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Bernard Weisberger in uniform, Washington, DC [1942]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 2nd Signal Service Battalion
  • Location of Service: Washington, DC; New Delhi, India; Kunming, China; Shanghai, China; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/88300

View full service history

"We'd hardly gotten unpacked before we were in the middle of intelligence support for two crucial campaigns in our otherwise undramatic and sometimes sleepy theater of war." (Memoir, page 138)

Nineteen years old and a student at Columbia University when World War II was declared, Second Lieutenant Bernard Weisberger decided to sign up for Japanese language classes, and then, for service with the Army's Signal Intelligence Service. Stationed first at the unit's headquarters outside of Washington, DC, he felt disconnected from the war effort and longed for an assignment with more immediate impact. He got his wish in 1943, when he received orders for service overseas in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. In New Delhi, India, he translated decoded Japanese intelligence statements relating to action in Burma, before heading to a small signal intelligence office in Kunming, China. His detailed memoir paints a vivid picture of daily life in wartime Washington, New Delhi, and Kunming. As well, he describes how World War II, with all of its "zaniness and importance," shaped his personality and changed his life forever.

[ My War Memoir 1942 - 1946 ]

More Resources

[ Photo Album ]

About this Item

Title

  • Bernard Alan Weisberger Collection

Names

  • Weisberger, Bernard Alan

Home State

  • Illinois

Headings

  • -  Weisberger, Bernard Alan
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 2nd Signal Service Battalion
    • Location of Service: Washington, DC; New Delhi, India; Kunming, China; Shanghai, China; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
    • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served in the Signal Intelligence Service translating intercepted and decoded Japanese radio messages in the United States, China, and India.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2009)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2013-04-24; 2013-04-24)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/88300

Cite as

  • Bernard Alan Weisberger Collection (AFC/2001/001/88300), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Weisberger, Bernard Alan. Bernard Alan Weisberger Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88300/.

APA citation style:

Weisberger, B. A. (1942) Bernard Alan Weisberger Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88300/.

MLA citation style:

Weisberger, Bernard Alan. Bernard Alan Weisberger Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88300/>.