Evening star., 1944-12-18
Reaction Is Varied
On Return Of Japs
To 3Coast States
Factors Include Coins
In Pacific; Order
Effective January z
BULLETIN.

Inc supreme Court today
upheld the action of the United
States in excluding American
citizens of japanese ancestry
from military zones on the
West Coast as a safety meas
ure right after Pearl Harbor.
The court voted 6 to 3 on the
issue, with Justice Black read
ing the opinion in which he
declared 1--WE are unable to
conclude that it was beyond
the war powers of Congress
and of the Executive to ex-
clude those of japanese an
cestry from the West Coast
war area at the time they did"
By the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18.-
japanese removed from the Pa
ciflc Coast early in the war will
be permitted to return to their
former homes in California, Ore
gon and Washington after jan
uary l.
Maj. Gen. Henry C. Pratt, chief
of the Western Defense Command
announced yesterday that the War
Department had decided to revoke
its security order, under which the
persons of japanese ancestry we're
evacuated. Gen. Pratt said the
move was because of favorable
progress of the war in the Pacific
as well as other developments"
Henceforth, he said, they will be
excluded only when the Army con.
siders them, personally, dangerous
All persons not specifically excluded
will be permitted to return.
Reaction Is Varied.
Reception of the announcement
throughout the West was varied. Ir
Los Angeles, outspoken Mayor
Fletcher Bowron declared that if the
Government permits the japanese
to return it should send troops te
protect them.
IF they come back and start
moving war workers to get a place
to live, I don't know what the result
will be-" Mayor Bowron said, add.
ing that because of inadequate
police facilities I'VE just can't guar.
antee them protection"
Gov. Earl Warren of California
said in a formal statement at Sacre.
mento that the Arrny's decision hae
been reached on the basis of thu
military situation as it exists to.
day." and appealed for IAN atti
tude that will discourage friction
and prevent civil disorder
1T was uncertain how many
evacuees would be affected by the
order. More than 115,0OO person.
of Japanese ancestry were evacuated
in the order of March "a, 1912, ano
it was estimated that there are
now approximately 10000 under
jurisdiction of the War Relocation
Authority.
Spokesman for the Western De-
fense Command said that lifting of
the ban will not mean sudden
return of population, adding furth-
er strain to war-taxed housing
conditions The defense command
said it expects the WRA to see that
the process is gradual, and added
that those permitted to return will
be carefully investigated.
In Boise, Gov. C. A. Bottolfsen of
Idaho voiced hearty accord with the
order. Idaho is the site of the
Minidoka relocation center, which
at one time housed 10000 Japa-
ese-Americans.
Having proved themselves loyal
American citizens, these people
should be given every opportunity
to return to their homes =" Gov.
Bottolfsen said.
Yoshito Fujii, chairman of the
Minidoka Community Council, told
Seattle Post-Intellingncer repre-
sentative the $500 Minidoka in
ternees have been waiting for this
day. We long to return to our
homes, our farms, our businesses.
We feel we are good Americans ."
At Salt Lake City, Saburo KIDD,
president OF the Japanese-American
Citizens League and a former San
Francisco lawyer, termed the action
(See JAPANESE, Page Aid