Harry Thompson (spy)
Encyclopedia
Harry Thomas Thompson was a former United States Navy
yeoman
who spied for Japan
against the United States
in 1934–35. He was the first American to be convicted of espionage
since World War I
.
Thompson had been a Maryland
farm boy who served one cruise with the Navy; however in the summer of 1934 he was jobless, making him a good target for recruiting. His handler
was an officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy
, Lt. Cmdr. Toshio Miyazaki
(少佐宮崎敏夫 Shōsa Miyazaki Toshio), who was an exchange student of English
at Stanford University
. Miyazaki, a.k.a. Mr. Tanni, recruited Thompson in San Pedro, California by offering to pay him $500 initially and an additional $200 monthly. He was persuaded to board U.S. Navy ships dressed in a yeoman's uniform, for the purpose of gathering information from the crews. Through this and other methods, he was able to sell engineering, gunnery, and tactical information about the Pacific Fleet that was mainly based in nearby San Diego
at that time.
Unfortunately for Thompson, the Director
of the Office of Naval Intelligence
(ONI), Capt. William D. Puleston, took a personal interest in so-called language students like Miyazaki. His suspicions were borne out when Japanese coded radio messages were intercepted and deciphered.
In reviewing one intercepted message, the cryptanalyst Agnes Meyer Driscoll
had marked a section containing the word To-mi-mu-ra (とみむら). Not knowing what it meant, Driscoll showed the message to a Japanese language
expert. The expert initially explained that the word could reflect a Japanese name but Driscoll did not agree. The expert next pointed out that the element mura, meaning "town", also had the alternate pronunciation of "son". Thus when the element tomi was combined with "son" the word became Tomison, which is the Japanese way of pronouncing Thompson. The ONI had now a lead for a possible spy. This was bolstered by the fact that Thompson told his story to his roommate, a Texas
youth named Willard James Turrentine, who in turn told all to the ONI before he fled back to Texas. Thompson was put under surveillance and was subsequently put under arrest on March 1936.
When the FBI
arrested Thompson, Miyazaki suddenly left for Japan. Thompson was tried on July 2, 1936, and was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917
. During the trial, Turrentine was one of the foremost witnesses to testify against him. He was sentenced to 15 years in McNeil Island
prison.
Author Alan Hynd wrote about the Miyazaki-Harry Thomas Thompson case in his 1943 book, Betrayal From the East: The Inside Story of Japanese Spies in America. According to Hynd, "The story of Thompson's arrest broke in the newspapers on March 5, 1936. It was played up big in Washington."
Captain Ellis M. Zacharias
also wrote a slightly different version of the Thompson spy case in his book Secret Missions: The Story of an Intelligence Officer. Zacharias was in Naval Intelligence and was personally involved in bringing the case to trial.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
yeoman
Yeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
who spied for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1934–35. He was the first American to be convicted of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
since World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Thompson had been a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
farm boy who served one cruise with the Navy; however in the summer of 1934 he was jobless, making him a good target for recruiting. His handler
Handler
- People :* Animal handler, person who conducts animal training or is a wrangler * Handler, a coach, sports agent of a sports player, or entertainer promoter* Agent handler, person who manages a spy...
was an officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, Lt. Cmdr. Toshio Miyazaki
Toshio Miyazaki
Toshio Miyazaki was an Imperial Navy LieutenantCommander in 1939-1940 operating in California under the cover of being an exchangestudent at Stanford University. He operated under the name Mr. Tanni...
(少佐宮崎敏夫 Shōsa Miyazaki Toshio), who was an exchange student of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Miyazaki, a.k.a. Mr. Tanni, recruited Thompson in San Pedro, California by offering to pay him $500 initially and an additional $200 monthly. He was persuaded to board U.S. Navy ships dressed in a yeoman's uniform, for the purpose of gathering information from the crews. Through this and other methods, he was able to sell engineering, gunnery, and tactical information about the Pacific Fleet that was mainly based in nearby San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
at that time.
Unfortunately for Thompson, the Director
Director of Naval Intelligence
The Director of Naval Intelligence refers to either one of two posts, both related to naval intelligence:* The head of the Naval Intelligence Division of the British Admiralty; or* The head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the United States....
of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
(ONI), Capt. William D. Puleston, took a personal interest in so-called language students like Miyazaki. His suspicions were borne out when Japanese coded radio messages were intercepted and deciphered.
In reviewing one intercepted message, the cryptanalyst Agnes Meyer Driscoll
Agnes Meyer Driscoll
Agnes Meyer Driscoll was, known as Miss Aggie or Madame X, an Americancryptanalyst during both World War I and World War II.-Early years:...
had marked a section containing the word To-mi-mu-ra (とみむら). Not knowing what it meant, Driscoll showed the message to a Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
expert. The expert initially explained that the word could reflect a Japanese name but Driscoll did not agree. The expert next pointed out that the element mura, meaning "town", also had the alternate pronunciation of "son". Thus when the element tomi was combined with "son" the word became Tomison, which is the Japanese way of pronouncing Thompson. The ONI had now a lead for a possible spy. This was bolstered by the fact that Thompson told his story to his roommate, a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
youth named Willard James Turrentine, who in turn told all to the ONI before he fled back to Texas. Thompson was put under surveillance and was subsequently put under arrest on March 1936.
When the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
arrested Thompson, Miyazaki suddenly left for Japan. Thompson was tried on July 2, 1936, and was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
. During the trial, Turrentine was one of the foremost witnesses to testify against him. He was sentenced to 15 years in McNeil Island
McNeil Island
McNeil Island is an island in western Puget Sound, located just west of Steilacoom, Washington, with a land area of 17.177 km² . It lies just north of Anderson Island. Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet. To the west McNeil Island is separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The...
prison.
Author Alan Hynd wrote about the Miyazaki-Harry Thomas Thompson case in his 1943 book, Betrayal From the East: The Inside Story of Japanese Spies in America. According to Hynd, "The story of Thompson's arrest broke in the newspapers on March 5, 1936. It was played up big in Washington."
Captain Ellis M. Zacharias
Ellis M. Zacharias
Ellis Mark Zacharias, Sr. was a Rear admiral and naval attaché to Japan, who served in World War I and World War II...
also wrote a slightly different version of the Thompson spy case in his book Secret Missions: The Story of an Intelligence Officer. Zacharias was in Naval Intelligence and was personally involved in bringing the case to trial.