Collection is open for research.
Transfer from Bonner County History Museum, 2017, (Lib. Acc. 29135).
The Western Defense Command (WDC) was a branch of domestic Army command that was responsible for defense of the Pacific Coast and the western United States during World War II. John L. DeWitt served as the first commanding general of the WDC following its establishment on March 17, 1941. The WDC advocated for and implemented the forced removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066. EO 9066 authorized prescribed military areas "from which any or all persons may be excluded." General DeWitt issued a series of 108 Civilian Exclusion Orders to systematically remove all persons of Japanese ancestry from designated military areas in California, Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. These orders resulted in the forced removal and incarceration of over 110,000 people on the basis of race without court hearings or any evidence of wrongdoing. The WDC was officially disbanded on March 6, 1946, following the conclusion of World War II.
Broadside of Western Defense Command instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry was initially held in the collections of the Bonner County History Museum in Sandpoint, Idaho. It was transferred to the Oregon Historical Society in 2017.
Collection was titled "Japanese internment broadside" prior to March 2021.
Broadside of Western Defense Command instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry, Coll 619, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection consists of a broadside, 14 inches by 22 inches, printed in green text detailing the provisions of Civilian Exclusion Order No. 46 issued by General J. L. Dewitt. It is directed towards Japanese Americans living in Clackamas and eastern Multnomah counties. The notice reads that "all persons of Japanese ancestry, both alien and non-alien, will be evacuated from [all of Clackamas County and Multnomah County east of 122nd Avenue] by 12 o'clock noon, P.W.T., May 12, 1942." The notice contains instructions for how Japanese Americans should report to the Civil Control Station located on the Gresham Fairgrounds "to receive further instructions" between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM on either May 7 or May 8, along with guidelines of what possessions they may or may not bring with them.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.