Evening star., 1942-05-13
Army Plans for Alien
Evacuations in East
Hit in To!an Report
Review of Problem
Asked by Committee
To Determine Policy
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

Implying that Army plans Tor
dealing with aliens are too sharp,
the Tolan Committee on National
Defense Migration of the House
disclosed its fears today that pres
ent evacuation plans may entail
the movement of nearly 1,000,000
persons in the Eastern United
States during the next two or three
months.
The committee found this pros
pect in the order by 1t. Gen. Hugh
A. Drum of April q announcing
his intention to set up military
areas covering the Atlantic Sea-
board and extending inland to
cover 16 States, including New
York and Pennsylvania. Gen.
Drums action was modelled on the
evacuation program already insti-
tuted on the West Coast, where
both alien Japanese and Japanese
Americans have been moved from
their homes.
Asks Review of Problem.
The committee asked for a care
full review of the whole East Coast
problem. It's report to the House
said the committee was concerned
whether Gen. Drums order did not
exceed the aims of President
Roosevelt's executive order of Feb
ruary 10, which transferred from
the Justice Department to the War
Department control over the prob
lem of aliens in defense areas. 1t
urged the immediate Qualification
of this executive order.
Considerations both of economy
and equity dictate that dangerous
aliens must be interned and loyal
aliens accepted into normal COM
munity life with the necessary
minor restrictions), the commit
tee reported in arguing against fur
ther mass excavations, such as have
taken place among the Japanese.
Referring to World War I, the COM
mittee said:
The number of alien enemies
permanently interned during that
war was relatively insignificant
fewer than 5000 out of 100000 Ger
mans and 3,5O0,0OO to 1000 900 Aus
tro- And more than
half of these 5000 apprehended by
the Federal authorities were subse-
quently released by parole system
which gave rise to no mishaps and
which returned these people to use
full employment.
Cite Policy Failures.
I'm time of war, no nation can
afford a policy of indifference to
the nationals of enemy countries
who reside in it. But no nation in
modern times has successfully fol-
lowed a policy of wholesale and in
discriminate internment of enemy
aliens"
The committee noted that Gen.
Drum advocated policy of discre-
ton in the evacuation on the East
Coast, but it thought he left a
loophole which would set up policy
of general evacuation. The COM
mittee said that hearing boards
which would judge the cases of
individual Germans and Italians
have not been set up.
The committee takes note that
even for loyal aliens, discrimination
by private employers is a serious
bar to their employment" the re-
port said. The curfew orders and
restrictions on mobility are already
eliminating the occupations of many
and increasing their difficulties"
Sees Test for Democracy.
The committee urged an improved
method of protecting the property
left behind by the evacuated Japan
ese and added:
1T has become clear that a cur
tailment of the rights and privileges
of the American-born japanese cit
izens of this country will furnish
one of the gravest tests of demo-
cratic institutions in our history.
The Nation must decide and
Congress must gravely consider as
a matter of national policy, the
extent to which citizenship is a
guaranty Of equal rights and privi-
leges during time of war. Unless a
clarlflcation Is forthcoming, the
evacuation Of the japanese popu-
lation will serve as an incident
sufficiently disturbing to lower
seriously the morale of vast groups
Of foreign-born among our people. "
The committee composed of
Chairman Tolan. Representatives
Sparkman of Alabama and Arnold
of Illinois, Democrats; Curtis of Ne
braska and Bender of Ohio, Repub-
licans-proposed that automobiles
belonging to evacuated aliens be
disposed of at public sales to indi-
viduas engaged in necessary wa,
work.