Topaz Oral History Project research files: Published articles (1920s-1980s)

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America without support. He sent his ~ war and since that became 1.an to take his family back to mother and family there. So, tyalty to Japan was not the the minds of such people but ·i boys came in asking to be serve in the U.S. army. Each seek legal advice concerning .·ould inherit from their par­i in the United States and I y in the army. er capable Japanese were left otested the evacuation from ; were formed to press for a ;ervice of the 442d Infantry ·ly ·of Nisei, in the European e public opinion and finally )unced that as of January 2, 'e permitted to return to the mmittee negotiated with the 1942. During the next two :he building, which was left rs painted walls, restored the ure contributed by friends. the flow of returnees began d at one dollar a day for ten back their rented properties en days the price was raised us. Some of the Japanese we helped alien Buddhist · temples. By summer, the • remaining evacuees had no ·or them. The treatment of vho certified them for relief · not to ask for help except · 75 found work somewhere nfort to them to know they •ecame a hazard increasingly nzr Wartime Relocation of Japanese I 139 expensive to police. The last residents were brought back and estab­lished in trailer towns recently vacated by war workers. Government and private agencies helped determine the relocation of these final groups. The war against Japan ended on August 15, 1945 with persons of Japanese ancestry scattered all over the United States. Big cities, Chicago and New York, had the great st concentrations but almost every state had some. The record of the Japanese was impressive; everywhere those who started with humble jobs advanced rapidly. Many stayed where they relocated; others, especially those with property, returned to the West Coast. During the three years of expulsion from the West Coast the number of Nisei of voting age increased, as those just under 21 made up the largest number of any age group in 1941. The leaders of the Japanese American Citizens League were active; lawyers and civic lead­ers among them worked for restoration of rights and property. New opportunities for work in professional and business fields opened up. Little by little persons of Japanese ancestry won their rightful place, including the right of the first generation to become citizens. The evacuation camps left a black mark in the record of American justice, but their tragic effects were ameliorated by the character and determination of the Japanese themselves and the efforts of the Japanese American Citizens League. This organization worked effectively, with­out hate but with remarkable understanding of the war hysteria, to enrich the lives of Japanese Americans and reestablish their rightful place in American society. Americans have generally failed to maintain racial equality--our record is not good. Negroes were brought here as slaves; Indians were driven from their land; Orientals were encouraged to immigrate to pro­vide cheap labor; and all these racial groups have been the target of prejudice and discrimination. Now that the American conscience has been aroused great strides have been made in erasing the dismal record of the past. Perhaps no group has done so much for itself and become so IDUfh a part of American life as have the Japanese. Despite their treatment which involved discrimination, financial loss, and evacuation, they proved most loyal. NOTES 1. Editors' note. In some communities the government formally designated b ees for storing personal goods which were returned undamaged to the eva­uees at the end of the war. However, the authorities in charge often made no pcciaJ effort to inform families of the storage arrangements and some were even