Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Henry Kuwabara Personal Papers Finding Aid 2016.004
2016.004  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Content Description
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical / Historical
  • Processing Information
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Additional collection guides

  • Language of Material: English
    Contributing Institution: Go For Broke National Education Center
    Title: Henry Kuwabara Personal Papers
    creator: Kuwabara, Henry, 1919-2005
    creator: Kuwabara
    Identifier/Call Number: 2016.004
    Physical Description: 2.7 Linear Feet 8 boxes, 2 oversize items
    Date (bulk): 1930-2002
    Abstract: This collection comprises seven boxes and two oversize items. The collection contains mainly paper items like handwritten research notes and periodicals. The creator was in the military for 20 years, in both World War II and the Korean War and has many research materials pertaining to both wars as well as Japanese American incarceration.
    Language of Material: Materials are mostly in English with some items in Japanese.
    Container: 2016.004

    Content Description

    This collection comprises seven boxes and two oversize items. The collection contains mainly paper items like handwritten research notes and periodicals. The creator was in the military for 20 years, in both World War II and the Korean War and has many research materials pertaining to both wars as well as Japanese American incarceration. There are also some more personal items like photographs of the creator, his military awards, and his typewritten manuscript. The collection comprises research materials relating to mainly World War II, specifically the Pacific War and China Burma India (CBI) theaters. There are also personal records relating to the creator's military career in both World War II and the Korean War. The first oversize item is a felt mounted frame with eleven military pins and badges attached. The second oversize item is a binder of his typewritten manuscript. The third oversize item is a framed military portrait.

    Preferred Citation

    [Item], [Collection], Go For Broke National Education Center, Los Angeles, California.

    Biographical / Historical

    Henry Hideo Kuwabara was born on April 21, 1919 in Malad, Idaho and began his 20 year military career on November 1, 1942 in Rivers, Arizona. Kuwabara volunteered for the Army and served in the Southeast Asian Translation and Interrogation Center (SEATIC) in New Delhi, India from November 1943 to April 1944. The Center conducted translation and interrogation for the Allied headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It was comprised of British, Indian, Australian and New Zealander and United States forces. From May to November 1944, he was stationed at Norward Headquarters, U.S. Army Northern Combat Area Command in north Burma. From December 1944 to November 1945 he was stationed in Burma as SEATIC on temporary duty with several detachments where he interrogated Japanese Prisoners of War, translated captured Japanese documents and prepared covert and non-covert propaganda leaflets for two audiences—the Japanese troops in Burma and the Burmese people.
    Kuwabara's post-war assignments included Allied Translator and Interpreter Service (ATIS), General Headquarters, Tokyo and many others, ending his career as Lieutenant Colonel in July of 1962. He retired in December of the same year, but then moved to Japan where he had a 20 year career as a translator and then moved to Los Angeles where he worked at LAX for ten years. Kuwabara retired after that and passed away on May 7, 2005.

    Processing Information

    Boxes 1-5 processed by Gavin Do January 2016. Boxes 6 and 7 processed by Nicole Mckeon March 2018.

    Conditions Governing Access

    This collection is available for research upon request. Some materials have personal information and will have to be redacted before viewing.

    Additional collection guides

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Cold War
    Intelligence service
    Japan
    Japanese American Korean War Veterans
    Japanese Americans
    Japanese Americans -- History -- 20th century
    Korea
    Korean War, 1950-1953
    Military intelligence
    Pacific Area.
    United States.
    United States. Army. Infantry
    World War, 1939-1945
    World War, 1939-1945 -- Japanese Americans
    World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence -- Pacific Area
    World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence -- United States.
    World War, 1939-1945 Military intelligence
    Idaho
    China
    Burma
    India
    Southeast Asian Translation and Interrogation Center