[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E44]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING AN AMERICAN HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 28, 1998

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize Fred 
Korematsu, a man who stands as an example of the immutable struggle for 
human rights and social equity. Fifty-six years ago, a young Japanese 
American man stood up for justice and, as a result, had his freedom 
taken away. In 1942, Fred Korematsu resisted the order which sent 
120,000 Japanese Americans into internment, as perceived threats to 
national security during World War II. Fred Korematsu defied the order 
because he was an American citizen who merely wanted to life his life 
as an American.
  His refusal to report to internment resulted in conviction of a 
felony. he was placed in a confinement camp in Utah. In 1944, with the 
help of the American Civil Liberties Union, his case was brought before 
the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of that discriminatory 
order, but the court upheld the conviction.
  It took four decades for that injustice to be redressed.
  In 1983, evidence was brought to light which showed officials in the 
Navy and the Justice Department had suppressed information showing 
Japanese Americans were not a threat to national security. With that 
proof, Fred Korematsu made another appeal for justice. Recognizing that 
internment had been based on fraudulent information, a federal court 
finally vacated his conviction.
  On January 15, 1998, the man who was handcuffed and taken to jail as 
an enemy alien over half a century ago, was awarded the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor our nation can bestow. His 
steadfast belief in freedom and liberty should have evidenced him as a 
true American in 1943. today, I applaud Fred Korematsu on his reception 
of the Medal of Freedom. It is a recognition too long deferred.
  His case reminds us of the ease with which discrimination can be 
perpetrated and freedom violated. The internment of Japanese Americans 
is a deplorable part of our nation's history, and it should always be 
remembered as such. They were American citizens treated as alien 
enemies. Let Fred Korematsu continue to stand as an ideal of commitment 
to progress and perseverance against injustice.

                          ____________________