Japanese American forced removal collection, 1941-1977

This folder contains documents with the original titles "Evacuee Property Holdings," "Relocation and the Constitution," and "Memorandum on Rumors and Rumor-Control Groups." There is also a radio interview script with Dillon S. Myer, director of the WRA, discussing forced removal. There are job descriptions of the WRA positions of Reports Officer and Associate Information Specialist. There is also a WRA policy statement about providing food for American concentration camps and a WRA newsletter.

These memoranda are internal WRA documents containing information about Japanese holidays and culture, the formation of American concentration camps, and WRA policies regarding the production and circulation of information in the Japanese language. There are also policies regarding Japanese social, economic, religious, and military groups and associations in the US. This folder also contains part of K. D. Ringle's "The Japanese Question in the United States," which is a compilation of memoranda summarizing Japanese culture and offering recommendations for a segregation program and for American concentration camps, and documents with the original titles "Japanese Americans in Relocation Centers" and "Japanese Groups and Associations in the United States."

This folder contains documents with the original titles: "Administrative Instruction No. 100," which outlines the policy of separating incarcerees "of doubtful loyalty" from "loyal" incarcerees, and designates Tule Lake as the illegal detention center for "disloyal" incarcerees; "Tule Lake Project," which is a list of "loyal" incarcerees' objections to being forced to leave Tule Lake; "Summary Notes on Segregation Conference of WRA Officials," which is a booklet that contains reports delivered at the conference; "Report on the Director's Telegram of July 13, 1943," which estimates the number of incarcerees to be forcibly removed to Tule Lake; "Segregation of Evacuees;" and "Manual of Evacuee Transfer Operations," which is a detailed report outlining procedures for forced removal that includes budgets, schedules, and flow charts. There is also an untitled report on the formation of a special committee to conduct interviews with incarcerees to determine loyalty, and an agenda for the Segregation Conference.

This folder contains a document with the original title "Minority Report of the Honorable Herman P. Eberharter," which expresses support of the WRA and includes a summary of the majority report outlining the charges of incompetence brought against the WRA. There is also a press release from Dillon S. Myer, director of the WRA, responding to the Dies Committee Charges. This folder also contains Public Law 139, detailing Congressional appropriations for the WRA.

This folder contains abstracts of magazine articles dealing with forced removal. The majority of the articles support the WRA's forced removal of Japanese Americans, but a few authors are highly critical and reject the entire concept. This folder also contains a 57-page document titled "The Japanese Question in the United States: A Compilation of Memoranda by Lt. Com. K. D. Ringle."

This folder contains newsletters issued by the WRA that summarize news items and articles in local and national papers about the forced removal of Japanese Americans. The newsletters only cover the weeks of 20 April, 26 May, 17 June, and 1 September 1943.

This folder contains the first and second WRA quarterly reports. The first contains a chronology of events regarding the forced removal of Japanese Americans to temporary detention centers and a history of the selection and construction of American concentration camps, including their organization, facilities, prospects for incarceree employment, and community life. The second details the continued progress of forced removal efforts, including a chronology of events during this period, a report on the transfer of incarcerees from temporary detention centers to American concentration camps, and the development of all aspects of life at the incarceration camps, such as incarceree employment, self-government, education, consumer enterprises, internal security, agricultural production, religious activities, welfare programs, and problems encountered by the incarcerees. Both reports also contain summary updates of the development of each American concentration camp, located in: Manzanar, California; Colorado River, Arizona; Tule Lake, California; Gila River, Arizona; Minidoka, Idaho; Heart Mountain, Wyoming; Granada, Colorado; Central Utah (Topaz), Utah; Rohwer, Arkansas; and Jerome, Arkansas.

This folder contains reports with the original titles "Report and Minority Views of the Special Committee on Un-American Activities on Japanese War Relocation Centers," "Code of Wartime Practices For the American Press," "National Defense Migration: Fourth Interim Report," and "National Defense Migration: First Interim Report."

The majority of these correspondence were issued from the incarceration camp at Tule Lake, and were written by John D. Cook, Reports Officer, and Harvey M. Coverly, Projects Director. The correspondence includes general thank-you letters for services rendered; replies to requests for information on Tule Lake from a variety of individuals, including librarians, researchers, newspapermen, and interested citizens; official correspondence with the WRA; letters concerning the Tule Lake newspaper, the Tulean Dispatch; and letters of recommendation for Japanese Americans released from the illegal detention center and seeking outside employment. Specific letters of interest include information concerning the Forum on Japanese Americans in the Victory Program, designed to promote greater understanding of the role and status of Japanese Americans. There are also official responses to charges of alleged mismanagement and wrongdoing at Tule Lake made by the American Legion and Senator Hugh Burns of California.

This folder contains John D. Cook's personal correspondence received from Japanese Americans who had been incarcerated in the Tule Lake illegal detention center and were either focibly removed to another incarceration camp, or outside the incarceration camp. The letters are personable, displaying great fondness and respect for Cook. The incarcerees thank him for his interest and kindness, praise him for being a good administrator, and express wishes to meet again under more pleasant circumstances. They also contain descriptions of life in the American concentration camps known as Topaz, Minidoka, and Heart Mountain.

This folder contains additional letters from former incarcerees describing their experiences after leaving the illegal detention center at Tule Lake, including enjoying traveling and moving freely, and facing discrimination while seeking housing and employment. The letters also contain suggestions for improving the WRA's forced removal program.

This document, with the original title "Charter of Tule Lake Relocation Project," describes the establishment of the community council, a judiciary committee, and community laws.

This folder contains a document with the original title "Block Managers Manual" that describes the duties, conduct, and responsibilities of the liaison officer between administration and incarcerees. The folder also contains a report that discusses suggestions for improved administrative organization.

This folder contains documents with the original titles "Breakdown by States of Colonists Received," "Complete List of Evacuees Up to Date," "Age Distribution of Persons Received," "Age Distribution of Colonists," "Number of Colonists Employed," and "Analysis of Form 126 Revised," as well as several prelimary reports. The statistics in these documents provide a breakdown of the population in the Tule Lake illegal detention center according to age, sex, marital status, country of birth, years of schooling in Japan, and occupation. This folder also contains a statistical analysis of the answers to the registration forms and a list of male US citizens refusing to register.

This folder contains correspondence written in Japanese, some of which is from Japan. It also contains correspondence written in English from those refusing to register.

This folder contains reports detailing the status of each department in the illegal detention center and any changes that have been made that quarter. The reports relate to all aspects of community life, including education, health services, building construction and maintenance, employment, community government, cooperative enterprises, internal security, administration, and problems relating to forced removal. The report from January-March 1943 discusses the organized resistance to the Selective Service and Indefinite Leave Registration Programs.

This folder contains reports and memoranda from John D. Cook to Project Chiefs concerned primarily with the activities and problems related to the daily lives of the incarcerees. Sample reports include information on the births, deaths, transfers, and health of incarcerees; special problems or incidents in the illegal detention centers, such as riots, robberies, arrests, trials, fires, and employee strikes; reports on Japanese festivals and celebrations; the organization of the Red Cross; reports on how different groups view life inside the American concentration camp; sample letters from beet workers on how they were treated outside the illegal detention center; a report on prevalent fears among incarcerees; and an interview with Walter Tsukamoto, delegate to the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Conference in Salt Lake City. A sizable portion of the reports deal with the resistance movement and incidents associated with the registration program.

This folder contains memoranda discussing War Savings Bonds, problems of segregation, and compiled answers to a questionnaire to former incarcerees asking about their experiences since being released from the illegal detention center. There are also additional reports on incidents and problems in the American concentration camp at Tule Lake.

This folder contains registration forms for the Selective Service and Leave Clearance Programs at the Tule Lake illegal detention center. It also contains reports describing the resistance to forced removal and actions taken by the American concentration camp, the FBI, and the army.

This folder contains reports concerning the arrest of an intoxicated incarceree and the physical abuse he received from the Military Police.

This folder contains documents with the original titles "Chapter 1," "The Control Program," "Evacuee Groups Affiliated with National Organizations," and "The Economic and Political Argument." They constitute studies of Japanese forced removal in general and the Tule Lake illegal detention center in particular, and include: a statistical history of incarcerees and a chronology of forced removal; a study of Japanese economics and probable causes of anti-Japanese sentiment; the history of and living conditions in Tule Lake; and a study of various clubs and associations at Tule Lake.

The annotated manuscript in this folder discusses the similarities and differences of the Issei, Nisei, and Kibei, and includes the original chapter titles "The Issei: Physical Characteristics, Health, and Peculiarities of Dress," "The Nisei," "Health," "Japanese Industry," "Kibei," "Religion," "The Nature and Difference of Moral Behavior," and "Nature and Differences of Social and Recreational Activities." The manuscript also describes the history of Japanese immigrants in the United States and includes a study of the psychological effects of forced removal and incarceration. John D. Cook may be the author of this manuscript.

This folder contains a similar, but more complete draft of the manuscript found in box 4 folder 2.

This folder contains high school graduation speeches and subjective and objective papers written by student incarcerees on various aspects of forced removal. They include the original titles "Life in Camp," "My Last Day Home," "Disadvantages of Camp Life," "Victims of War," "My First Day in Camp," "Race Tensions: Second Phase," "The Consumer Cooperative Movement in the Tule Lake Project," "Proposition: Photography in Tule Lake," "Women on the Project with Children," "How Retired Men and Unemployed Women Spend Their Time in Tule Lake," "The Psychology of Spending at Tule Lake," "After the War," and "The Psychology of Spending Among the Evacuees in Tule Lake Project."

This folder contains newspaper articles and editorials of Western papers expressing primarily negative views toward Japanese Americans and the WRA's administration of the illegal detention centers. It includes articles with the original titles "Much Hysteria About Japanese-Americans," "Something is Rotten," "Plan for Evacuee Release Shaping, Charges Senator," and "Plenty for Involuntary Guests."

This folder contains press releases from the WRA and the illegal detention center at Tule Lake to local and national newspapers. One press release includes the original title "Japanese Resettlement Creates California's Fastest Growing City."

This folder primarily contains scans of newspaper clippings from the Rocky Mountain News, the San Fransisco Examiner, and the San Fransisco News.

This folder contains a personnel chart illustrating the organizational hierarchy of the WRA staff at the illegal detention center at Tule Lake; graphs of the age distribution, educational levels, and employment divisions of incarcerees; and graphs of operating costs, including expenses and consumption.

This folder contains books and pamphlets issued by various organizations in the Tule Lake illegal detention center with the original titles WRA Warden Manual, published by the Internal Security Division; A Tule Lake Interlude: First Anniversary [of the] Tule Lake WRA Project, published by The Tulean Dispatch; Aquila, published by the Associated Student Body of Tri-State High School; "Segregation of Persons of Japanese Ancestry in the Tule Lake Relocation Center," published by the WRA; Common Sense, published by the Tule Lake Union Church; and "2nd Semi-Annual Y.P.C.C.," publisher unknown. This folder also contains several issues of The Christian Advocate, published by The Methodist Publishing House.

This folder contains pamphlets with the original titles "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry," "Democracy in Relocation," "Get the Evacuees Out!", and "Town Meeting." It also contains a U.S. Forest Service bookmark and a document with the original title "Bibliography of Japanese in America."

This is a semimonthly magazine section of a daily newspaper containing literary and art pieces by incarcerees.

This is a daily newspaper.

One oversize painting has been moved to Box 12 for preservation purposes.

This folder contains scans of a census recorded primarily in Japanese. Some of the information, including the names and positions of various incarceration camp administrators, is listed in both Japanese and English.

These broadsides were issued by the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, and pertain to Japanese American exclusion and forced removal from the West Coast. Included are the Civilian Exclusion Orders directing all persons of Japanese ancestry in specified areas of California to report to a Civil Control Station. The broadside with the original title "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry" contains specific instructions for the forced removal of all Japanese Americans from these areas to incarceration camps.

Each volume is missing several issues, with a bulk of 1944 missing.

This folder contains Community Council meeting minutes and several ordinances, including the incarceration camp's criminal code. Matters under discussion are sanitation, food, the keeping of fowl, and myriad other small problems of daily life. A memo of January 20, 1945 provides the minutes of a special session convened in honor of A.L. Wirin, a lawyer who defended Japanese Americans, that focused primarily on escheat law. Among other things, the question of reclamation of the incarcerees' confiscated property was raised: "Question was brought up by K. Hatchimonji concerning the right of Japanese Aliens to bring suit for property losses on the West Coast. According to Mr. Wirin, the Supreme Court made a decision that an Alien, who is not arrested, has the same rights as a citizen as far as the court is concerned." This folder also contains a Block Coordinator job description and WRA bulletins with the original title "Washington Daily News Digest," which provide a daily synopsis of the news for the week in Japanese script.