Titled as: From a Nisei who said "No." Account by an unnamed Community Analyst at Manzanar of the "life experience and viewpoints" influencing a young man's "No" response to the Army registration form's Question 28. The account stems from the analyst's notes, reproduced verbatim, from an exchange between the young man and the Hearing Board authorized to decide questions concerning segregation. The account also includes a summary from an extensive follow-up interview, in which the man discusses his family's history of working as farmers in the United States; their experience of racism; their initial desire to serve in the military and the effect of the forced removal ("evacuation") on their thinking; the effects of propaganda from media including the Los Angeles Examiner and the Los Angeles Times; the different expectations of Issei and Nisei regarding their prospects for treatment during the War; and the reasons for his "No" response to Question 28. The Willard Schmidt collection, documents some of the administrative duties of Willard Schmidt, the Chief of Internal Security for the War Relocation Authority and the Tule Lake incarceration/segregation camp. This collection contains administrative records and photos documenting the Tule Lake camp, the largest incarceration camp with a peak population of 18,789 and with the most turbulent history. In 1943, the camp was turned into a segregation center to house "disloyal" Japanese Americans relocated from other camps based on their answers to a confusing loyalty questionnaire. The camp endured martial law from November 1943- Jan 1944 after escalating protests and unrest. The hostile environment of the camp lead to many incarcerees renouncing their American citizenship upon the end of incarceration, a process which took 14 years to reverse if they did not wish to be deported to Japan.
Identity and values--Nisei World War II--Administration--War Relocation Authority World War II--Administration--Registration and 'loyalty questionnaire Race and racism Identity and values--Issei Industry and employment--Agriculture Race and racism--Discrimination Religion and churches--Buddhism Religion and churches--Christianity World War II--'Enemy Alien' Classification World War II--Economic losses World War II--Incarceration camps--Impact of incarceration World War II--Mass removal ('Evacuation') World War II--Military service World War II--Propaganda--Media propaganda Geographic communities--California World War II--Administration--War Relocation Authority--Community Analysis Section
Place
Newell, California Incarceration Camps--Tule Lake
Source
San Jose State University Department of Special Collections and Archives;
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.