MIS-Y: The Secret Interrogators of P.O. Box 1142

During the Second World War, the U.S. War Department established two top-secret military intelligence facilities dedicated to gathering information on enemy forces. The East Coast operation was known only by its mailing address—P.O. Box 1142—and focused on intelligence regarding the European theatre. Between 1942 and 1945, the facility housed three highly classified programs, including MIS-Y, which was responsible for processing and interrogating over 3,000 German prisoners of war. All activity at P.O. Box 1142 was conducted on land that is now known as Fort Hunt Park, which is seven miles down the road from the Lee-Fendall House. 

This lecture will explore the origins of MIS-Y, the methods used by its interrogators, the daily operations of P.O. Box 1142, and the valuable intelligence gathered there. It will also examine the program’s contributions to the Allied war effort and its lasting impact on military intelligence in the postwar era. 

Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service.