William M. Marutani Papers
name: label: Creator
content: Marutani, William M.
label: Names
content: Japanese Americans Citizens League
label: Names
content: Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians
label: Donor
content: Marutani, Victoria
topic: label: Topic
content: Concentration camps -- 1942-1945 -- United States
label: Topic
content: Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment -- 1942-1945
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated to the Archives Center by Marutani's widow, Victoria Marutani, in 2005.
creator: label: Creator
content: Marutani, William M.
setName: label: See more items in
content: William M. Marutani Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: These materials are arranged chronologically and include information about Marutani's life and professional activities.  The series includes information about his time in the Army, his association with Tule Lake, his work on the Loving v. Virginia case, photographs, a plaque from the Tule Lake Reunion Committee, and lecture research and notes.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William M. Marutani, a second generation Japanese American, was born in Kent, Washington.  In the fall of 1941, he enrolled in courses at the University of Washington, but was forced to leave because of Executive Order 9066, which initiated the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.  Marutani was taken to Fresno Assembly Center in the spring of 1942, and three months later was transferred to Tule Lake concentration camp, where he spent an additional three months.  At the age of 20, he volunteered for the armed forces but was denied because of his Japanese ancestry.  However, in 1944, he was inducted into a military intelligence school and later sent to Japan where he served in the Counter Intelligence Corps.  In 1953, Marutani graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and joined the firm of MacCoy, Evans, and Lewis.  He provided legal counsel for the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and presented arguments in Loving v. Virginia, the ruling that struck down anti-miscegenation laws.  In 1981, President Jimmy Carter appointed Marutani to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).  This commission was created to investigate the incarceration of Japanese Americans and reparations for that action.  Marutani was the only Japanese American to serve on the Commission.  Based on his recommendations, Congress issued a payment with an apology to those affected.  Marutani accepted the apology from President George Bush but refused the payment.  Marutani passed away on November 15, 2004, at the age of 81.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Cubic foot (4 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1940-2003
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0890
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Awards
label: Type
content: Legal documents
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection arranged into one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Jeff Meade, June 9, 2005; Katherine Chouiniere, updated, December, 2005; supervised by John Fleckner, archivist
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 1950-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Awards
label: Genre/Form
content: Legal documents -- 1940-2000
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Papers mostly relating to Marutani's activism on behalf of former inmates of Japanese American internment camps during World War II, including: papers relating to Marutani's service with the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, notes, facts and copies of historic documents he gathered; correspondence with former internees; photographs of camps and internees; legislative and litigative materials; and papers relating to Marutani's own wartime and post-war experiences.

This collection documents Marutani's activism on behalf of former Japanese American internment camp residents.  Included are papers relating to Marutani's involvement with the CWRIC, notes, research, and photocopies of historic documents; correspondence; photographs of camps and internees; and legislative and litigation materials.  Also, there are papers relating to Marutani's own wartime and post-war experiences.  

Series 1: Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), 1940-1990 
These materials relate to the investigation by the Commission and the response to the results.  Series one is divided into two subseries:  Correspondence, 1980-1984 and Reference Materials, 1942-1990.  The correspondence is in the original order that Marutani created and relates to research, communications between Commission members, and reactions to the Commission's findings.  The reference materials also include research done in affiliation with the Commission.  

Series Two: William M. Marutani Papers, 1942-2003