•HRES 56 IH 
permanent residents of Japanese ancestry in internment 
camps during World War II; 
Whereas the freedom of Italian Americans and German 
Americans was also restricted during World War II by 
measures that branded them enemy aliens and included 
required identification cards, travel restrictions, seizure 
of personal property, and internment; 
Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive 
Order 9066 on February 19, 1976, in his speech, ‘‘An 
American Promise’’; 
Whereas Congress adopted legislation which was signed by 
President Jimmy Carter on July 31, 1980, establishing 
the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment 
of Civilians to investigate the claim that the incarceration 
of Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens during 
World War II was justified by military necessity; 
Whereas the Commission held 20 days of hearings and heard 
from over 750 witnesses on this matter and published its 
findings in a report entitled ‘‘Personal Justice Denied’’; 
Whereas the conclusion of the Commission was that the pro-
mulgation of Executive Order 9066 was not justified by 
military necessity, and that the decision to issue the 
order was shaped by ‘‘race prejudice, war hysteria, and 
a failure of political leadership’’; 
Whereas Congress enacted the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, in 
which it apologized on behalf of the Nation for ‘‘funda-
mental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitu-
tional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry’’; 
Whereas President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties 
Act of 1988 into law on August 10, 1988, proclaiming 
that day to be a ‘‘great day for America’’;
•HRES 56 IH 
Whereas the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 established the Civil 
Liberties Public Education Fund, the purpose of which is 
‘‘to sponsor research and public educational activities and 
to publish and distribute the hearings, findings, and rec-
ommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation 
and Internment of Civilians so that the events sur-
rounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment 
of civilians and permanent resident aliens of Japanese 
ancestry will be remembered, and so that the causes and 
circumstances of this and similar events may be illumi-
nated and understood’’; 
Whereas Congress adopted the Wartime Violation of Italian 
Americans Civil Liberties Act, which was signed by Presi-
dent Bill Clinton on November 7, 2000, which included 
provisions which resulted in a report containing detailed 
information on the types of violations that occurred, as 
well as lists of individuals of Italian ancestry that were 
arrested, detained, and interned; 
Whereas the Japanese American community recognizes a Na-
tional Day of Remembrance on February 19th of each 
year to educate the public about the lessons learned from 
the internment to ensure that it never happens again; 
and 
Whereas the Day of Remembrance provides an opportunity 
for all people to reflect on the importance of justice and 
civil liberties during times of uncertainty and emergency: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the historical significance of Feb-
ruary 19, 1942, the date Executive Order 9066 was 
signed by President Roosevelt, restricting the free-
•HRES 56 IH 
dom of Japanese Americans, German Americans, 
and Italian Americans, and legal resident aliens 
through required identification cards, travel restric-
tions, seizure of personal property, and internment; 
and 
(2) supports the goals of the Japanese Amer-
ican, German American, and Italian American com-
munities in recognizing a National Day of Remem-
brance to increase public awareness of these events.
Æ