S. 381 by Dan Inouye

Dan Inouye says the bill is designed to investigate, but it reads like Dan and his buddies have already made up their minds. This is deja vu.


STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - January 24, 2007)

This is a story about the U.S. government's act of reaching its arm across international borders, into a community that did not pose an immediate threat to our Nation, in order to use them, devoid of passports or any other proof of citizenship, for hostage exchange with Japan.

Between the years 1941 and 1945, our government, with the help of Latin American officials, arbitrarily arrested persons of Japanese descent from streets, homes, and workplaces. Approximately 2,300 undocumented persons were brought to camp sites in the U.S., where they were held under armed watch, and then held in reserve for prisoner exchange. Those used in an exchange were sent to Japan, a foreign country that many had never set foot on since their ancestors' immigration to Latin America.

Despite their involuntary arrival, Latin American internees of Japanese descent were considered by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as illegal entrants. By the end of the war, some Japanese Latin Americans had been sent to Japan. Those who were not used in a prisoner exchange were cast out into a new and English-speaking country, and subject to deportation proceedings. Some returned to Latin America. Others remained in the U.S., where their Latin American country of origin refused their re-entry because they were unable to present a passport.

When I first learned of the wartime experiences of Japanese Latin Americans, it seemed unbelievable, but indeed, it happened. It is a part of our national history, and it is a part of the living histories of the many families whose lives are forever tied to internment camps in our country.

The outline of this story was sketched out in a book published by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians formed in 1980. This Commission had set out to learn about Japanese Americans. Towards the close of their investigations, the Commissioners stumbled upon this extraordinary effort by the U.S. government to relocate, intern, and deport Japanese persons formerly living in Latin America. Because this finding surfaced late in its study, the Commission was unable to fully uncover the facts, but found them significant enough to include in its published study, urging a deeper investigation.

I rise today to introduce the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act, which would establish a fact-finding Commission to extend the study of the 1980 Commission. This Commission's task would be to determine facts surrounding the U.S. government's actions in regards to Japanese Latin Americans subject to a program of relocation, interment, and deportation. I believe that examining this extraordinary program would give finality to, and complete the account of Federal actions to detain and intern civilians of Japanese ancestry.


Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 381

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings.--Based on a preliminary study published in December 1982 by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, Congress finds the following:

(1) During World War II, the United States--

(A) expanded its internment program and national security investigations to conduct the program and investigations in Latin America; and

(B) financed relocation to the United States, and internment, of approximately 2,300 Latin Americans of Japanese descent, for the purpose of exchanging the Latin Americans of Japanese descent for United States citizens held by Axis countries.

(2) Approximately 2,300 men, women, and children of Japanese descent from 13 Latin American countries were held in the custody of the Department of State in internment camps operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1941 through 1948.

(3) Those men, women, and children either--

(A) were arrested without a warrant, hearing, or indictment by local police, and sent to the United States for internment; or

(B) in some cases involving women and children, voluntarily entered internment camps to remain with their arrested husbands, fathers, and other male relatives.

(4) Passports held by individuals who were Latin Americans of Japanese descent were routinely confiscated before the individuals arrived in the United States, and the Department of State ordered United States consuls in Latin American countries to refuse to issue visas to the individuals prior to departure.

(5) Despite their involuntary arrival, Latin American internees of Japanese descent were considered to be and treated as illegal entrants by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Thus, the internees became illegal aliens in United States custody who were subject to deportation proceedings for immediate removal from the United States. In some cases, Latin American internees of Japanese descent were deported to Axis countries to enable the United States to conduct prisoner exchanges.

(6) Approximately 2,300 men, women, and children of Japanese descent were relocated from their homes in Latin America, detained in internment camps in the United States, and in some cases, deported to Axis countries to enable the United States to conduct prisoner exchanges.

(7) The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians studied Federal actions conducted pursuant to Executive Order 9066 (relating to authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe military areas). Although the United States program of interning Latin Americans of Japanese descent was not conducted pursuant to Executive Order 9066, an examination of that extraordinary program is necessary to establish a complete account of Federal actions to detain and intern civilians of enemy or foreign nationality, particularly of Japanese descent. Although historical documents relating to the program exist in distant archives, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians did not research those documents.

(8) Latin American internees of Japanese descent were a group not covered by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (50 U.S.C. App. 1989b et seq.), which formally apologized and provided compensation payments to former Japanese Americans interned pursuant to Executive Order 9066.

(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a fact-finding Commission to extend the study of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to investigate and determine facts and circumstances surrounding the relocation, internment, and deportation to Axis countries of Latin Americans of Japanese descent from December 1941 through February 1948, and the impact of those actions by the United States, and to recommend appropriate remedies, if any, based on preliminary findings by the original Commission and new discoveries.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMISSION.

(a) In General.--There is established the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese descent (referred to in this Act as the ``Commission'').

(b) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 9 members, who shall be appointed not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, of whom--

(1) 3 members shall be appointed by the President;

(2) 3 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the joint recommendation of the majority leader of the House of Representatives and the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and

(3) 3 members shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, on the joint recommendation of the majority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the Senate.

(c) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--Members shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made.

(d) Meetings.--

(1) FIRST MEETING.--The President shall call the first meeting of the Commission not later than the later of--

(A) 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act; or

(B) 30 days after the date of enactment of legislation making appropriations to carry out this Act.

(2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.--Except as provided in paragraph (1), the Commission shall meet at the call of the Chairperson.

(e) Quorum.--Five members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.

(f) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The Commission shall elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among its members. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall serve for the life of the Commission.

SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

(a) In General.--The Commission shall--

(1) extend the study of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, established by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Act--

(A) to investigate and determine facts and circumstances surrounding the United States' relocation, internment, and deportation to Axis countries of Latin Americans of Japanese descent from December 1941 through February 1948, and the impact of those actions by the United States; and

(B) in investigating those facts and circumstances, to review directives of the United States armed forces and the Department of State requiring the relocation, detention in internment camps, and deportation to Axis countries of Latin Americans of Japanese descent; and

(2) recommend appropriate remedies, if any, based on preliminary findings by the original Commission and new discoveries.

(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the first meeting of the Commission pursuant to section 3(d)(1), the Commission shall submit a written report to Congress, which shall contain findings resulting from the investigation conducted under subsection (a)(1) and recommendations described in subsection (a)(2).

SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

(a) Hearings.--The Commission or, at its direction, any subcommittee or member of the Commission, may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act--

(1) hold such public hearings in such cities and countries, sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, receive such evidence, and administer such oaths as the Commission or such subcommittee or member considers advisable; and

(2) require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of such books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, documents, tapes, and materials as the Commission or such subcommittee or member considers advisable.

(b) Issuance and Enforcement of Subpoenas.--

(1) ISSUANCE.--Subpoenas issued under subsection (a) shall bear the signature of the Chairperson of the Commission and shall be served by any person or class of persons designated by the Chairperson for that purpose.

(2) ENFORCEMENT.--In the case of contumacy or failure to obey a subpoena issued under subsection (a), the United States district court for the judicial district in which the subpoenaed person resides, is served, or may be found may issue an order requiring such person to appear at any designated place to testify or to produce documentary or other evidence. Any failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt of that court.

(c) Witness Allowances and Fees.--Section 1821 of title 28, United States Code, shall apply to witnesses requested or subpoenaed to appear at any hearing of the Commission. The per diem and mileage allowances for witnesses shall be paid from funds available to pay the expenses of the Commission.

(d) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Commission may secure directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the Commission considers necessary to perform its duties. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to the Commission.

(e) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

SEC. 6. PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

(a) Compensation of Members.--Each member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Commission. All members of the Commission who are officers or employees of the United States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the United States.

(b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission.

(c) Staff.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--The Chairperson of the Commission may, without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate the employment of such personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties.

(2) COMPENSATION.--The Chairperson of the Commission may fix the compensation of the personnel without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the personnel may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.

(d) Detail of Government Employees.--Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege.

(e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.

(f) Other Administrative Matters.--The Commission may--

(1) enter into agreements with the Administrator of General Services to procure necessary financial and administrative services;

(2) enter into contracts to procure supplies, services, and property; and

(3) enter into contracts with Federal, State, or local agencies, or private institutions or organizations, for the conduct of research or surveys, the preparation of reports, and other activities necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.
The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the Commission submits its report to Congress under section 4(b).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

(b) Availability.--Any sums appropriated under the authorization contained in this section shall remain available, without fiscal year limitation, until expended.

Inouye legislation wants to "investigate" with a "commission".

We've seen this before. It's too bad most Americans just don't care.

Here's the latest from Dan Inouye as provided by the AP.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jan/25/br/br7950628431.html

You may recall Dan Inouye is the Senator from Hawaii who received an affirmative action upgrade to MOH status from Bill Clinton courtesy of legislation introduced by his fellow senator from Hawaii, Dan Akaka (against the advice of the Pentagon's leading historian).

Inouye wants to use taxpayer dollars to "investigate" the internment of Japanese from Latin America sent to camps in America during WW2. Here's what Inouye has to say about his new legislation:

"They apparently had only one purpose on U.S. soil — to be used for prisoner exchanges with Japan," he said.

This is nonsense, which is why Dan added the word "apparently". Why would the Americans need to use Japanese enemy aliens from Latin America for prisoner exchanges when there were already thousands Japanese enemy aliens in American at the time? I wonder how Dan would answer.

The Accurate History

With regard to the Latin American Axis nationals, it is generally acknowledged by those who have bothered to check the record that only approx 8,500 Axis nationals (Germans, Italians, and Japanese)were arrested and interned by 16 Latin American countries during WWII. (Inouye ignores the Germans and Italians, however.)

In accordance with treaty obligations, the U.S. was obligated to accept Axis nationals for internment in the U.S. from those Latin American countries which were unable to establish costly internment programs. (Apparently Inouye does not know this.)

Accordngly, at least twelve Latin American countries deported a total of only 3,000 Axis nationals consisting of just under 2,300 Japanese (500 of whom who had already applied for expatriation to Japan at the Spanish Embassy in Peru) and just over 700 Germans and Italians.

Hence, the U.S. was only involved in the internment of 3,000 Latin American Axis nationals.

Charges of violation of the wartime civil rights of such persons (enemy aliens)by the U.S. is far fetched. Indeed, such persons were specifically excluded from P.L.100-383 which authorized payment to Japanese enemy aliens and Japanese Americans evacuated from the West Coast or interned by the U.S. during the war.

This isn't going to stop the Japanese American Reperations Movement from investigating the history with your taxpayer dollars. Hopefully America's politicans will show more common sense than they did in the 1980s. Better yet, why don't they just leave the investigating to the academics.

Here's the not so well written blurb. My embelishments are in paranthesis.

Inouye introduces bill to investigate WWII internment

Associated Press

Sen. Daniel Inouye yesterday introduced a bill to create a commission to investigate the relocation, internment and deportation of Latin Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II and the late 1940s.

"They were taken from their homes in countries such as Brazil, Panama and Peru, stripped of their passports, involuntarily brought to the United States, and interned in American camps," Inouye, D-Hawaii, said in a news release issued by his Washington office.

"They apparently had only one purpose on U.S. soil — to be used for prisoner exchanges with Japan," he said.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, (surprise) said the panel will conduct a thorough examination of the largely unknown aspect of the internment of some 2,300 Latin Americans of Japanese ancestry. (500 of whom who had already applied for expatriation to Japan at the Spanish Embassy in Peru)

"We are a great nation, and we should not be afraid of the lessons we can learn from the dark chapters of our history," Akaka said.

Inouye agreed.

"The lessons of history can be painful," he said. "But that pain can also strengthen our nation and our commitment to its democratic ideals, which include equal justice for all."

The other co-sponsors of the bill are Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Carl Levin, D-Mich., Robert Bennett, R-Utah, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

The nine-member commission would be able to recommend remedies, if any, based on what it uncovered. (Who will stack this commission, Sen. Inouye?)

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the internment of about 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry. (Wrong. Adults were enemy aliens.) They received a formal apology from President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

Watada article in Kitsap Sun invokes "internment" injustice!

It was only a matter of time for the "internment" to be invoked in defense of disgraced Lt. Ehren Watada in an awkward pair off with the Japanese American reparations movement.

The JACL has been treading lightly on this one. They know Watada is potential liability to "the cause". The Kitsap Sun does not however.

I predict an association between Watada and the Japanese American Reperations jugernaught will be a liability.

Mary Abo, from Bremerton, said she admired that Watada was trying to make a change.

"I especially admire him because I share his cultural background of the Japanese internment in World War II, and it is very important that if you feel that there is an injustice to speak out and not be silent," she said.

Abo, 66, was taken to a camp in Idaho for three years when she was a toddler.

Iraq War Deserter Critical of U.S. Policy at Bremerton Event

Lt. Ehren Watada, likely to be court martialed on Feb. 5, says he did not report for Iraq duty because of beliefs.
By David Vognar, David.Vognar@kitsapsun.comJanuary 21, 2007

BREMERTON

Even with charges looming that could send him to prison for six years, Army Lt. Ehren Watada faces the future confident in his actions.

"Yes, I have broken ranks. I have not been a good lieutenant ...," he said. "Otherwise, like those lemmings, we could all march off to our doom."

Speaking Saturday before more than 70 people at the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Watada explained why he refused to go to Iraq, a decision that has him scheduled for a court martial on Feb. 5 at Fort Lewis. Since his decision last summer to purposely miss his Army unit’s deployment on June 22, the 28-year-old from Hawaii has gone from thinking he "never could or should do this" to becoming a vocal spokesman for raising public awareness against the war.

"We all do what we believe in," Watada said.

The odds of being convicted are likely because a judge at Watada’s Jan. 4 pre-trial hearing ruled that Watada’s lawyers cannot present arguments saying the Iraq war is illegal, which is Watada’s defense.

"You can convict me and send me to prison," Watada said, "but in the grand scheme of things it changes nothing."

According to his Web site, www.thankyoult.org, Watada swore allegiance to the Constitution and "not to those who would issue unlawful orders." He said that he is a servant of the people and public opinion has turned against the war.

Watada also said the war is illegal because the reasons for beginning it and continuing it have been deceptive. "All soldiers in a free society must know the true reasons for why he or she is going to sacrifice their life," Watada said. "Do you think the American military will ever leave when there are profits to protect?"

Though he still works at Fort Lewis — and tries to stay out of public places because of the hate mail he has received — Watada is using his role to encourage others to oppose the war.

"It is the American people who have the power to end this war, but only if they have the will to do so," Watada said.

Watada also said he has received a lot of support from both civilians and military members.
Watada, who served in South Korea until he was transferred to Ft. Lewis in 2005, tried to resign from the Army in January 2006 but was turned down. Later he volunteered to go to Afghanistan instead but was denied.

According to support coordinator Carrie Hathorn, Watada is the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq.

Mary Abo, from Bremerton, said she admired that Watada was trying to make a change.

"I especially admire him because I share his cultural background of the Japanese internment in World War II, and it is very important that if you feel that there is an injustice to speak out and not be silent," she said.

Abo, 66, was taken to a camp in Idaho for three years when she was a toddler.

Thomas Sorensen, 77, said he was impressed by the speech. "I thought it was very good, very eloquent," he said. "He’s a person who is very committed."

Rep. Inslee and buddies hard at work legislating history

With politicians legislating history, who needs scholars?

Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)

HR 161 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 161

To adjust the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 4, 2007

Mr. INSLEE (for himself, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. HONDA, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Ms. MATSUI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To adjust the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument Act of 2007'.

SEC. 2. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.

(a) In General- The boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument, located in the State of Idaho and established by Presidential Proclamation 7395 of January 17, 2001, is adjusted to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni (`Let it not happen again') memorial. That memorial--

(1) commemorates the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps during World War II under Executive Order 9066: and

(2) consists of approximately 8 acres of land owned by the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington, as depicted on the map titled `Bainbridge Island Japanese American Memorial', numbered 194/80,003, and dated September, 2006.

(b) Map- The map referred to in subsection (a) shall be kept on file and made available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Parks Service.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF MONUMENT.

(a) Administration- The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter in this section referred to as the `Secretary') shall administer the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial as part of Minidoka Internment National Monument in accordance with--

(1) Presidential Proclamation 7395 of January 17, 2001;

(2) laws and regulations generally applicable to units of the National Park System, including the Act of August 25, 1916 (popularly known as the `National Park Service Organic Act,'; 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq); and

(3) any agreements entered into pursuant to subsection (b).
(b) Agreements-
(1) For the purposes of defining the role of the National Park Service in administering the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial owned by the City of Bainbridge Island, the Secretary is authorized to enter into agreements with--

(A) the City of Bainbridge Island;

(B) the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreational District;

(C) the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Memorial Committee;

(D) the Bainbridge Island Historical Society;

(E) successor entities to the entities named in subparagraphs (A) through (D); and

(F) other appropriate individuals or entities, at the discretion of the Secretary.

(2) In order to implement an agreement provided for in paragraph (1), the Secretary may--

(A) make grants to the City of Bainbridge Island for development of an administrative and interpretive facility for the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial;

(B) enter into a cooperative management agreement with the City of Bainbridge Island, pursuant to section 3(l) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-2(l); popularly known as the `National Park System General Authorities Act'), for the purpose of providing assistance with operation and maintenance of the memorial;

(C) make grants to other non-Federal entities for other infrastructure projects at the memorial, subject to a match of non-Federal funding equal to the amount of a grant made pursuant to this paragraph; and

(D) make grants or enter into cooperative agreements with non-Federal entities to support development of interpretive media for the memorial.
(c) Administrative and Visitor Use Site- The Secretary is authorized to operate and maintain a site in Seattle, Washington, for administrative and visitor use purposes associated with Minidoka Internment National Monument, using to the greatest extent practicable the facilities and other services of the Seattle unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
(d) Coordination of Interpretive and Educational Materials and Programs- The Secretary shall coordinate the development of interpretive and educational materials and programs for the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial and the Minidoka Internment National Monument site in the State of Idaho with the Manzanar National Historic Site in the State of California.

PI Editorial when the PI was less silly...

Here's an editorial from the Seattle PI in early 1942. You can find a copy at the Seattle Public Library.

The Japanese Problem

There is no current issue that interests residents of the Pacific Coast more than the treatment that should be accorded those of the Japanease race - both enemy nationals and those born here and therefore American citizens.

Let us try and reason it out.

It will be admitted on both sides, we believe, that part of the Japanese are loyal to the United States and that some are enemy sympathizers.

The friends of the Japanese say the vast majority, including virtually all second generation, are loyal. Those on the other side question this, and add that even a few spies and saboteurs might do tremendous damage.

It seems to us that the Japanese in our midst, in the first instance, are in the best position to provide an answer - and that if they don't provide a satisfactory one the public must look to the government to take increasingly strong action.

Granting that there are some actual and potential enemies among the Japanese, how are they to be discovered? A good many arrests have been made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but it is idle to argue that a comparatively small number of F.B.I. agents, unaided, can do the tremendous job of discovering which Japanese are loyal and which are disloyal.

If that question is to be determined satisfactorily, it must be with the active aid of the loyal Japanese, nisei and isei alike. They know their own people best.
Loyalty isn't a matter that can be demonstrated soley by purchase of Defense Bonds or even by Red Cross subscriptions. The Defense Bonds stand on their own feet as a good investment. And any spy who wanted to maintain his position and connections would, of course, be just as active in buying bonds and contributing to patriotic funds as the most loyal American.

The real test of the degree of loyalty within the Japanese community, we believe, is to be found in the extent to which its members cooperate with the authorities in efforts to locate and round up the enemies of this country.

Frankly, we don't know the extent to which this is being done. The F.B.I. and other federal agents are in a better position to know. They are not in a position to talk about it.
Neither an F.B.I. agent nor anyone else is able to say that any individual Japanese is loyal or disloyal merely be looking at him.

But from its reports dealing with the situation as a whole, from the F.B.I. and otherwise, the department of justice is probably better informed than any other public agency. And if the department is convinced that certain measures are required for national safety, its judgment will be accepted by the vast majority.

Apparently the department of justice is not entirely satisfied with the present situation upon the Pacific Coast. Whether the measures already taken affecting Japanese will meet all requirements for national safety is still to be determined. There is still opportunity for the residents of the Japanese community to demonstrate their loyalty. And if sterner measures are to be taken later they should be carried out without rancor and with full recognition that some hardships necessarily will be inflicted upon those who do not deserve them.

Those of the Japanese race, whether isei or nisei, must be realists.

We have every confidence that the Japanese whose loyalty to this country is unswerving will recognize that the problems presented by the members of their race in our midst is something of a Gordian knot.

The government is trying to untie the knot and should welcome the assistance of the Japanese community in this effort. If the knot cannot be untied..(last half sentance not legiable.)

Japanese Americans are now slaves.

The Seattle PI puts out a lot of silly comentary but even for the Seattle PI this piece by Kery Murakami is over the top. At least they have a "Sound Off" feature at the bottom.

Check it out.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/298920_japanese09.html


Web site tracks life in WWII internment campsPreserving stories for next generation

By KERY MURAKAMIP-I REPORTER

The headlines seem so mundane, says Michelle Osborn.

"Claim Class Jewelry At Senior High School."
"Sunday Church Services."
There's a review of the movies "Lifeboat" and "Showboat," published Dec. 30, 1944, in the Rohwer Outpost.

For two months, Osborn, a fourth-generation Japanese American, has spent eight to 10 hours a week at her home computer in Renton, typing in headlines such as these. "Lifeboat," the review says, is playing in Hall 15; "Show Boat," in Hall 33.

These buildings were part of the Rohwer internment camp in Arkansas -- one of 10 relocation centers where about 120,000 Japanese Americans were locked up during World War II.

Another story in that day's Outpost: "Bronze Star Awarded S/SGT."
It's a little blurb about Staff Sgt. Frank J. Yumasaki, a Japanese American man formerly of Norwalk, Calif., who was awarded the Bronze Star by the Army.

"His mother resides in Block 14," the blurb notes.

The non-profit organization, Densho -- "to pass on to the next generation" in Japanese -- already includes videotaped interviews with Japanese Americans recalling their experiences, particularly during the war, on its Web site.

But with the help of a $30,000 grant from the California State Library Civil Liberties Public Education Program, the Seattle-based group began scanning internment-camp newspapers online over the summer. Osborn, 42, and 19 other volunteers started creating an archive for the articles two months ago.

Densho project Executive Director Tom Ikeda, who founded the group after retiring as a general manager for Microsoft Corp. in 1996 to increase awareness of Japanese American history, said availability of the papers now is limited. Ikeda, whose parents and grandparents were interned during the war, is hoping that making the papers more available will flesh out understanding of the internment.


Sharon Nakamura, 50, types in her house on Beacon Hill. For two months, the third-generation Japanese American has been working on the Gila News-Courier, the newspaper published at the Gila internment camp in Arizona.

She's struck by the stories on the sports pages, such as one about a camp football league game.

"Maybe it's because I'm a parent now," says Nakamura, a graphic designer, who has a 13- year-old daughter, Mika Tanagi, with her husband, Page Tanagi, but she notices how the stories describe parents trying to create a sense of normalcy for their American-born children, wrested from high school football teams, friends and schools.

In barracks and behind fences, "they had dances and ice cream socials and movie nights. They were trying to have as normal an experience as they could," she said.
So far, the group has posted online all 583 editions published between 1942 and 1945 of the Manzanar Free Press, published at a camp in California, and the Minidoka Irrigator, from an Idaho camp. Ikeda is hoping to have all 4,000 issues of the 10 camp papers on the Densho Web site by summer. He and the volunteers said singling out people because of their ethnicity during a time of war is particularly poignant now.

Nakamura's father, who was interned at Minidoka as a child, volunteered at age 18 to work in the Idaho fields, "for pennies on the dollar," she said, to avoid being in a camp. Then he enlisted in the Army to get away from the fields.

Now, his daughter is angered by ads in the camp papers seeking people to work as field laborers.
"Basically, it was slave labor," she said. " The labor thing really irritated me. I thought, 'Look at this!' "

And there have been moments of revelation.

Osborn said the years of incarceration were not often brought up at the dinner table when she was growing up. But as she typed, she was amazed by the steadfast love of country infused in the articles. People facing suspicions of being traitors were simply hellbent to prove otherwise and had great patriotic sentiment.

"I never understood why," she said, adding that her family always flew a flag on the Fourth of July.
The articles do not tell the stories of what the families lost. Unsure if they'd ever be back home, many were forced to sell homes, farms and businesses for pennies on the dollar.
Certainly, there are moments of anger.

She notes a Gila News-Courier headline published Feb. 22, 1944 -- "Selective Service: Preliminary Examinations Start Today for 85 men" -- for an article on recruitment to the armed forces of men not considered trustworthy enough to live freely.

There aren't many people left to ask, Nakamura says. Her parents have died. And there are so many unanswered questions.

She'd always heard the Seattle Japanese Americans originally were sent to Manzanar in California, but didn't get along with the Californian internees. So they were sent to Minidoka. She didn't know if that was true.

"It would be great to come across little tidbits like that," she said.

P-I reporter Kery Murakami can be reached at 206-448-8131 or kerymurakami@seattlepi.com.

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