Biography of Alva Laswell, Clay Co, AR *********************************************************** Submitted by: Tom Hunnicutt Date: 11 Nov 2007 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** ARKANSAS’ UNSUNG HERO Colonel Alva Bryan “Red” Lasswell (USMC) By Tom Hunnicutt Colonel Alva Bryan Lasswell was the son of Charles S. Lasswell and Leana (Leena Russell) Lasswell. He was born on January 5, 1905 in Walpole , Illinois . (Twigg Township , Hamiliton County ). When he was 4 or 5 months old his family moved to the town of Piggott , Arkansas ( Clay County ), which is located in northeast Arkansas . He attended high school in Piggott and Rector, Arkansas , but did not graduate either of them. His father, Charles S. Lasswell, ((either ran for mayor or was elected twice)) * and was a school teacher. Lasswell mentions in his memoirs that he received most of his unofficial education from his father and rated him as one of the best teachers he ever had during his life. * RS Note: This information was taken from Alva B. Lasswell’s memoirs and he states early on it that he is trying to recall events and dates without notes. Therefore, some details might be wrong. He was in poor health at this time and around 83 years old. However, most of the information he has provided in his memoirs have been confirmed by official copies of military order, awards, other military sources and personal letters. At the age of thirteen Lasswell had tried to join the Marine Corps in Jonesboro , Arkansas , but was too young. At that time the age limit was twenty-one and he got booted out of the recruiter’s office. In 1921, he moved Oklahoma and worked as an accountant there for a few years. Yet, his images of being a Marine lingered on and in the fall of 1925, still a few months short of being twenty-one, he decided to try enlisting again and this time he made it. He took his oath of enlistment in Kansas City , Kansas and soon found himself heading for Marine Recruit Depot (MCRD) at Parris Island , South Carolina . Upon graduating he was assigned sea school, but before he was able to start that school the Post Exchange officer recruited him as the bookkeeper because of his ability in mathematics. During this period he was able to take correspondence courses to improve his education. He was recommended for the 1928/29 Officer’s Candidate School and reported to Marine Barracks, which was located at 8th and I Street, Southeast Washington , DC at that time. He was commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant (2nd Lt) in 1929 and found himself doing Marine Barracks duty until being assigned three years of sea duty aboard the USS ARIZONA (BB-39). In 1934, he became involved in rifle range activity and taught FBI agents at Quantico , Virginia in the use of small arms. In early 1935, he was assigned to the 5th Marines at Quantico , Virginia and mentioned to his commanding officer during a briefing he was thinking about applying for language training. His commanding officer told him it was a great idea and to go for it and then wrote Lasswell a two page recommendation, which he hand carried for Lasswell to Washington , DC himself. In short order Lasswell found himself in the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) in Washington , DC . During this time he met Captain (Capt) Kenneth H. Cornell, who had been to Japan for training and was now working for the ONI in Washington , DC . They would meet again for in 1939, when Lasswell relieves Cornell in Shanghai , China at Navy Radio Security Station “A” (Lasswell One 1 - 24). After completing three years of Japanese language studies in Japan he was assigned duty with the Navy Radio Security Station “C” in Cavite , Philippines , where he worked on Japanese military codes and translations. In 1939, he was transferred to Shanghai to assume the duty of the (Officer in Charge (OIC) of Station Alfa. Little did he know that he would be the last officer to work at this station. Capt Lasswell departed China on July 21, 1940 (Lasswell Five). Most of the Navy enlisted personnel were transferred to the Cavite , Philippines . They remained there unit being relocated to Corregidor and was formally disestablished in 1942. According to Lasswell he had only worked on military targets during his time in the Philippines . In China he was introduced to Japanese diplomatic codes. While the diplomatic codes were a bit different he had no problems learning how to decrypt and translate the traffic. Interestingly, only three Marine officers served as OICs at the Shanghai station and each of them were Japanese linguist and had similar duties. However, Lasswell stands out for another reason - his abilities with weapons for he was also highly skilled rifleman. Therefore, the Commanding Officer (CO) of the Fourth Marines, Colonel Dewitt Peck, used Lasswell’s talents in July 1940 to offset a major incident brought on by the Japanese, which kept the Japanese from assuming control of the International Settlement in Shanghai , China . This story (A Shanghai Incident) was published by the Marine Corps Gazette, September 1980 (NCVA Okins A-32 & A-33) (Gazette - 2, 54-57). Lasswell returned to the regular Marine Corps around August 1940 and assigned duty with the 8th Marines at Camp Elliott , California . He stated in his memoirs that it was hard winter for him. It rained throughout the winter causing the mud to be six to eight inches deep. However, he enjoyed being back in the infantry environment and it looked like he was going to be there for a while, but fate had other plans for him and in early 1941 he found him self heading to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii . At first Major Lasswell was ordered to Hawaii to head the Language Training Center at the University of Hawaii . However, on his arrival he soon found he had been pulled back into the Naval Intelligence field and was to be stationed at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii as the Chief Translator for CDR Joseph J. Rochefort. It appears he had made quite a name for himself as a Japanese linguist for he was hand picked by Rochefort and he became a major influence in a unique group known as “The Dungeon”. There were only five key individuals that stood out according to CAPT Forrest R. “ Tex ” Biard (USN Retired) during his speech to the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation on July 12, 2002. One of them was Maj Alva B. Lasswell. According to CAPT Biard, Maj Lasswell, was trained as a Japanese linguist from 1935 to 1938 in Tokyo , Japan . CAPT Biard described Lasswell as our steady, dependable, long-enduring, right-as-rain Lou Gehrig type of person. Yet, Lasswell did not really want to be code-breaker, but rather a competition rifle shooter for the Marine Corps (Aiken 1-7) & (Congress - 1) & (Navy - 2). Prior to Pearl Harbor being attacked on December 7, 1941, Lasswell states it was a trying period because this group had only begun its operation on May 1, 1941. Several of the officers had only recently been trained as Japanese language, which explains the reason Rochefort wanted Lasswell. With only 10 officers and 30 enlisted men they began their work. ORGANIZATION and PERSONNEL FOURTEENTH NAVAL DISTRICT, DEC. 7, 1941 RADM Claude C. Bloch............... Commandant, Hawaiian Naval Sea Frontier, Pearl Harbor Navy Yard and Commander Task Force 4, United States Pacific Fleet. CAPT J. B. Earle.......................... Chief of Staff CAPT Irving H. Mayfield.............. Intelligence Officer LT William B. Stephensen............. Counterespionage Section CDR Joseph J. Rochefort.............. Communication Security (Intelligence Unit) Col Alva B. Lasswell (USMC)...... Translator/Cryptanalyst * LTJG F. C. Woodward................. Cryptanalyst CDR Wesley A. Wright................. Assistant Communications Officer (TAD Assignment) ( Pearl Harbor 4) * Listed as a Colonel, he was a Marine Corps Major or Lieutenant Colonel at this time. FIVE KEY OFFICERS OF THE DUNGEON CAPT Forrest R. “ Tex ” Biard (USN Retired) (Aiken 3-4 & 6-7) CDR Joseph J. Rochefort.............. Early Japanese Linguist (1929) LTCDR Joe Finnegan ................... Trained in Japan 1934-1937 (Linguist/Cryptanalyst) LTCDR Thomas H. Dyer.............. Cryptanalyst Maj Alva B. “Red” Lasswell.......... Trained in Japan 1935-1938 (Linguist/Cryptanalyst) LTCDR Wesley A. Wright............ Cryptanalyst Locations and Abbreviations CAST Cavite, Philippines - Navy Radio Security Station “C” (CAST) Corregidor Island, Philippines – Navy Radio Security Station “C” (CAST) Melbourne, Australia (1942)??? FRUCHI Chugking, China (Happy Valley) Navy Radio Security Station “F” China FRUPAC * Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (HT) Fleet Radio Unit Pacific HYPO * Navy Radio Security Station “H” Wahiawa, Hawaii (1931-45) NEGAT Negat was the Cryptanalytic and Translation Section in Washington , DC * While FRUPac and Hypo were two different locations many of the officers would refer to Hypo, when in fact it was FRUPac. Therefore, in researching the events of those days it can become confusing. Nonetheless, they were not co-location together. Lasswell normally referred to their unit as HYPO, as did many of the naval officers. Researcher Comments Prior to mentioning the three main translations that Colonel Alva B. Lasswell made during World War II, I think it is import to mention some facts about such an individual. I can speak personally about this because I am a cryptanalysis myself and I have broken many enemy codes during my days in this field. However, no intelligence can be gained from merely breaking into a code. For example, I was working on a message one evening and simply could not understand what was wrong. I went to my own Lasswell of that day, Marine Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Donald Fehr, and said, “I need some help here.” He looked at the message and my code recoveries and said, “What’s the problem?” I said, “I simply can’t get it opened.” He laughed a little and said, “Tom, you got it…you got it completely broken.” He said, “Pass it on to us and we’ll translate it.” The point I am making is this…even through I had broken the code it could not be used as intelligence because it had to be translated. Also, even though I broke it some of the code recoveries were wrong, close, but not correct. There is no substitute for a good linguist who also has cryptanalyst skills. One last point…we had linguist going through such traffic looking for what they felt was the most important messages…I could never do that and in some cases linguist cannot do it…as it takes a lot of training to become an outstanding linguist and Lasswell had three years of training in Japan, so he learned the language among the people. Later, he was afforded the opportunity to develop both his language and cryptanalyst skills, which made him very important linguist of this historic period. In war or peace some individuals stand out from the main group. For example, a platoon of Marines might charge up a hill, but one or two individuals are found to have made the difference between taking the hill…or being defeated. Such men become heroes for they stand out in a special way and so it is with Colonel Alva B. Lasswell. His early training in mathematics and accounting make him a natural in cryptanalytic work, which was further developed in the Philippines in 1938-39 and China in 1939-40 for he developed both his language and cryptanalytic skills to a high degree and those skills came into their own between 1941 and 1945. I have read various accounts concerning the individuals that worked in the Dungeon during the early part of WW-II that state they were all equal in their abilities, but this is wrong. Like a good ball team where all members of a unique team there will always be exceptions and it is those individuals that make the difference between having a good team or becoming an outstanding team. The reasons that individuals write such accounts is based on a lack of knowledge concerning the particular work. Lasswell and Finnegan were exceptions and CDR Joseph J. Rochefort was a master of picking unique individuals for their assignments in this new field of intelligence. This is one reason Lasswell appreciated him and there should be no doubt it. Many Americans lives were saved during WW-II because of Rochefort’s understood this factor.. Sour Grapes – You Be the Judge Colonel Lasswell felt he paid a price for being assigned duty with the Navy Intelligence units and his remarks can be supported by none other than the Chief of Staff (C. H. McMorris), U. S. Pacific Fleet in his December 8, 1945 Narrative of those days. For example, on page 3 & 4 of that report it states: “The fate of the nation quite literally depended on about a dozen men who had devoted their lives and their careers, in peace and war, to radio intelligence. Eight of these men worked in the basement of the Administration Building .” (The Dungeon) “Seven were naval officers and one was a Marine officer. Of the seven Navy officers, four had been passed over for selection. The other three received their promotion to Lieut. Commander (sic) a few months prior to the war. The officer-in-Charge was Commander J. J. Rochefort, who had been first passed over in selection for Commander. Without his inspiring leadership, technical competence, unselfish devotion to duty and his personal example of untiring effort, it is doubtful that the full result could have been achieved.” This report listed there names: “J. J. Rochefort, T. H. Dyer, J. Finnegan, A. B Lasswell, T. A. Huckins, W. A. Wright, J. A. Williams and J. S. Holtwick”…”It is devoutly to be wished that the nation will never be so poor but that men will be found to make similar sacrifices. But the reliance on such sources of personnel is too nebulous to furnish a firm foundation upon which to build an intelligence organization.”…(Lasswell Three – 3 & 4). Colonel Alva B. Lasswell most likely would never have brought the subject up concerning his duty in Pearl Harbor . His memoirs were written solely for his family on request by his wife, Betty. One reason she wanted this done was to set the record straight for the family. He had been receiving letters from various individuals wanting to know this and that…and then see miss-information being put out by individuals claiming to be or have done more than they did and in some cases stating things based on limited knowledge of how things really work. For example, none of them seem to understand that just being a Japanese linguist does not make you an expert in translating messages or in code recovery of a cryptanalyst. Another example my own training as a cryptanalyst because training along does not make you one. If I had worked in this field I would have no appreciation concerning his remarks. No, one has to be exposed to the work to truly understand it. Lasswell’s statements make sense to me because of the very factor. There was only one other individual working with him in the Dungeon in Pearl Harbor at that time who had the same degree of working knowledge and that was CDR Joe Finnegan. Lasswell mentions, he thought his boss, CDR Joseph J. Rockefort, was a good officer and boss and he held him in highest regards, but he also mentions Rockefort did not do any of the code recoveries or translation…which is one reason both Lasswell and Finnegan took over the top spots at that time. Rockefort knew who he could trust to do the job and he got them placed into positions that frosted good results. Lasswell never wanted to be there, as he longed to be back in the regular Marine Corps and assigned a combat unit. At no time have I found any record where Rockefort states he was the individual who recovered the code, broke a code or translated Japanese messages. He had his hand full taking care of the task before him…the OIC of the Communication Intelligence Unit in Fleet Radio Unit, Pacific (FRUPac). Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway has long captured the hearts and minds of all Americans and it was an event made for movies…and without question the movie Midway stands out as being one of the best movies ever made. Yet, that attack on June 4, 1942 only dealt with the action parts of war. Prior to this great battle each of these Dungeon members worked on the Japanese incoming messages in varying degrees. However, only two of them did most of the recoveries on the Japanese Code JN-25, which were Lieutenant Commander (LTCDR) Joe Finnegan and Major Alva B. Lasswell. Finnegan had also studied Japanese in Japan and was a year ahead of him in that training. Later, Lasswell relieved him in the Philippines at Navy Radio Security Station “C” (CAST). Lasswell wrote in his memoirs that prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor the work was painfully boring for they received little to no traffic to work on during this period. However, after the war broke out they started receiving more traffic which led longer hours in a basement of the Pearl Harbor Administration Building (The Dungeon) and the work became very beneficial. It required total dedication and it was at this time their cryptanalytic and translating skills paid off…Lasswell efforts stood out above the others for it became a passion with him and he pushed himself hard to achieve good results. Then one night as he scanned through the messages waiting to be worked on and he noticed a very unusual message. It turned out to be a Japanese Navy Operation Order. He worked on it all night and by 0800 (8 AM) the next morning he sent it out to all major fleet commands. Almost immediately his translation was challenged by Washington DC (Negat) as they felt the attack part was correct, but the actual target was wrong. Admiral C. W. Nimitz, Commanding Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet may a personal visit to the Dungeon and ask Lasswell how sure he was of the target location. He told him one hundred percent, but others remain skeptical of his translation. According to Lasswell, it was at this point that his fellow linguist/cryptanalyst, LTCDR Joe Finnegan, came up with a scheme to verify the location. He gave that idea to their boss, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort, who had a fake message sent out by the Midway Defense Command in the clear (unencrypted) stating that they had a problem with the Midway water desalinization plant. The next day the Navy intercept operators copied a Japanese message that stated the “AF” was having problems with their water system. The “AF” was the same code identification that Lasswell had recovered earlier…Midway was the next major target of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. All military historians and military officers, without exception have stated this information was indeed invaluable and turned the tide of Japan ’s quest to dominate the Pacific theater during WW-II. There is no way to fully measure the number of American lives that were saved because of this translation. CDR Rochefort informed Lasswell that ADM Nimitz was recommending him for the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). He never got that award, but his counterpart in Washington , DC that challenged his target location did receive it and his boss, CAPTAIN Joseph J. Rochefort, did received a new award in 1986. It was the President’s National Defense Service Medal, the highest military award during peacetime…and it was for his support to the Battle of Midway. Rockefort was also inducted into the National Security Agency Hall of Honor in 2000. Colonel Lasswell remained in the shadows of our military history. The Shoot Down of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto On April 13, 1943, LtCol Lasswell decodes and translates a Japanese naval message that becomes part of Navy history. That message informed them that ADM Isoroku Yamamoto would be flying from the Japanese-held island of Rabaul to the Island of Bougainville . It gave the details of his escort fighters and the exact time of his arrival. With this information ADM Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet began the process of planning to attack Yamamoto’s aircraft on April 18, 1943, which was the first anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo . The final planners of this mission were: ADM Mitscher; BrigGen Field Harris; CDR Stanhop C. Ring; Col Edwin L. Pugh and Maj John P. Condon (Goliath 1-3). The Army Air Corps of that day is credited with the actual shoot down. Quoting the Narrative of Chief of Staff, C. H. McMorris, United States Pacific Fleet and Ocean Pacific Ocean Areas and dated December 8, 1945, “ The Yamamoto story is illustrative of the danger in operational use of radio intelligence. When the message which led to the successful interception of Admiral Yamamoto was broken (by Lt. Col. Lasswell, USMC), he instantly recognized the dangers involved in this use. Ever fully indoctrinated officer who handled the material was likewise aware of the potential danger”…(Lasswell Three – 6) Two important aspects of history should be noted here. This is the same Japanese admiral that planned the attack both Pearl Harbor and Midway. Interestingly, this translated message came off the same desk that turned the war around during The Battle of Midway. Again, LtCol Alva B. Lasswell finds a critical piece of intercept that has great military meaning (Lasswell Three – 6). As fate would have it…this great Japanese military man, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was also a graduate of Harvard University in the United States and spent many years in America ran afoul of young man who never finished high school…Alva B. Lasswell from Piggott , Arkansas . Again, this Arkansas Marine did the unthinkable and changed the course of the war (Navy -1) & (Lasswell 1). Japanese Plot to Ambush General MacArthur This plot to ambush General Douglas MacArthur came into being when the Japanese Navy ordered seven of their submarines to take up positions around the east coast of New Guinea . They were placed into exact position and seven miles apart…and they expected MacArthur would most likely come through those waters in route back to the Philippines . The date was not indicated, but this took place between July or early September 1944. It is believed that the Japanese wanted to eliminate MacArthur, as the United States had done to Admiral Yamamoto in 1943. This would have been a great morale builder for the struggling Japanese troops throughout the entire Pacific. According to Douglas Brinkley and Michaele E. Hashew (The World War II Desk Reference) the U. S. Navy dealt a major set back to the Japanese Navy in October 1944, which could have been part of this event. Also, MacArthur did return to the Philippines in October 1944. In addition, in that same month Admiral Halsey’s aircraft carriers destroyed about 280 Japanese aircraft. The Japanese claimed to have sunk or destroyed 57 of Halsey’s ships, but that was not the case…they actually sunk none of them (Long 151). According to Lasswell all seven of these Japanese submarines were destroyed by our Navy submarines (Lasswell Six, 19 - NSA Interview). Another source tells us, “In May, 1944, a Japanese submarine commander’s radio operation order was intercepted and partially decrypted. Subsequent plotting and additional decryption supported by this plot, yielded fairly reliable information on the position of the patrol line to be established by the operation order. The intelligence was gained in sufficient time to have a carrier antisubmarine group ordered out to operate against the patrol. This report stated that the USS England sank five of the seven submarines involved.”…(Lasswell Three – 14-15). While there are two different stories about the same incident we can ascertain Colonel Lasswell’s account of being involve has merit. He was about 84 years of age and no notes to refresh his recollections during his interview by Mr. R. D. Farley from the National Security Agency (NSA). Nonetheless, he remembered enough to give his account to give it credibility. Lasswell left FRUPac in Hawaii in October 1944, but continued to work in this field at Negat in Washington , DC until returning to the regular Marine Corps for duty. Mouse Trapping The above mentioned stories and results speak for themselves, but there was another major Japanese Battle Plan broken and translated that dealt with a wider range of military operation during those days. It was called, Mouse Trapping, a termed used by operational commanders. They needed intelligence to formulate their own battle plans by jumping over islands of little importance. Therefore, cutting off the enemy on those islands for they had no means to leave or cause trouble, which saved both lives and time, as the Pacific campaign move forward. According the Mr. R. D. Farley, the NSA interviewer in 1986, Lasswell also recovered and translated many of these messages, which led to various island assaults (Lasswell Six – 1). Lasswell Leaves Naval Intelligence Colonel Lasswell returned to the United States in October 1944, but continued to work in Naval Intelligence at Negat ( Washington , DC ) for the remainder of the war, but his military duty did not stop. He continued to serve our nation in the finest tradition of a Marine officer. Yet, he left a legacy that sounds more like a movie plot, but the records bare out his stories and the events of those days. From humble roots in Northeast Arkansas a boy sets out to follow his dream never realizing he would change the face of history and become an intelligence legend. While Lasswell served as a Marine officer he never once talks badly about any of his naval associates, but gives them high praise. He has stated or wrote to others always telling them that CAPT Joseph J. Rockefort was a great man and a great boss and he felt bad when Rockefort was pulled away from his duties in 1942. Yet, Lasswell paid a price for being drafted into the naval intelligence for it affected his career in later years. This also happened to enlisted Marines working for Navy during earlier years (1927-1938). Unlike other full bird colonels, who received the Tombstone Rank of Brigadier General, Lasswell was not honor with this rank. This was a rank given to full colonels upon retirement during this period, but not while on active duty. Also, Lasswell never received the honors given to several of his naval associates for their work in Pearl Harbor during WW-II. Nonetheless, his legacy lives on and in time I would wager those honors will be forth coming. Arkansas has one of America ’s true “UNSUNG HERORES’ and we should take great pride in telling others about this real hero from Piggott, Arkansas . Colonel Alva B. Lasswell retired from active duty in April 1, 1956. His last assignment was Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego , California . Interestingly, Lasswell worked for Major General (MajGen) J. C. McQueen at that time. MajGen McQueen signed the orders of the First Special Communication Platoon on May 16, 1956, which later became Company E, Marine Support Battalion, Kamiseya , Japan . The OIC of that platoon would later become the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Alfred M. Gray, Jr. and thus, as one warrior faded into military history another warrior move into history (Lasswell One – 131) & (MCCA MP 3413. & MO 3529). Lasswell continued to live in Southern California and went into banking and real-estate for several years. He wrote his memoirs in 1986 and was also interviewed by the National Security Agency (NSA) on October 27, 1986. That interview reflects many of the same subjects found in his memoirs, but a few additional facts did come to light…such as the Japanese Submarine story. Colonel Lasswell passed away from lung cancer in his home in Vista , California on October 28, 1988, but his memory will live on forever, as he was without a doubt a true - Unsung Hero. COLONEL ALVA BRYAN LASSWELL Military Timeline (MCCA 3145 – 30 A - C Files) 1905 – Born at Walpole , Illinois in January 5, 1905. Moved to Piggott , Arkansas at the age of four months (Lasswell One, 1). (MC records state January 3, 1905. However, his family Bible has January 5, 1905.) 1910 – Attended school in Piggott and Rector, Arkansas until 1921 (Lasswell One, 1). 1918 – Attempted to enlist in the Marines at Jonesboro , Arkansas (age 13) (Lasswell One, 1). 1921 – Moved to Blackwell , Oklahoma to find employment (Lasswell One, 5). 1925 – Enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and ordered to Parris Island, South Carolina for recruit training (Lasswell One, 10). 1926 – He was assigned duty at the Parris Island Post Exchange (Lasswell One, 12) & (Lasswell MCCA- 3145-32). 1927 – Made Private First Class (PFC) (Lasswell One, 12). 1928 – Made Corporal (Cpl). Recommended for Sergeant, but no openings available at that time (Lasswell One, 12). 1928 – May 1928 to June 7, 1929 assigned Officer’s Candidate School (OCS) in Washington , DC (8th and I Street, Marine Barracks). Graduated September and commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, USMC (Lasswell One, 12-13) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145- 32). 1929 – June 8, 1929 to June 23, 1930 assigned to Officer Basic School (OBS) near Hershey , Pennsylvania (Lasswell One, 13-14) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1930 – Assigned duty at Marine Barracks, Hampton Roads, Virginia (Lasswell One, 16 & 17) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1931 –Volunteered for duty in Nicaragua , but he received orders for sea duty (U.S. ARIZONA BB-39) - (2 ˝ years May 6, 1931 to August 12, 1933) (Lasswell One, 18) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1933 –August 12, 1933 to January 15, 1934 assigned duty at Marine Barracks, Bremerton , Washington (Lasswell One, 21a) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1934 – Assigned to Flight School , Pensacola , Florida . Class cut short by Act of Congress, returned to duty (Lasswell One, 21 a & b) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145- 32). 1934 – Assigned duty with 5th Marines, Quantico , Virginia . Orders changed to rifle range duty (Lasswell One, 22) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1934 – Assigned Rifle Range duty…taught FBI agents at Quantico, Virginia – Received a Commendation Letter from the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover (Lasswell One, 22) & (Lasswell Four, 3145 – 5). 1935 – Reassigned duty with the Fifth Marines, Quantico , Virginia (Lasswell One, 22 & 24) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1935 – Applied for Japanese language training…accepted and initially assigned HQTRS MC from July 15, 1935 to July 31, 1935 (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1935 – July 31, 1935 to August 31, 1938 assigned duty in Tokyo , Japan for language training (Lasswell One, 23) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1936 – Fall of 1936 promoted to the rank of Captain (Lasswell One, 27). 1938 – Married Betty Pearce on June 3, 1938, Japan (Lasswell One, 28 & 29). 1938 – Graduated language training and transferred to Cavite , Philippines . Introduced to cryptanalytic work and work as a linguist on Japanese traffic at Navy Radio Security Station “C” (CAST)from August 31, 1938 to June 27, 1939 (Lasswell One, 30), (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32) & (NCVA 98). 1939 – Transferred to Shanghai , China , as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Navy Radio Security Station “A” and worked as a cryptanalytic and linguist on diplomatic traffic from June 27, 1939 to July 13, 1940. Under the control of the Command- in- Chief, Asiatic Fleet, located with the Fourth Marines (Lasswell One, 31), (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32), (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-35A/B) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-36). 1940 – In July 1940, a major Japanese incident in Shanghai , China involving Communication Intelligence (Lasswell One, 32), (Lasswell Three, 46-47), (Lasswell Five) & (Okins A32- & A33). 1940 – September or October 1940, returned to Marine Corps duty. Company Commander and 3rd Battalion Commander (CO) in the 8th Marines, Camp Elliot , California - July 13, 1940 to April 15, 1941 (Lasswell One, 33) & (Lasswell MCCA -, 3145 -32). 1940 – In the winter of 1940/41, assigned duty to interview possible officer candidates with Japanese language backgrounds (Lasswell One, 33). 1941 – Assigned duty from April 15, 1941 to October 1944, Pearl Harbor, T. H. (Hawaii) Staff Pacific Officer in the Fourteen Naval District as Officer-in- Charge of Marine Corps Language School, University of Hawaii (Lasswell One, 33- 34) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145 -32). 1941 – Around May, reassigned to Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPac) as the Chief Code and Translator Section within the unit under Lt. Commander Joseph J. Rochefort in the Communication Intelligence Unit (OP-20-G). (Lasswell One, 33- 34). 1942 – Broke or recovered code groups and translated the Japanese message containing the Japanese plan to attack the Island of Midway . Informed Admiral Chester Nimitz of the exact time and location and was put in for the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) by Admiral Nimitz. (He never received it.) (Lasswell One, 37-38), (Lasswell Four, 3145-3) & (Lasswell MCCA -3145-4). 1943 – Broke or recovered code groups and translated message with the Itinerary of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The U.S. Air Force ambushed him based on this intelligence derived from LtCol Alva B. Lasswell, USMC. Only two Marine officers (Lasswell and Holcomb) were known to be working in Communication Intelligence at this time (Lasswell One, 39). 1943 – Letter of Commendation and Recommendation from Admiral C. W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief , U. S. Pacific Fleet to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for period of May 7, 1941 to September 2, 1943 (Lasswell MCCA - MCCA 3145 – 3). 1944 – Lasswell decoded and translated a Japanese message concerning their submarines. They had set up 7 submarines located 7 miles apart around the coast of New Guinea anticipating that this would be the route taken by General Douglas MacArthur on his return to the Philippines . This ambush ended with the U. S. Navy destroying all of them for Lasswell decoded their exact locations (Lasswell Six – NSA Interview 1986). 1944 – Letter of Commendation dated May 15, 1944 from Officer-in-Charge, United States Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPac), Captain W. B. Goggins (USN) (Lasswell MCCA - MCCA 3145 – 4). 1944 – Assigned from October 1944 to October 25, 1945 to Negat, Washington, DC, Naval Communication Intelligence Department (Lasswell One, 39) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1945 – Advanced to Colonel on January, 1945 (Lasswell Three & MCCA - 3145-13). 1945 – After the end of WW-II OP-20-G authorized him returning to the regular Marine Corps for duty (Lasswell One, 40). 1945 – After the war had ended assigned duty from October 25, 1945 to July 17, 1946 as the OIC of the MC Separation Center, Naval Station, Bainbridge, Maryland (Lasswell One, 41) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1946 – On March 25, 1946 awarded the Legion of Merit Medal (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-40). 1946 – On July 17, 1946, received orders to report to Commanding General Fleet Marine Force, Pacific for assignment (Lasswell One, 42). 1946 – Ordered to the 1st Marine Division, Tientsin, China, as the Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Division – July 17, 1946 to July 6, 1947 (Lasswell One, 42) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-21). 1947 – In transit Col Lasswell became the Commanding Officer, 1st Marine Division, the only Colonel to ever command the 1st Marine Division, arriving back in the U.S.A on the 4th of July, 1947. He turned the command over to Major General Erskine on the 5th of July, 1947 (Lasswell One, 43). 1947 – Assumed duty as the Commanding Officer, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st MarDiv, Camp Pendleton, California from July 6, 1947 to May 15, 1948 (Lasswell One, 43) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1948 – From May 15, 1948 to June 23 1950 he assumed duty as Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Yokosuka, Japan (Lasswell One, 43) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1950 – In August 1950, assigned duty under instructions of Industrial College of the Armed Forces (Lasswell One, 43) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1951 – Assigned duty at Headquarters Marine Corps, as the assignment officer for Marine Corps Colonels and Generals from July 7, 1951 to November 16, 1953 (Lasswell One 43-44) & (Lasswell MCCA- 3145-32). 1953 – Assumed duty as CO of the Supply Depot…no combat command was considered because his past work for the Navy in Top Secret Ultra work. The second assignment while in Korea was as an Advisor to the Commanding General of the Korean Marine Brigade (Lasswell One, 44) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1954 – Assigned duty as Chief of Staff, MCRD, San Diego , CA from October 12, 1954 to April 16, 1956. Passed over for Brigadier General (Lasswell One, 45) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-32). 1955 – Passed over for Brigadier General for the last time. Was not honored with a Tombstone Ranking for reasons unknown (Lasswell One, 45). 1956 – Retired from active duty on April 1, 1956…MCRD, San Diego , California with 31 years of military service (Lasswell One, 45) & (Lasswell MCCA - 3145-31). 1988 – Colonel Alva B. Lasswell passed away on October 28, 1988 of lung cancer in his home in Vista , California (Lasswell Three 44). Biography Information Biard, Forrest R. (Bill Price & David Alien (the Dungeon).CAPT Forrest R. Biard speech to the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation (2002).(www.usspennsylvania.com). Gazette - 2 Marine Corps. (Lasswell Five – Pages 54- 57. A Shanghia Incident ) Lasswell One. - Alva B. Lasswell Memoirs (1986). Lasswell Two – Navy Department, CNO, Washington , DC October 23, 1945. Lasswell Three – Archives, University of Colorado , Libraries of Boulder . Lasswell Four – Marine Corps Gazette. (On The Study of Japanese) Pages 8-9 & 78- 79, November 1937. Lasswell Five – Marine Corps Gazette (A Shanghai Incident). Pages 54- 57, September 1980. Lasswell Six – NSA Interview by R. D. Farley. October 28, 1986. Long, Gavin. MacArthur (His Life and Battles). Pennsylvania . Combined Publishing. 1969. MacArthur, Douglas. Reminiscences. Greenwich , Connecticut . Fawcett Publications & McGraw Hill. 1964. MCCA:FILES Military Orders................................. MO Military Rosters................................ MO Military Photographs MP Personal Photographs............................ PP Personal Letters................................ PL MCCA Files MO, MP, PP.3145 01-32 MCCA File MO 3529. MCCA Files. MO, MP, PP Files 3548 01-26 MCCA File MP 3413 Navy – 1, Department of the Navy. Naval Historic Center. Online Library of Selected Images, People, (ADM Isoroku Yamamoto. August 2007. Navy – 2, www.nav.mil.midway.Rochefort.html. NCVA, SPECIAL PUBLICATION.History of Communication Intelligence. U.S. Naval 105- 109. NSA – 1, Midway, Joseph J. Rochefort, Battle of Midway. WW-II (Courtesy of NSA). (www.navy.mil/midway/Rochefort.html). Okins, E. E., NCVA SPECIAL PUBLICATION. U.S. Naval Cryptolog Veterans Association. Pages A-32 & A-33, Winter Issue 1986. RS (Researcher Notes) Marine Corps Cryptology Association Historian MCCA Historian Tom Hunnicutt (USMC Retired) PO Box 20 Williford , Arkansas 72482 (870) 966 - 4858