Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Records of the American Friends Service Committee, Midwest Branch, Advisory Committee for Evacuees, 1942-1963
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- American Friends Service Committee. Midwest Branch. Advisory Committee for Evacuees
- Title
- Records of the American Friends Service Committee, Midwest Branch, Advisory Committee for Evacuees
- Dates
- 1942-1963 (inclusive)19421963
- Quantity
- 10 linear ft. ((25 boxes))
- Collection Number
- (Accession No. 4791-001)
- Summary
- Quaker social service organization which coordinated Chicago-area aid to displaced Japanese Americans from 1942 to 1945.
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Boxes 1, 2, and 25 are of these records are open to all users. Boxes 3-24 are open only to scholars working in their fields of expertise.
Material stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In July 1942, the U.S. War Relocation Authority announced a policy that permitted qualified inmates to leave incarceration centers to accept permanent jobs outside of designated war zones. Applicants were required to have a means of support and a place to live. Cities in the Midwest such as Chicago were suddenly faced with finding housing and jobs for a massive influx of Americans of Japanese descent coming from West Coast camps. Local social service agencies began to organize to meet the need, and it soon became apparent that an overall coordinating body was need.
The Midwest Branch of the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker social service organization) took on this responsibilty by organizing the Advisory Committee for Evacuees. Membership in the committee included representatives from eighteen social service agencies as well as other interested individuals concerned about the problems faced by the displaced Japanese Americans. The committee was chaired by Rolland W. Schloerb of the Chicago Federation of Churches. Edwin G. Morgenroth of the Midwest Branch of the AFSC served as Executive Secretary.
The committee cooperated closely with the War Relocation Authority, which reviewed applications to be released released from the camps and conducted background checks. The AFSC accepted applications for employment and acted as a clearing house for jobs, housing, and educational opportunities. It maintained hostels in Chicago to provide temporary housing for former inmates as they arrived from the camps. The AFSC also attempted to promote community acceptance of displaced Japanese Americans and to minimize problems of adjustment.
Because of the success of this arrangement the War Relocation Authority asked the AFSC at the national level, to perform similar services for college students needing to transfer to schools out of the west-coast war-zone. This resulted in the formation of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. The Midwest Branch of the AFSC was also designated as a field office for this organization.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The records in this collection appear to be from the Executive Director's office of the Advisory Committee for Evacuees. Boxes 1 and 2 and 25 contain minutes of the committee's meetings; correspondence with the War Relocation Authority; correspondence regarding specific programs sponsored by the committee; reports and newsletters of agencies and organizations working with Japanese Americans and files which document the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council's efforts to match nursing students with openings in Chicago-area programs. Boxes 3-24 contain case files (application for housing and employment), and a card file that documents contacts with inividuals (including a narrative account of services provided). Many cards include comments on how individuals were received by the community.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Much of the material consists of case files and contact records that identify individuals by name. Users must guarantee privacy of these individuals in a written agreement. Copying and quotation are permitted for boxes 1 and 2 and 25 only. For additional information, contact the repository.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
No records document the gift of this material to the University of Washington Libraries. The best guess is that these are the records of the Advisory Committee for Evacuees, possibly formed under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee at an organizational meeting in Chicago on July 28, 1942. The records are assumed to have come to the University via the Council of Churches of Greater Seattle.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
General CorrespondenceReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Advisory Committee for Evacuees - Consultants on
Integration |
June 1943 |
| 1/2-4 | Advisory Committee for Evacuees - Miscellaneous
|
Jul. 1942 - Jan. 1946 |
| 1/5 | Assimilation |
May 1943 - June 1944 |
| 1/6-8 | Christmas Gifts for Tule Lake |
Sept. - Nov. 1942 |
| 1/9 | Gates, Isabelle |
Feb. - July 1943 |
| 1/10-12 | National Japanese American Student Relocation Council -
Nursing |
July 1943 - Mar. 1945 |
| 1/13 | Relocation - Community Interpretation |
May 1942 - Mar. 1945 |
| 1/14-15 | Relocation - American Friends Service Committee Forms
and Procedure |
July 1942 - June 1943 |
| 1/16 | Relocation - Housing Publicity |
Apr. 1943 |
| 1/17-18 | Relocation Inquiries Out of City |
June 1942 - Aug. 1943 |
| 1/19 | Relocation Students |
May 1945 |
| 1/19 | Relocation WRA Letter re: Formation of Committee to
Assist Evacuees |
May 1942 - Feb. 1963 |
NotesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1 | Room and Board Positions |
n.d. |
MinutesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/2-3 | Advisory Committee for Evacuees |
July 1942 - Oct. 1943 |
ReportsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/4 | American Friends Service Committee - Japanese American
Resettlement |
Aug. 1, 1945 |
| 2/5 | War Relocation Authority - Miscellaneous |
Dec. 1942 |
| 2/6 | War Relocation Authority - Quarterly Report |
July - Sept., 1942 |
Case FilesReturn to Top
Restricted.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/1-57 | A - E |
1942-1945 |
| 4/1-52 | F - Han |
1942-1945 |
| 5/1-52 | Har - Ho |
1942-1945 |
| 6/1-54 | Hor - Ito |
1942-1945 |
| 7/1-63 | Ito - Ka |
1942-1945 |
| 8/1-66 | Ki - Kur |
1942-1945 |
| 9/1-65 | Kuri - Mat |
1942-1945 |
| 10/1-54 | Mi - Mur |
1942-1945 |
| 11/1-70 | Nad - Nis |
1942-1945 |
| 12/1-66 | Nit - Omo |
1942-1945 |
| 13/1-30 | Ono - P |
1942-1945 |
| 14/1-71 | Sab - Shin |
1942-1945 |
| 15/1-67 | Shio - Taka |
1942-1945 |
| 16/1-65 | Take - Toku |
1942-1945 |
| 17/1-62 | Tom - Yamag |
1942-1945 |
| 18/1-53 | Yamam - Z |
1942-1945 |
Chicago ApplicationsReturn to Top
Restricted.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 19/1-17 | A - I |
1942-1945 |
| 20/1-19 | K - Mur |
1942-1945 |
| 21/1-22 | N - Tan |
1942-1945 |
| 22/1-11 | Te - Z |
1942-1945 |
File CardsReturn to Top
Restricted.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 23 | A - N |
1942-1945 |
| 24 | O - Z |
1942-1945 |
ListsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/1 | Representatives Attending Meeting of Advisory Committee
for Evacuees |
n.d. |
BulletinsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
AFSC - Japanese-American Relations Committee
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/2 | Pacific Coast Branch |
Feb., Apr., June, 1942 |
| 25/2 | Southern California Branch |
Dec. 1942, Apr. 1943, Apr. 1944 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/2 | Minorities in the U. S. |
May 15, 1942 |
| 25/3 | Church Federation Bulletin |
Dec. 1942 |
| 25/3 | Federal Council of the Churches of America |
Dec. 6, 1943 |
PeriodicalsReturn to Top
| Description | Dates |
|---|---|
Methodist Church -The Christian
Advocate
|
|
Poston Relocation Center -Poston
Notes and Activities
|
Apr. 1943 |
WRA - Field Bulletin - North Central Area |
May 15, 1945 |
NewslettersReturn to Top
| Description | Dates |
|---|---|
WRA - Kansas City Area Relocation Office |
Sept. - Nov. 1943 |
North Central Area |
May 1944 |
NewssheetsReturn to Top
| Description | Dates |
|---|---|
WRA - National Japanese American Student Relocation
Council |
Jan. 1945 - June 1945 |
News ReleasesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Box/Folder | |
| 25/9 | WRA - Office of War Information re: Tule Lake
|
NewspapersReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Japanese American Citizens League |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/10 |
Pacific
Citizen
|
Dec. 18, 1943, Oct. 7, 1944 |
| 25/10 |
Heart Mountain
Sentinel
|
Nov. 27,1943 |
ClippingsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/11 | Miscellaneous |
1942-1943 |
EphemeraReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 25/12 | Nursing |
1942-1944 |
| 25/13 | Miscellaneous |
1943-1945 |
Folio of DrawingsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Box/Folder | |
| 25/14 | Prints after Sketches of Relocation Centers by Henry
Fukuhaba |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Japanese Americans--Education--East (U.S.)
- Japanese Americans--Employment--East (U.S.)
- Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
- Japanese Americans--Housing--Illinois--Chicago
- World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans
- World War, 1939-1945--War work--Society of Friends
Corporate Names
- American Friends Service Committee. Midwest Branch. Advisory Committee for Evacuees--Archives
- National Japanese American Student Relocation Council
- United States. War Relocation Authority
Geographical Names
- Chicago (Ill.)--Emigration and immigration--Social aspects
Form or Genre Terms
- Prints
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
