Evening star., 1941-06-29
Find Democracy in Montana Detention Cam
By James J. Strebie.

Democracy has caught up with some
Of Dictator Mussolini's men-and they
love it.
1t had to be forced upon them to be
sure, but once the hundreds of Italian
soldiers sent to the alien detention camp
at Fort MiSSoula, Mont, had tasted of
cooperation, responsibility and the bal
lot, they showed they wanted more of it.
Here is the story immigration and
Naturalization Service officials brought
back from the mountain-girdledr reserva-
tlon near Missoula which the Italians
promptly named Bella Vista:
When the first trainload of Italians
these were sailors held for deportation
on charges of overstaying their leave
reached the camp, they were asked to
elect a ~commandant' to whom they
would be responsible and who could act
as Intermediary between them and the
immigration Service officials. The de
tenees" Chats the word the service
prefers elected the purser of the S. S.
Conte Biancamano.
Officers Are Overruled.
Soon the officers and crews of other
italian ships reached the valley, and
some of the officers promptly complained
about taking orders from purser. The
detenees promptly agreed to new elec-
tion-and again chose the purser.
Fort Missoula was built as an Army
camp, the reservation covering an area
a mile and half square, and required
some changes to meet detention require
ments. An area 300 oy 900 feet was
marked off around the four barracks,
and poles were set for the 10-foot-high
fence. And that was the situation when
125 Italians arrived to be detained
poles, but no fence.
This situation could have been difficult,
but an immigration Service official
merely pointed out to the detenees that
there was supposed to be a fence, and
they were ION their honor" to observe
the boundary. To carry this out fully,
the space between two posts was desig-
mated gate" and no one - including
guards and of1cials-was to enter or
leave the area at any other point.
And no one did, with the exception
of two detenees who unthinkingly strolled
a few feet beyond the imaginary wire
and had to be called back by a guard.
Their fellow detenees not only repri-
manded them for this infraction of
''honor," but ostracized them for days.
And for weeks the patrolman who had
called them back couldn't meet either
"culprit' without listening to profuSe
apologies.
Voluntary System Works.
There is a fence there now, of course.
but perhaps it could have been used
elsewhere, for thus far Bella Vista hasn't
had a sign of attempted escape.
1t must be remembered that the de-
tenees are not prisoners and are not
treated as such. Theirs is voluntary
and cooperative system which has
worked out fine thus far, although the
camp is such that if democracy pals on
the Italians there can be instituted in
stantly a maXimum-security, non-co-
operative plan.
This is how the democracy works:
Under supervision of the elected com
mandant," the detenees have established
a complete system of discipline and pun
ishment. They do all the work within
the fenced-in area-cooking, baking
dishwashing, furnace stoking policing of
grounds, laundry and general cleanup
activities.
A council of six, elected by the detenees,
has been established to "try" breaches OF
discipline. An immigration Service
officer sits with this council, but does not