Askov American., 1942-05-07

Johnson, Harry w. Ladder, Rt. Rev.
Mons. Luigi G. Ligutti, Reinhold Mel
buhr, Clarence E. Pickett, Harold
Rugg, Mark Starr, Norman Thomas,
Ernest Fremont Title, Oswald Gar
rison Willard and Mary E. Woolley.
Herewith is the complete letter:
Dear Mr.. President: We are aware
that your executive order of Feb
ruary 10Th, under which more than
one hundred thousand aliens and
Americans of japanese origin (of
which seventy-one thousand are citi-
zens) are now being evacuated from
the West coast, was prompted by a
sense of military urgency.
"We recognize fully the difficulties
of the situation. But we have seen
no adequate evidence to convince us
that an order giving complete power
to the Secretary Of War or to the
commander of each military area to
exclude from designated areas all
citizens, or to restrict their actions
in any way he sees fit, is either con-
stitutional or democratic. Enforcing
this on the Japanese alone approxi-
mates the totalitarian theory of JUS
tice practiced by the Nazis in their
treatment of the Jews.
at goes without saying that we
fully support all necessary measures
of counter-espionage for the detec-
ton and punishment of spies and
traitors. But the overwhelming num-
Der of victims of the present military
orders are in no sense spies or trait
ors. Our deep desire is for rescind-
ing of your order which is so at var
lance with democracy and the Amer
lean tradition.
"The public opinion which prompted
and supported your order seems, on
the basis of the evidence submitted
to the Tolan Committee and from
other reliable statements, to have
been born in large part of ancient
racial prejudices, greed for the land
the Japanese have developed, and a
popular hysteria inflamed by stories
of Japanese sabotage and disloyalty
in Hawaii. The truth of the latter
has been formally denied by the
Hawaiian Territorial Delegate and the
Chief of Police of Honolulu.
"The immediate and specific pur-
pose of this letter is to urge you to
extend to Japanese aliens, and espe-
cially to citizens of Japanese origin
on the West coast, the right to a
hearing before civilian boards to at
test their loyalty. This should be
done, if possible, before evacuation
from their homes and businesses, but
also, in cases where they have al
ready been removed, in order to
establish the right to return to their
homes.
''This is principle partially estab-
lished in dealing with German and
Italian aliens. It has been recon-
mended in detail by the Tolan Com
mittee of the House of Representa-
tives for the benefit of Italian and
German aliens resident in the great
area from which all Japanese have
been evacuated. To grant to Italian
and German aliens a right denied to
American citizens of japanese origin
is type of race discrimination for
which there is no ethical justification.
Many of these citizens are graduates
of our schools and colleges whose
usefulness as workers and citizens
has been attested by the leaders of
communities in which they live.
This whole process, we believe, is of
itself a blow to our democracy and
will gravely affect our reputation for
racial fair play among the nations
of the world. 1t is the type of dis
elimination which, throughout much
of Asia, will greatly strengthen the
hands of our enemies.
"We commend all action which has
been taken, or may be taken under
your authority to safeguard, as far
as possible, the rights and interests
of the victims of the present situa-
ton. We hope that the War Relo-
cation Authority, in all its plans, will
protect our fellow citizens of Jap
anese origin from exploitation by
private interests which have acquired
their land, or from a special serfdom
in work batallions under the army"
nE naI