(CALIFORNIA) Papers of Judge John Aiso the highest ranking J

Sale 2580 - Lot 68

Price Realized: $ 1,375

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900

(CALIFORNIA.) Papers of Judge John Aiso, the highest-ranking Japanese-American officer in World War Two. 42 items in one portfolio box; condition generally strong. Various places, 1935-88

Set Alert for Similar Items

Additional Details

John Fujio Aiso (1909-1987) of Burbank, CA was a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School. He was drafted into the Army in 1941 as a private and assigned to teach Japanese to officers at the Military Intelligence Service Language School. He became director of academic training and was commissioned as lieutenant colonel by the end of the war. The 6,000 graduates of his program were credited with an important role in winning the war and securing the peace. After the war, he served as a judge, culminating in a seat on the California Court of Appeal. He has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame, and the library at the Defense Language Institute is named in his honor.

This lot includes 18 commissions, letters, and other honors received by Judge Aiso. Most notable are his oversized New York bar certificate from 1935; his California bar certificate from 1941; his army discharge certificate from 1947; his 1983 commendation from the City of Los Angeles signed by Mayor Tom Bradley; and 3 copies of an abstract of his 1983 appearance in the Congressional Record.

The photographs in this lot include 6 prints of Aiso standing with Richard Nixon, along with the negatives; 2 prints from the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood; a group of 11 8 x 10 prints from various events in his career; and 2 large formal portraits by Los Angeles photographers Elson-Alexandre and Gladser Studios.

Also included are 3 printed items: February 1956 issue of Asia Scene magazine featuring an article on Aiso (page 17); a copy of Byron Gentry's 1962 football memoir "The Way the Ball Bounces," warmly inscribed to Aiso; and a copy of Tad Ichinokuchi's 1988 monograph "John Aiso and the M.I.S."