IIB
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2442
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
NOVEMBER 16, 1999
Received
NOVEMBER 19, 1999
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
AN ACT
To provide for the preparation of a Government report detail-
ing injustices suffered by Italian Americans during World
War II, and a formal acknowledgment of such injustices
by the President.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wartime Violation of
Italian American Civil Liberties Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The freedom of more than 600,000 Italian-
born immigrants in the United States and their fam-
ilies was restricted during World War II by Govern-
ment measures that branded them ‘‘enemy aliens’’
and included carrying identification cards, travel re-
strictions, and seizure of personal property.
(2) During World War II more than 10,000
Italian Americans living on the West Coast were
forced to leave their homes and prohibited from en-
tering coastal zones. More than 50,000 were sub-
jected to curfews.
(3) During World War II thousands of Italian
American immigrants were arrested, and hundreds
were interned in military camps.
(4) Hundreds of thousands of Italian Ameri-
cans performed exemplary service and thousands
sacrificed their lives in defense of the United States.
(5) At the time, Italians were the largest for-
eign-born group in the United States, and today are
the fifth largest immigrant group in the United
States, numbering approximately 15 million.
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(6) The impact of the wartime experience was
devastating to Italian American communities in the
United States, and its effects are still being felt.
(7) A deliberate policy kept these measures
from the public during the war. Even 50 years later
much information is still classified, the full story re-
mains unknown to the public, and it has never been
acknowledged in any official capacity by the United
States Government.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
The Inspector General of the Department of Justice
shall conduct a comprehensive review of the treatment by
the United States Government of Italian Americans dur-
ing World War II, and not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this Act shall submit to the Con-
gress a report that documents the findings of such review.
The report shall cover the period between September 1,
1939, and December 31, 1945, and shall include the fol-
lowing:
(1) The names of all Italian Americans who
were taken into custody in the initial roundup fol-
lowing the attack on Pearl Harbor, and prior to the
United States declaration of war against Italy.
(2) The names of all Italian Americans who
were taken into custody.
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(3) The names of all Italian Americans who
were interned and the location where they were in-
terned.
(4) The names of all Italian Americans who
were ordered to move out of designated areas under
the United States Army’s ‘‘Individual Exclusion
Program’’.
(5) The names of all Italian Americans who
were arrested for curfew, contraband, or other viola-
tions under the authority of Executive Order No.
9066.
(6) Documentation of Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation raids on the homes of Italian Americans.
(7) A list of ports from which Italian American
fishermen were restricted.
(8) The names of Italian American fishermen
who were prevented from fishing in prohibited zones
and therefore unable to pursue their livelihoods.
(9) The names of Italian Americans whose
boats were confiscated.
(10) The names of Italian American railroad
workers who were prevented from working in prohib-
ited zones.
(11) A list of all civil liberties infringements
suffered by Italian Americans during World War II,
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as a result of Executive Order No. 9066, including
internment, hearings without benefit of counsel, ille-
gal searches and seizures, travel restrictions, enemy
alien registration requirements, employment restric-
tions, confiscation of property, and forced evacuation
from homes.
(12) An explanation of why some Italian Ameri-
cans were subjected to civil liberties infringements,
as a result of Executive Order No. 9066, while other
Italian Americans were not.
(13) A review of the wartime restrictions on
Italian Americans to determine how civil liberties
can be better protected during national emergencies.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the story of the treatment of Italian Ameri-
cans during World War II needs to be told in order
to acknowledge that these events happened, to re-
member those whose lives were unjustly disrupted
and whose freedoms were violated, to help repair the
damage to the Italian American community, and to
discourage the occurrence of similar injustices and
violations of civil liberties in the future;
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(2) Federal agencies, including the Department
of Education and the National Endowment for the
Humanities, should support projects such as—
(A) conferences, seminars, and lectures to
heighten awareness of this unfortunate chapter
in our Nation’s history;
(B) the refurbishment of and payment of
all expenses associated with the traveling ex-
hibit ‘‘Una Storia Segreta’’, exhibited at major
cultural and educational institutions throughout
the United States; and
(C) documentaries to allow this issue to be
presented to the American public to raise its
awareness;
(3) an independent, volunteer advisory com-
mittee should be established comprised of represent-
atives of Italian American organizations, historians,
and other interested individuals to assist in the com-
pilation, research, and dissemination of information
concerning the treatment of Italian Americans; and
(4) after completion of the report required by
this Act, financial support should be provided for the
education of the American public through the pro-
duction of a documentary film suited for public
broadcast.
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SEC. 5. FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
The President shall, on behalf of the United States
Government, formally acknowledge that these events dur-
ing World War II represented a fundamental injustice
against Italian Americans.
Passed the House of Representatives November 10,
1999.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.