Civilian Exclusion Order: Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry
date: label: date made
content: 1942-05-12
name: label: maker
content: United States Army
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, a presidential executive order that authorized the deportation of Japanese-Americans and Italian-Americans to prison camps. Shortly following this, orders were issued to Japanese Americans for their forced relocation.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This is Civilian Exclusion Order No. 69, issued by the Headquarters of the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army to all persons of Japanese ancestry. It is dated May 12, 1942, and Lieutenant General J.L. DeWitt signed off on the order. This Order contains instructions for the "evacuation" and relocation of people of Japanese ancestry.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This Order was pursuant to the provisions of Public Proclamations dated March 2, 1942, and March 16, 1942, which established Miltitary Areas No. 1 and No. 2, which encompassed parts of Washington, Oregon, and California, along with some parts of Arizona. It stated that any residents of Japanese ancestry were to be excluded from the areas for the purposes of national security, and included lists of areas where Japanese residents were not allowed to go.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This Order contained instructions to citizens on how to proceed with their "evacuation". The Order stated that from and after 12 o'clock noon, P.W.T. of Monday, May 18th, 1942, all persons of Japanese ancestry (alien and non-alien) were to be excluded from Military No. 1, which affected the County of Colusa and the Counties of Yuba and Sutter in the state of California. Anyone found in the area after the stated date or anyone who refused to comply with government instructions were liable to criminal penalties.
label: Description (Brief)
content: In this Order, individuals and familes was advised to arrive at the Civil Control Station in Yuba County between the hours of 8 A.M. and 5 P.M. on Wednesday, May 13, 1942, and Thursday, May 14, 1942. From there, the individuals and families were given instructions and provided transportation to a temporary living center.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Order instructed that "evacuees" bring a list of items to the Civil Control Center, which contained bedding and linens (but no mattresses) for every member of the family, toilet articles for every member, extra clothing for each member, and essential personal effects for every member of the family.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Civil Control Station was equipped to assist in the "evacuation" by giving advice and instructions, providing services with respect to management, leasing, sale, storage, or other disposition of most kinds of property (real estate, business and professional equipment, household goods, boats, automobiles, livestock, etc), provide temporary residence elsewhere for all Japanese in family groupos, and transport persons and a limited amount of clothing and equipment to their new residences.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Yuba City
topic: label: Subject
content: World War II
label: related event
content: World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Japanese American
label: See more items in
content: Executive Order 9066
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Robert Fuchigami
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2015.0117.01
label: accession number
content: 2015.0117
label: catalog number
content: 2015.0117.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: document
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 in x 6 in; 22.86 cm x 15.24 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall, maximum (exhibit or expanded): 9 in x 12 in; 22.86 cm x 30.48 cm