G-2 Gal & G-2 Guy: Close Quarters Intelligence Work Tokyo 1947

Former Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) Sergeant Diana Burdett had served as a Japanese linguist for G-2 Intelligence during the War. Her first duty station in America after attending the S-20 Intelligence Japanese Language School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was the super secret Camp Ritchie outside Washington, DC. From there, she was transferred to the Washington Document Center (WDC) in the city to continue her intelligence work. But the war was over and her friends were being discharged and returning home. Diana was not in the least bit interested in going back to Steveston, the small fishing village where she had grown up. As it turned out, two Aussie soldiers who were with the first wave of troops sent to Japan to gather intelligence for the upcoming War Crimes Trials, returned to America and told Diana and her friend Florence that they should go to Tokyo as translators. The girls loved that idea, so got themselves discharged, took the U.S. State Department Japanese language test and the next thing they knew, they were on a troop ship to Japan to serve as civilians in General MacArthur’s Occupation Government. From the moment they arrived, their days and nights were filled and they had to keep a calendar to keep track of all their dates and attire! The time flew by with intelligence work during the day and dining and dancing by night. Every chance they got, the girls were in a jeep or on a train out of Tokyo to the countryside. These excursions introduced them to the “real” Japan outside Tokyo’s Allied Forces military atmosphere. Thankfully, the girls were young and healthy, and their command of Japanese assured they would never be at a loss for words regardless of where in the country they landed. But all that gaiety was exhausting and the girls were finally approved for leave to “rest and recreate.” They ended up at Mt. Aso, a favorite retreat for Allied personnel and had the time of their lives. Even with Florence being diagnosed with the German Measles, it didn’t stop the girls from socializing and a very handsome doctor agreed to quarantine them both for an extra week so Florence could “recover”. Florence’s boss in Tokyo was contacted and she was encouraged to take the time she needed. Things did not go so well for Diana. While she was on leave, a new boss, Paul Kohl had arrived and he was not taken in by Diana’s story. So he waited, and when she finally showed up at the office, he “lowered the boom” and Diana had no idea what she was in for, but frankly, she didn’t care. She was going home in a few months. Mr. Kohl however, had different ideas and was about to show Diana that she had met her match. Paul was truly going to show the “diplomatic darling” he had heard so much about, just who really was boss and she’d never see it coming!