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Learn about 640

Building 640 was the original site of the language school for the Military Intelligence Service during World War II.
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Explore the Learning Center

Get a glimpse into the new MIS Historic Learning Center through a virtual tour and construction updates.
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Support the Project

You can support the preservation and rehabilitation of Building 640 as a future historic center for ongoing exhibits and public programming.
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We are reopen in person!  Drop ins are welcome but if you wish to pre-purchase tickets please follow the links below.

Click here to register

Please visit The National Japanese American Historical Society’s website  and Facebook Page for information on
our virtual broadcasts and live presentations.

Masks are not required but are recommended.

MIS Historic Learning Center – Self-Guided Tour

GALLERY OPENING! Welcome! Join us on a self-guided tour at Building 640. One of the most poignant and iconic home front stories of World War II in the Presidio. Discover the untold story of the Japanese American soldiers who secretly trained for the war against Japan. Only half a mile away, Presidio
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Writing in Place

A College-Ready summer writing Course in San Francisco’s Presidio Monday, July 9 to Friday, July 13 10 am to 3pm Available to students entering 9th – 12th grades Bldg. 640 MIS Historic Learning Center, Crissy Field $500. 415-921-5007.  www.njahs.org/640 scholarships available High s
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Artists’ Eyes Film Series on March 10, 2018

Purchase Artists’ Eyes Catalog here   Join us for an afternoon of films created by Reiko Fujii and Tina Takemoto, artists in the Artist Eyes, Art of Incarceration Exhibition. A film about artist Ruth Asawa will also be shown. The filmmakers, and Aiko Cuneo (Ruth’s daughter) will talk
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Prejudice and Patriotism: The Story of Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service 1941-1952

One month before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army Recruited Japanese American Soldiers for Secret military intelligence training at Presidio of San Francisco. Though their families were incarcerated in camps, these solders served  their country with honor and distinction. Come in and D
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Preserve & Protect Our Freedoms – NJAHS Annual Awards Event 2017

Thank you for attending Preserve & Protect Our Freedoms – NJAHS Annual Awards Event on May 6, 2017. Below are photographs of the event by Mark Shigenaga. You can watch the event on youtube. For more photos, please email: njahs@njahs.org Click on a photo in the gallery below to enlarge. Cli
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Gen. Shinseki & Nat’l US Army Museum

Thank you for attending Gen. Eric Shinseki & Natl US Army Museum Meeting on March 18, 2017. Below are photographs of the event by Mark Shigenaga. For more photos, please email: njahs@njahs.org Click on a photo in the gallery below to enlarge. Click HERE to begin slideshows ” order_by=̶
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Photos from the 75th Anniversary of the MIS Ceremony, 12-Nov-2016

Thank you to everyone who came to the 75th Anniversary of the Military Intelligence Service ceremony and luncheon on November 12, 2016. Below are photographs of the event by Will Lee. For more photos, please email: njahs@njahs.org Click on a photo in the gallery below to enlarge.
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Presidio of SF – 75th Anniversary of the Military Intelligence Service Nov. 12, 2016

Where It All Began, November 1941. Here on November 1, 1941, in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, the U.S. Army secretly trained and housed the first class of the Fourth Army Intelligence School—the MIS—forerunner of the renowned Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center at the Pres
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Photos from the Annual Awards Dinner Event Carrying ON: 2016 –110th Anniversary of San Francisco’s Japantown May 1, 2016

Thank you to everyone who joined us in tribute to Japanese American family-owned businesses such as Okamura’s Benkyo-do, Mihara’s Paper Tree, and Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop, as well as the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee and the Contra Costa JACL for furthering the work to preserve our hopes
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1684 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115 | (415) 921-5007 | FAX (415) 921-5087