Jimmy Pearson graduated from OTRG Class #4 and was assigned to Guam in 1930. After a successful tour, he was selected to be one of four intercept operators to ride on passenger liners of the Dollar Steamship Lines (aka President Lines). He was assigned to the SS President Cleveland and performed radio intercept of Imperial Japanese Navy communications during several trips to the Far East. After a tour in Washington, DC, where he became an expert on HFDF operations, he returned to Guam to become the Chief Radioman in Charge in 1939. Just before the Japanese attacked across the Pacific, he was transferred from Guam to work for Joseph Rochefort in the Combat Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Jimmy Pearson in Olongapo, Philippines, circa 1931.

Pearson was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:

23 Feb 1932:   Olongapo, P.I.

03 Jan 1933:   Olongapo, P.I.

06 Jan 1934:   13th Naval District

17 Jan 1935:   Washington, DC

13 Jan 1936:   {expunged text]

06 Jan 1937:   RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC

12 Jan 1938:   Washington, DC

09 Jan 1939:   1st Naval District

14 Feb 1940:   Guam, M.I.

24 Feb 1941:   Asiatic Station

Jimmy Pearson’s obituary was printed in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 13, Spring 1992, page 10:

JAMES WARREN PEARSON

The man known fondly to many as “The Dean of the On-the-Roof Gang,” Lieutenant James Warren Pearson, USN, (Retired) NCVA, W4FAA, died 1 March 1992 at Deland, Florida of a stroke at the age of 81.

Jim Pearson was born 15 March 1910 and enlisted in the Navy 20 July 1928 at Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated with honors from the Navy Radio School, Hampton Roads, Virginia on 12 April 1929 with a mark of 3.86 and went on to service with the fleet as a radioman. On 5 May 1930 he began special code training on the roof of the old Main Navy Building in the fourth such class and graduated 20 August 1930. He then commenced cryptologic service and was in Olongapo, Philippine Islands in October 1932 when he was promoted to radioman first class.

From May 1993 to June 1934 he conducted special intercept duties aboard vessels of the Dollar Steamship Lines (later American President Lines), as one of a team of four enlisted men who made regular crossings of the Pacific Ocean on these passenger vessels. As a part of this operation, each of the men would be booked passage on one of the ships and, once onboard, would string an antenna from an outboard rail of a weather deck into his cabin and then to a receiver. This mission was to develop communications information relative to the growing Japanese Naval threat. Others involved in the operation included Chief Radioman Martin A, Vandenberg, Radioman first class John B. Cooke, and Antone Novak, (Additional information is available in CRYPTOLOG Volume 3, issue #4, page 14.)

From March 1935 to August 1936 he was assigned to a special communications function with the Office of the Naval Attaché, American Embassy, Paris, France. (A CRYPTOLOG article on this duty assignment can be found in Volume 9, issue #4, pages 9 and 12.)

In June 1937, Jim Pearson graduated from the Navy Radio Materiel School, Bellevue, Anacostia, District of Columbia and then was promoted to Chief Radioman in October of that year. From July 1938 to July 1939 he was the radioman in charge, Naval radio Station, Winter Harbor, Maine. From December 1939 to October 1941, he served as radioman in charge at Libugon, Guam.

While serving at the Combat Intelligence Center, Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC), he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Radio Electrician in June 1942 and then commissioned Ensign in May 1943. On 1 August 1944 he was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) while stationed at the Communications Supplementary Activities Headquarters in Washington, DC and on  February 1946 was promoted to Lieutenant, his highest grade held, while stationed in Hawaii.

He left the service on 12 August 1948, being transferred to the Fleet Reserve until 8 August 1958 when his name was placed on the United States Navy Retired List in the grade of Lieutenant.

During his years of active service he was awarded the Bronze Star medal, a Navy Unit Commendation, the American Defense medal, the Asia-Pacific medal, the American Theater medal, and the World War II Victory medal.

After completing his distinguished Naval career, LT Pearson continued to work in the field of cryptology for the next 16 years as a civilian employee, first at the Communication Supplementary Activity Washington and then with the Armed Forces Security Agency and the National Security Agency. At the time of his retirement from civilian cryptologic service he was holding a GS-16 position. He was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in April 1964.

Among his many affiliations were the Fleet Reserve Association, the Society of Wireless Pioneers, the “On-the-Roof” Gang (OTRG) Association, N.A.R.F.E., and the Phoenix Society.

His wife, Marguerite, whom he married in 1938, one daughter, Judy, and three children survive.

Memorial services were held 6 March 1992, and burial was in the Deland, Florida, Memorial Gardens in the Veterans Section.

Pertinent data:

Born: 15 March 1910

Location:

Died: 1 March 1992

Location: Deland, Florida

Interment: Deland Memorial Garden, Deland, Florida