Station HYPO

Personnel and Perception Problems

During the late 1930’s, fundamental issues arose which ultimately resulted in the withdrawal, until World War II, of enlisted marine intercept operators for COMINT operations.  The similarly of background of both marine intercept operators and general service communications personnel at Shanghai and Peiping gave rise to certain perception among the intercept operators as described in a CinCAF inspection report of  Shanghai, probably written in late 1935, which stated:

LT Harry Rakfeldt (Ret.) enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1954, advanced to Chief Cryptologic Technician Interpreter (CTIC) in 1965, and was selected as a Warrant Officer in 1967 before being commissioned as a Limited Duty Officer (LDO). He holds a special connection to IWTC Monterey, having served as the command’s first Officer in Charge when it was established as a Detachment in February 1976. He is also credited with acquiring one of the anchors that stands proudly in front of the old headquarters building. The following is LT Rakfeldt’s personal account of his recent return to Monterey—49 years after his retirement in August 1976.

Sgt Lesko – The First Intercept Operator at Shanghai

Shanghai’s allowance of one sergeant and eight enlisted Marines was basically the same as the Peiping site.  The first marine intercept operator assigned to Shanghai was then Sgt Stephen Lesko.  He reported to Headquarters Company, 4^th Marines on June 12, 1935, from the USS AUGUSTA (CA 31) were he had served as part of a COMINT direct support complement.  Upon completing his early tour of duty at Peiping, then Cpl Lesko had returned to the U.S. and attended the Radio Material School at Bellevue where he was promoted to Sgt. 

The Manchurian Incident

September 18, 1931 was significant in the Peiping station’s history.  Now Cpl Lesko was alone on watch when he observed a tremendous increase in message volume on the Japanese diplomatic circuits – all high priority.  Lesko informed CRM Max C. Gunn (Chauncey’s relief) that, “Something’s happening out there.  They went crazy early this morning, before it was even daylight.”  What had happened was the “Manchurian Incident.”  Following an explosion of an alleged bomb on the tracks of the Japanese operated Southern Manchurian Railway at Liutiaokou near Mukden, elements of the Kwantoung Army seized the city.  Neither the Japanese Foreign Officer nor the Imperial General Staff had knowledge of the “incident” until after it had occurred.  Essentially, the Japanese Government was force to accept the accomplished fact and explain it as best it could to the rest of the world.  Although the Sino-Japanese conflict was localized at the time, it was a prelude to the holocaust of a decade later.