Title: "Japs Still Spy On Coast; Oust Them, Says Dies," Seattle Times, 2/9/1942, (ddr-densho-56-613)
Densho ID: ddr-densho-56-613

Japs Still Spy On Coast; Oust Them, Says Dies

WASHINGTON, Monday, Feb. 9.--(AP)--The Dies committee, asserting that a Japanese fifth-column awaits only Tokyo's orders to strike on the Pacific Coast; plans to demand that all Japanese be uprooted from West Coast states and interned at least 500 miles inland.

"Shinto temples still operate, propaganda outlets still disseminate propaganda material and Japanese, both alien and American citizens, still spy for the Japanese government," the committee says in the first draft of a "Yellow Paper," which it probably will make public in about two weeks.

Chairman Dies, Democrat, Texas, said yesterday Justice Department orders ousting Japanese from certain Pacific Coast areas of vital defense importance had not been completely effective. Under "protection of civil rights," he said, Japanese were making ready espionage such as smoothed the way for the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

The committee's tentative report says Japanese still live near oil wells, aviation plants, pipe lines, tunnels and aqueducts.

It adds that duing [during] the Pearl Harbor attack Japanese blocked streets with furniture, drove trucks into military planes and disabled automobiles of Army and Navy officers.

Figures are not available on the number of Japanese living within 500 miles of the Pacific Coast, but the Justice Department estimates there are 200,000 Japanese, Germans and Italians in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Utah and Idaho. More than half of these enemy aliens are Japanese.