SEIZURES OF GUNS MADE BY F.B.I.

Twelve alien Japanese residents of Bainbridge Island, charged with possession of articles declared contraband by the President, were arrested by more than thirty federal, state and county peace officers in a surprise one-day search of Island Japanese homes yesterday and last night.

The officers, striking swiftly and thoroughly without advance notice, seized an undisclosed number of firearms and explosives. One short-wave radio set, not believed to have been used for an improper purpose, was seized.

The arrested Japanese aliens, whose names were not revealed immediately, were turned over to agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and were jailed in Seattle. They will be charged and given a hearing in United States District Court.

The seizures and arrests were made on search warrants issued by the Seattle office of the United States District Attorney. The polite but firm and thorough search of Japanese homes here apparently was timed to coincide with Gov. Arthur B. Langlie's inclusion, Tuesday night, of all of the Island within an enlarged Bremerton Protective Defense area.

Participating in the day-long search, which aroused much speculation and comment of observing Islanders, were ten State Patrolmen, at least four Kitsap County deputy sheriffs and a "large" force of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. The campaign was directed from an undisclosed Island headquarters, by H.B. Fletcher, special agent in charge of the F.B.I. Seattle field office.

Agents denied widespread reports that the sudden move was the beginning of a forced evacuation of Island Japanese.

"We checked numerous complaints that alien enemies had in their possession numerous articles which had been declared contraband by Presidential proclamation," a spokesman said last night. "We do not know anything about any 'evacuation' except that what we did here today was not connected with any such a move."

Mr. Fletcher, confirming the arrests, said the prisoners were accused of being in violation of a Presidential decree calling for the surrender of cameras, firearms and similar paraphernalia prior to January 8 by all enemy aliens.

A truckload of such material was taken to the county seat at Port Orchard for the Island by the Island chapter of the Japanese-American Citizens' League. Mr. Fletcher said those persons who had not cooperated with this voluntary move were the ones arrested yesterday.