WAR DEPARTMENT
HEADQUARTERS WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND AND FOURTH ARMY
PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.

OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL

31 January 1942

MEMORANDA:

Subject: Action of Congressional Committee on handling enemy aliens on the West Coast.

The following program arrived at by members of the House of Representatives from California at a conference held on January 30 in Washington was reported to me by Major Bendetson. The program as given to me by Major Bendetson over the telephone at 3:20 PM January 30 is as follows:

1. A recommendation to the President that the War Department be given immediate and complete control of all alien enemies as well as United States Citizens holding dual citizenship in any enemy country with full power and authority to direct, cooperation and assistance of all agencies of the Government in exercising such control and in effectuating evacuation, re-settlement or internment.

Comment: My reaction to the above is that until such time as it can be shown that the Department of Justice, through the Attorney General, cannot efficiently handle the implementation of the President's Proclamations of December 7th and 8th with reference to alien enemies, the War Department should not be given this task except insofar as pertains to evacuation and internment. I do not feel that the War Department should be charged with re-settlement - that it should be handled by some civil agency of the Government; but if it should be determined that all enemy aliens are to be evacuated from the Pacific Coast, the War Department can handle the evacuation to the point or points where the resettlements projects have been established. Or, if they are to be interned, the War Department can handle internment camps. If it is shown that the civil agencies now set up under the President's Proclamation for this implementation cannot efficiently and effectively perform their duties, then the War Department will necessarily have to take over such implementation. As a matter of fact, the steps now being taken by the Attorney General through the Federal Bureau of Investigation will do nothing more than exercise a controlling influence and preventative action against sabotage; it will not, in my opinion, be able to stop it. The only positive answer to this question is evacuation of all enemy aliens from the West Coast and their resettlement or internment under positive control, military or otherwise.

2. A recommendation to the War Department and to the interested agencies that the following program be initiated at once:

(1) The designation by the War Department of critical areas throughout the country and territorial possessions.

Comment: This is now being done as far as the Western Theater of Operations is concerned. Restricted (critical) areas have been designated as far as the State of California and Arizona are concerned, and those in the States of Oregon and Washington will be forwarded today. Restricted areas in the remaining five States will then be delimited and forwarded as rapidly as completed.

(2) Evacuation in all such critical areas of all enemy aliens and their families, including children under twenty-one, whether alien or not.

Comment: Critical areas have been designated in two categories - A and B. Category A accomplishes what is sought above. Category B accomplishes, insofar as control is exercised, by limiting entry of enemy aliens to Category B areas by pass or permit only.

(3) Temporary internment of evacuated aliens and families in available CCC Camps pending completion of long re-settlement or internment program.

Comment: Due to the location in isolated areas of many of the CCC Camps that are now available for temporary internment of enemy aliens and their families, I consider it most inadvisable to use them for this purpose and it would mean that a large number of such camps would have to be guarded by troops thereby further depleting units for combat duty for which duty they are organized. It would be preferable, in my opinion, to evacuate enemy aliens in large groups at the earliest possible date, even if they were temporarily inconvenienced. I do not feel that it is incumbent upon this country to be sentimental in this matter.

(4) Opportunity for Federal assistance to dual citizens who live in critical areas for voluntary re-settlement or evacuation as a patriotic contribution.

Comment: I do not agree with this at all. The very fact that evacuation is necessay [necessary] eliminates thought of patriotic or voluntary action on the part of enemy aliens. They should know it was being done as a war measure and they should be treated accordingly. Again, sentiment is being given too much importance in a vital defense measure.

(5) Federal assistance to all un-interned alien enemies and dual citizens whose means of livelihood are affected by execution of the program outlined above or by unemployment brought about by other factors:

Comment: I do not believe this should be done. I feel that all assets of enemy aliens should be taken over by the Federal Government and liquidated, the funds made available by such liquidation being used in their total amount for the financing of such assistance as may be necessary for this particular group of people.

(6) The development and consummation, as soon as possible, of complete evacuation and re-settlement or internment of a program governing all alien enemies and dual citizens wherever located:

Comment: I am in thorough agreement with this but I think we might as well eliminate all talk of resettlement and handle these people as they should be handled in order to insure non-interferrence [interference] with the all-out defense effort this country is now making, and definitely intern them. Take care of them by liquidating enemy alien funds, as far as possible, and then put them to such work as may be necessary for them to earn their own keep.