This interview centers on the experiences of Fred Korematsu, a Nisei who challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the mass removal of Japanese Americans during World War II. Mr. Korematsu lost his initial legal case in 1944, but in the early 1980s, his case was reopened after the discovery of a crucial document …

A letter from Makoto Okine to his father, Seiichi Okine. He writes from Italy where he is stationed as a Nisei solder. The letter is mailed via New York by the U.S. Army Postal Service. In the letter, he explains how Seiichi would receive 25.00 dollars of the military family allowance monthly. The government deducts 25.00 …

Report by Dillon Myer before the Sub-Committee of the Military Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate regarding the history and activities of the War Relocation Authority and the "relocation program." Includes a memorandum of understanding between the WRA and the War Department, description of problems with the "evacuation program," evacuation of Hawaii, administrative policies on housing, …

Nisei male. Born January 30, 1919, in Oakland, California. Mr. Korematsu was working as a welder in San Francisco when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After Executive Order 9066 was issued in 1942, he decided to resist the evacuation orders, and was not removed with his family. He was arrested in May of …

Selected article titles: "Navy Opens Ranks to Japanese Americans" (p. 1), "Sgt. Ben Kuroki to Speak on "Town Meeting of the Air"" (p. 1), "1000 Tule Lake Renunciants Enter Suit to Regain Rights" (p. 1), "Evacuee Group Leaves Seattle for Hawaii" (p. 1), "Native Sons Want Relocation Camps to be Kept Open" (p. 1), "Southern Pacific …

Gus J. Solomon, U.S. federal district judge from Portland, Oregon, was involved in Min Yasui's case on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1942, Min Yasui deliberately defied the curfew imposed upon Japanese Americans in Portland, Oregon, and was arrested. His case was tried, and he was sentenced to one year in prison and …

English translation of the annotations from "George Naohara photo album" (csudh_nao_0001), page 12: [Right] Japan declared a war, and Japanese Imperial Army attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. When the war broke out, Yuta Masukawa was visiting Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. He rode on a streetcar to get to Little Tokyo and bought a record, "Shina no …

Narr. by Milton S. Eisenhower, director of the War Relocation Authority. An historical record of the transfer of Japanese residents from the Pacific Coast to the American Interior as carried out the the U.S. Army and the War Relocation Authority. 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry, two-thirds of them American citizens. Special attention given to possibility of …

Selected article titles: "California Demands Federal Government Maintain Financial Responsibility for Evacuees" (p. 1), "Window Smashed in Penryn Store Opened by Nisei Ex-GI" (p. 1), "Deportation Cases Will Be Handled by International Institute" (p. 1), "Hearing on Thirty Deportation Cases Postponed, Says Wirin" (p. 1), "Nisei Specialists Worked Behind Lines in Japan" (p. 1), "The Alien …

Questionnaire distributed to adult female U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry and aliens. Individuals were required to supply information regarding place of birth, date of birth, citizenship, places of residence, height, weight, hair color, eye color, voter status, marital status and citizenship of spouse, the names and addresses of all relatives living in the United States, the …

English translations of handwritten annotations from "George Naohara photo album" (csudh_nao_0001), page 4: [Left] Several meetings were held in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, prior to moving to the Manzanar incarceration camp in California. I attended those meetings. What was announced was that all Japanese Americans residing in California and the West Coast should move to …

English translations of handwritten annotations from "George Naohara photo album" (csudh_nao_0001), page 6: [Right top] I (George Naohara) and Keny Kuwahara [Kenneth Kenji Kuwahara], who had been drafted but was discharged. He was fluent in Japanese and English. Immediately after arriving at the C.C.C. Camp, an announcement of the U.S. government order was made in English. …