MY DEAR MR. NICHOLSON:

Assembly centers and reception centers have been and are being established in connection with the evacuation of German, Italian, and Japanese enemy aliens and persons of Japanese ancestry from restricted zones within military areas established by my Military Proclamations No. 1, March 2, 1942, and No. 2, March 16, 1942, under authority granted to me by the President's Executive Order No. 9066, February 19, 1942.

It is requested that the Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration, region 7, assume the responsibility for the management of the assembly centers and reception centers established in the western theater of operations. In performing the necessary management services you are authorized to incur obligations and make expenditures from any funds available to your agency, or made available to it by the War Department.

As the above functions will involve the expenditure of funds, it is requested that you submit at the earliest practicable date a Budget estimate of fiscal requirements to and including April 30, 1942. The estimate submitted should be in sufficient detail that will show various operational costs at each center on a per thousand evacuee basis.

Direct communication with Col. K. R. Bendetsen, Assistant Chief of Staff, Civil Affairs Division, is authorized in formulating general plans and policies of management.

J. L. DE WITT,
Lieutenant General, U. S. Army.

"Members of the Mochida family awaiting evacuation bus. Identification tags are used to aid in keeping the family unit intact during all phases of evacuation." (Hayward, 1942)

"Japanese Shinto temple ceremonies, at San Jose, lure devout Buddhists
from miles around. More than 2000 attended the rites, which ended with the traditional 'Odori' dance by Japanese maidens, two hundred Japanese children, picturesque garbed in the costumes of their ancestral land paraded in the two-day Buddhist celebration." (1935-10-22)

The United States and Japanese Governments have agreed reciprocally to apply the provisions of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention to prisoners of war held by them, and to apply the same provisions to civilian internees in so far as the provisions are adaptable to civilians.

The American Government applies the provisions of the Geneva Convention to the Japanese prisoners of war and to the approximately 3,000 Japanese civilians interned in the United States in the hands of the Departments of War and Justice. It has not, however, undertaken to apply the Convention to the 110,000 Japanese nationals, and American citizens of Japanese ancestry in the 10 centers operated by the War Relocation Authority.

The persons in the relocation centers, two-thirds of whom are American citizens, were not placed in the centers because they were individually suspect or because anything was known to indicate that they were dangerous as individuals. Japanese nationals who were suspect as individuals have been placed in regular internment camps.

American citizens are held in at least 35 places in Japan and Japanese-controlled territory. These places of detention are located from Fushun, Manchuria, to Java, and from Zentsuji, Japan, to Hankow. The number of persons detained in one place varies from one to several thousand. Civilians are usually held in relatively small groups and prisoners of war in larger ones.

Representatives of the Swiss Government, which is charged with the representation of American interests in Japan and Japanese-controlled territory, and representatives of the International Red Cross Committee, have been permitted to visit camps in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, and China. They have not been permitted to visit camps in Formosa, Java, and the Straits Settlements or the Philippines. The Swiss Minister in Tokyo is pressing for permission for his representative to visit these outlying areas, but it is impossible to state when his efforts are likely to be successful.

The treatment of Americans in Japanese hands varies greatly, depending on the area in which they are held, the Japanese authority having jurisdiction over them, and the personality and background of the individual camp commander. In the more settled regions at a distance from zones of war treatment is usually better than in more recently conquered regions. Camp commandants who have had previous experience with western peoples or have been in Europe or America usually are much more liberal in their treatment of Americans than are those who have had no previous occidental contacts.

The buildings where Americans are being held vary from new buildings, built for the purpose on the former race track at Shanghai, to port area shelters, originally built for Japanese workmen. Although many of the civilians held in Japan have western-style beds, the prisoners of war usually are supplied with Japanese sleeping mats. Bathing facilities are generally provided, but they are sometimes inadequate or the prisoners are not supplied with as much fuel as they desire. Clothing has been supplied in some cases from captured British stores and in some cases from Japanese army stores.

The diet of the internees and prisoners is built almost entirely upon foods which may be obtained in the Far East. It is probable that sufficient supplies of western-type foods do not exist in the Far East to make western diets possible.

That I know to be a fact. I talked to the Swiss Minister before we left, and he brought pressure to bear on the Japanese authorities to see that they did get western food, in the shape of meat, vegetables, eggs, milk, and that sort of thing, but some of those things were practically nonexistent there.

Before we left Tokyo -- I think it was after Pearl Harbor, but I heard definite reports of it -- the guests in the hotels in Tokyo used to line up in queues about an hour before meals in the hope that they would get at the dining room before the meals gave out. They generally didn't have enough food to carry on. The Japanese were very short of the sort of food you would serve in hotels, so the fact that our prisoners of war don't get many of the kinds and classes of food they are accustomed to in many cases depends on the fact that the Japanese just don't have those classes of food.

The Swiss Legation in Tokyo reports that prisoners of war in four camps which its representatives have visited recently enjoy a larger ration than that given Japanese reservists. For instance, Japanese soldiers are given 570 grams of rice and barley each day while the American prisoners are given 650 grams. Fats and meats are distributed in extremely small quantities; but 700 grams of fish are issued per week for each prisoner. Other protein foods are also provided, often beans in some form. The diet provided by the Japanese authorities is being supplemented by Red Cross parcels and camps in Japan received gifts of tinned foods and fats at Christmas time from the members of the Tokyo diplomatic corps.

In accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention enlisted men who are now prisoners of war are being required to work. It is known that some are unloading ships in Japanese ports and others are doing agricultural work. The remuneration which the prisoners receive for this work is extremely small, but efforts are being made to reach an agreement with the Japanese Government in order to increase the wage level.

Medical facilities have not been satisfactory in most cases on account of shortages of needed medicines and primitive nature of Japanese hospitals, though the Japanese have apparently been making efforts to provide more adequate medical treatment.
Recreational and religious opportunities vary greatly. At some camps books and recreational supplies are available; at others they are scarce or almost entirely lacking. At some camps the commandants permit full religious activities and at others they view the exercise of occidental religions with suspicion and place restrictions upon them. The Swiss and Red Cross representatives are making efforts that have already met with some success to improve these conditions.

The morale of Americans interned or held as prisoners of war in Japan is reported to be extremely good. This is in spite of lack of news from their families in the United States, lack of recreational facilities of the kind to which they have become accustomed, lack of medicines, restricted practice of the forms of religious worship, and the difficult conditions of housing and food mentioned above.

JAPANESE NATIONALITY IN CASES OF PERSONS BORN IN THE UNITED STATES TO JAPANESE PARENTS

A Japanese domiciled in the United States but born in Japan is referred to in Japanese as an Issei (first generation); a Japanese born in the United States of parents born in Japan is referred to as a Nisei (second generation); and a Japanese born and resident in the United States but educated in Japan is referred to as a Kibei (returned to America).

The pertinent portions of Japanese law governing nationality in cases of persons born in the United States to Japanese parents are quoted below:

Japanese Law No. 66 of March 1899. As revised by Law No. 27 of March 1916, and by Law No. 19 of July 1924, effective December 1, 1924.

ARTICLE 1. A child is regarded as a Japanese if its father is at the time of its birth a Japanese. The same applies if the father who died before the child's birth was at the time of his death a Japanese.

ARTICLE 20. A person who acquires foreign nationality voluntarily loses Japanese nationality.

ARTICLE 20 (2). A Japanese who, by reason of having been born in a foreign country designated by Imperial Ordinance, has acquired the nationality of that country, and who does not as laid down by order express his intention of retaining Japanese nationality, loses his Japanese nationality retroactively from his birth.

"Proud Mrs. Kumiko Noda, 23, evacuee from Florin, California,
holds her new son, Newell Kazuo Noda. Baby Newell arrived at 6:12 A.M., Sunday, June 12, and was the first child born at this War Relocation Authority center for evacuees of Japanese descent." (Tule Lake, 07/01/1942)

Persons who have retained Japanese nationality in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, or Japanese subjects who, by reason of having been born in a designated foreign country before its designation in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, have acquired the nationality of that country, may, when they are in possession of the nationality of the country concerned and in possession of a domicile in that country, renounce Japanese nationality if they desire to do so.

Persons who shall have renounced their nationality in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph lose Japanese nationality.

ARTICLE 24. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 19, article 20, and the preceding three articles, a male of full 17 years of age or upward does not lose Japanese nationality, unless he has completed active service in the Army or Navy, or unless he is under no obligation to serve.

A person who actually occupies an official post, civil or military, does not lose Japanese nationality notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding eight articles until after he or she has lost such official post.

ARTICLE 26. If a person who has lost Japanese nationality in accordance with the provisions of article 20 to article 21, inclusive, is domiciled in Japan, he or she may, with the permission of the Minister of the Interior, recover Japanese nationality. But this rule does not apply to cases in which the persons mentioned in article 16 have lost Japanese nationality.

It is understood that the expression of intention of retaining Japanese nationality, provided for in article 20 (2) must be made by the parent within 2 weeks after the birth of the child if the child is to retain the Japanese nationality acquired at birth under article 1. In this connection reference may be made to the provisions of article 2 of the Japanese regulations (Ordinance No. 26) of November 17, 1942, the first paragraph of which reads as follows:

"ARTICLE 2. Those desiring to preserve their nationality in accordance with the provisions of clause 1 of article 20 (2) of the Nationality Law, and being those who are required to submit a report of birth by clause 1 or clause 2 of article 72 of the Census Domicile Law, shall file a report to that effect, together with a report of birth, within the period set forth in article 69 of the Census Domicile Law."

The period for the registration by the parent of the birth of a child, provided in article 69 of the Census Domicile Law, is 14 days.

From the foregoing provisions it would appear that a person of Japanese parentage born in the United States is regarded as a Japanese subject only if he has been declared a Japanese subject by his parents within 14 days of his birth.

While it may appear that the provisions of article 24 would preclude any Japanese male from divesting himself of Japanese nationality unless he has completed military service or has no obligation to serve, and while this provision is expressly applicable to article 20, the Department has been informed that it is not applicable to article 20 (2), which is regarded as a separate article.

"Evacuees enjoying games under the shade of trees near the creek which flows through the desert on the border of this War Relocation Authority center. (Manzanar, 07/03/1942)

Tokutaro Slocum in front of the JACL headquarters before evacuation of all residents of Japanese ancestry from this area.

Whereas all Japanese, both alien and native born, were ordered confined in concentration camps for the duration of the war; and

Whereas, while the military authorities were in charge of these camps there was no complaint from the Japanese as to their loss of privileges or confinement in these camps; and

Whereas these camps were to be fenced and patrolled to see that none of the Japanese escaped; and

Whereas since June 1, 1942, when the authority over these camps was turned over to a civilian control board, discipline has been relaxed, no fences have been built and discontent has been bred among the Japanese confined there; and

Whereas a campaign is under way to allow 2,000 Japanese students to leave the camp and continue their education at the different schools and colleges; and

Whereas thousands of our sons have had their educational program cut short by being drafted into the military service in defense of our country; Now therefore be it

Resolved, by the American Legion in national convention assembled at Kansas City, Mo., That we go on record as being opposed to any special privileges being granted Japanese in these camps and that they be denied the privilege of leaving these camps under any pretext for the duration of the war, and that control of these camps be returned to the military authorities; and be it further

Resolved, That those Japanese that escaped to States east of the Rockies be taken into custody and placed in these different camps or that they be placed under military control in their present location.

Loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry to compose special unit in Army.

The War Department announced today that plans have been completed for the admission of a substantial number of American citizens of Japanese ancestry into the Army of the United States. This action was taken following a study by the War Department of many earnest requests by loyal American citizens of Japanese extraction for the organization of a special unit of the Army in which they could have their share in the fight against the Nation's enemies.

The following statement was issued by the Honorable Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War:

"It is the inherent right of every faithful citizen, regardless of ancestry, to bear arms in the Nation's battles. When obstacles to the free expression of that right are imposed by emergency considerations, those barriers should be removed as soon as humanly possible. Loyalty to country is a voice that must be heard, and I am glad that I am now able to give active proof that this basic American belief is not a casualty of the war."

The War Department announced that the initial procedure in the formation of the unit authorized by the Secretary will be voluntary induction. Facilities for this will be Nation-wide, including the Hawaiian Islands and the War Relocation Centers in this country. No individual will be inducted if doubt exists as to his loyalty.

Upon induction, the Nisei, as American-born citizens of Japanese parentage are termed, will begin training as a combat team for service in an active theater. This combat team will include the customary elements of infantry, artillery, engineer, and medical personnel. No effort will be spared in developing it into an efficient, well-rounded, hard-hitting unit.

This new unit will be trained separately from the battalion of Americans of Japanese extraction originally known as the Hawaiian National Guard organization, which is already a component of the Army.

The War Department's action, it was announced, is a part of a larger program which will enable all loyal American citizens of Japanese ancestry to make their proper contribution toward winning the war through employment in war production as well as military service.