Smith urges FBI action be taken to stop injustices done to Japanese American citizens during World War II. Letter mentions correspondence from a Japanese pastor in Livingston, California, near Modesto and Merced, describing "no less than eight shooting incidents in which night-riders have shot into the homes of our church members." Smith also describes shooting and arson incidents at Orisi, Selma, Concord, Santa, Cressy, and Livingston; bemoans the "inept[itude]" and "inefficien[cy]" of "country sheriffs" and the legal system in holding perpetrators responsible for such incidents; and mentions that he and others, who had not favored resettling people until after the war, will work to protect those loyal to the United States. Smith states that these incidents are a "disgrace to our country," especially in light of the UNCIO Conference [The United Nations Conference on International Organization]. Papers of two generations of the Smith family, Dr. Frank Herron Smith and his son Dr. Morris Eugene “Gene” Smith, including vintage broadsides and government reports on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and correspondence from the elder Smith to government officials advocating for improved treatment and safety for returning incarcerees.
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