,000 MIS
linguists
were sent to Australia to translate documents and interrogate
Japanese prisoners. Australian intelligence and American intelligence
personnel, a majority of who were Japanese Americans, worked at
ATIS. MIS soldier Gary Kadani, the first graduate of the MIS
Language School, is known to have interrogated the first Japanese
POW in Brisbane.
Several notable events occurred at ATIS such as the translation
of the captured “Z” Plan during the Philippines campaign.
The “Z” Plan contained Japan’s strategy and
tactics for an all-out counterattack against the Allied forces
specifically in the Mariana Islands in the North Pacific Ocean
near Hawaii and the Philippines. Recognizing the importance of
the “Z” Plan, ATIS worked day and night to translate
it. Key personnel involved in the translation were Yoshikazu Yamada,
George “Sankey” Yamashiro and three Caucasian officiers.
In January 1944, while serving in Australia, MIS soldier, Sergeant
Rusty Kimura was assigned to the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Australian
Division in Bougainville. There he discovered an enemy document,
which indicated the date, time and location of a Japanese attack
set to begin 20 hours from the time he found it. Kimura immediately
notified an Australian intelligence officer who notified the Australian
troops to take a defensive position. The battle, known as “The
Battle of Slater’s Knoll,” was won with minimal casualties
to the Australian troops due to Kimura’s significant findings.
Kimura was awarded the Bronze
Star and recognized by the U.S. government in 1997 for his
services.
