The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1947-06-10
EISENHOWER'S
BROTHER OK'S
CLAIMS ACTION

WASHINGTON, d. c.. June 10
At the request of Mike Masaoka,
national legislative director of the
JACL Anti-Discrimination Com
mittee. DIR. Milton S. Eisenhower,
the first director of the War Re-
location Authority, filed state
ment with the Gwynne Subcommit-
tee of the House Judiciary Commit
tee urging favorable action on the
Evacuation Claims Commission Bill
Included in the record of the
public hearings held last Thurs
ray on H. r. 2768 before the
Gwynne Subcommittee. the clerk of
the Judiciary Committee made the
statement public today.
Now president of the Kansas
State College at Manhattan. Kan
sa5, and the United States dele
gate to the United Nations Econo-
mic. Social and Cultural Organi-
cation, DR.. Eisenhower was appoint
ed to administer the WRA by the
late President Roosevelt when this
agency was created by executive
order to supervise the relocation
program.
AS one who had the unpleasant
duty of organizing the War Relo-
cation Authority, and of admin
istering its program i'm the early
months of 1912, feel that should
write you in support Of II. r. 2768
| which your subcommittee is now
considering" DR.. Eisenhower wrote
Congressman John w. Gwynne,
Rep, OF Iowa, chairman Of the Jul
dietary Committee Subcommittee
that was conducting hearings on
the bill.
After briefly summarizing his
recollections of the handling of
evacuee property, the former WRA
director said: "All of us who were
connected with the evacuation in
its early stages were deeply inn
pressed by the cooperative attitude
of the evacuees and by the fact that
they were compelled to make enor-
nous sacrifices as they were moved
from their home to assembly CEN
tiers and later to relocation cen
tiers.
Had 1t not been for the whole
hearted cooperation of the vast ma
jority of persons of japanese des-
cent-most of whom were intense
ly loyal to this country-the eva
cuation would have resulted in
turmoil. AS it was, the entire
movement was accomplished with a
minimum of delay. and in an or
derby fashion. But. as I have said
the evacuees had to make great
sacrifices
General Eisenhower's younger
brother recalled that: From the
first it seemed TO me that the Uni
ted States government should
make some arrangement to COM
pensate evacuees for these extra
ordinary losses. H. r. 2768," he
said, would establish what seems
to me an acceptable procedure for
accomplishing this"
The letter concludes: I 80. mere
ly wish to say most earnestly that
think simple justice to the eva
cuees who were loyal to this coun-
try during the war calls for the
enactment of the bill in question
And 1. should like to record with
you what I have repeatedly said
during the past five years-that
the vast majority of all persons of
japanese descent in the United
States never faltered in their sup
port of this country and its great
principles-that, indeed. no other
group III hHltIlCdIl has Olltlcu DtJ-
ter testimony Of loyalty under such
cruelty trying conditions"
Masaoka disclosed that he had
! contacted DR.. Eisenhower by tele-
phone in Manhattan prior to his
departure for Mexico City to attend
a conference of UNESCO. DR.. Ell
senhower dictated his statement
for the airport.
His continuing interest IN the
japanese Americans is revealed In
his requested greetings. extended
through the Ado director, ito all
my friends among the japanese