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Lawrence Olson (May 7, 1918 – March 17, 1992) was an American historian specializing in Japan who...

Lawrence Olson (May 7, 1918 – March 17, 1992) was an American historian specializing in Japan who served as the Professor of History at Wesleyan University. In 1987, the Government of Japan honored him with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, the highest honor available to a foreigner, in recognition of his efforts in raising awareness of Japan in the United States. He was a Professor of History at Wesleyan University. Born on May 7, 1918, in Memphis, Tennessee, Olson grew up in Mississippi and received his undergraduate training at the University of Mississippi, graduating in 1938. He completed a master of arts at Harvard University in 1939 and following the interruption of the Second World War, earned his doctorate there in 1955. During World War II, Olson graduated from the United States Navy Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colorado. He served in naval intelligence as a lieutenant with the Pacific Fleet Radio Unit, Station HYPO, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This unit intercepted and attempted to decipher the Japanese military code messages. After the end of the war, Olson worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington DC between 1948 and 1950, and he served as cultural