Concentration camps in USA during WW2

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Caldric
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#16

Post by Caldric » 16 May 2004, 20:59

Enacted by the United States Congress
August 10, 1988

“The Congress recognizes that, as described in the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent residents of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II.

As the Commission documents, these actions were carried out without adequate security reasons and without any acts of espionage or sabotage documented by the Commission, and were motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.

The excluded individuals of Japanese ancestry suffered enormous damages, both material and intangible, and there were incalculable losses in education and job training, all of which resulted in significant human suffering for which appropriate compensation has not been made.

For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of the Nation.”
Based on the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), the purposes of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 with respect to persons of Japanese ancestry included the following:

1) To acknowledge the fundamental injustice of the evacuation, relocation and internment of citizens and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry during World War II;

2) To apologize on behalf of the people of the United States for the evacuation, internment, and relocations of such citizens and permanent residing aliens;

3) To provide for a public education fund to finance efforts to inform the public about the internment so as to prevent the recurrence of any similar event;

4) To make restitution to those individuals of Japanese ancestry who were interned;

5) To make more credible and sincere any declaration of concern by the United States over violations of human rights committed by other nations.
It is not like we do not know it was wrong Jure it was very wrong and people knew it from the start. It was a time of insane prejudice and fear, perhaps in a strange was it also protected these people from zealots who would have persecuted them because of Japanese actions.

One of the most highly decorated units in American military history came from these camps and fought the Germans with such zeal it made military and government bow in shame.

It was a civil right violation and circumventing the constitutional rights of American citizens. We learn of it in hopes we can keep it from ever happening again.

Although I think you are trying to make a connection between German Concentration camps and these. Besides people having their freedom removed by force there is little connection. We unlike the Germans did not build death camps and gas chambers. As bad as it was we still can say we maintained a semblance of our humanity. I do not think the German Camps can speak the same.

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panzertruppe2001
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#17

Post by panzertruppe2001 » 17 May 2004, 00:32

The Presidentil Proclamations of December 8, 1941 providing for the arrest and internment of German and Italian Aliens (Nos. 2526 and 2527, respectively) read as follows:


I do not understand something. Why did Roosevelt order the Presidential Proclamations about German and Italian Aliens on December 8, 1941?
In this date United States was on peace with Germany and Italy (the war with these nations began on December 11, 1941 and because these countries declared war against United States). It's strange.


David Thompson
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#18

Post by David Thompson » 17 May 2004, 01:08

panzertruppe2001 -- Japan attacked the US on 7 Dec 1941. Germany and Italy were allies of Japan. FDR had probably had his fill of surprises on 8 Dec, and he had no reason to believe those nations instructed their citizens resident in the US not to spy on or harm the US in any way. Although you remarked "It's strange," I disagree. There's nothing strange about being prudent. It's a quality generally esteemed in leaders.

For interested readers, a collection of summary FBI files on the topic of custodial detention in WWII is available in pdf format at:

http://foia.fbi.gov/custodet.htm

bonzen
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#19

Post by bonzen » 17 May 2004, 02:13

It should be noted that Canada did the same with its citizens of Japanese ancestry.

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