[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 158 (Wednesday, November 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14557-S14558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. TORRICELLI:
  S. 1909. A bill to provide for the preparation of a Governmental 
report detailing injustices suffered by Italian Americans during World 
War II, and a formal acknowledgment of such injustices by the 
President; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


       wartime violation of italian american civil liberties act

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that 
is important not only to every American of Italian descent, but to any 
American citizen who values our Constitutional freedoms. This 
legislation draws attention to the plight of Italian Americans during 
World War II. Their story has received little attention until now, and 
I am pleased to be able to heighten public awareness about the 
injustices they suffered.
  Hours after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 250 Italian Americans and 
shipped them to internment camps in Montana and Ellis Island. These men 
had done nothing wrong. Their only crime was their Italian heritage and 
the suspicion that they could be dangerous during war time. By 1942, 
all Italian immigrants, approximately 600,000 people, were labeled 
``enemy aliens'' and given photo IDs which they had to carry at all 
times. They could travel no further than five miles from their homes 
and were required to turn in all cameras, flashlights and weapons.
  These violations did not discriminate against class or social status. 
In San Francisco, Joe DiMaggio's parents were forbidden to go further 
than five miles from their home without a permit. Even Enrico Fermi, a 
leading Italian physicist who was instrumental in America's development 
of the atomic bomb, could not travel freely along the East Coast. Yet, 
while these activities persisted in the United States, Italian 
Americans comprised the largest ethnic group in the Armed Forces. 
During the war, Italian Americans fought valiantly to defend the 
freedoms that their loved ones were being denied at home.
  These are the stories we know about and the facts which have come to 
light. Yet more than fifty years after the end of World War II, the 
American people still do not know the details of the Italian American 
internment, and the American government has yet to acknowledge that 
these events ever took place. Through this legislation, the 
Administration will be required to report on the extent to which civil 
liberties were violated. The Justice Department would conduct a 
comprehensive review of the Italian American internment, and report its 
findings, including the name of every person taken into custody, 
interned, or arrested. The specific injustices they suffered in camps 
and jail cells would also be detailed in the report. Moreover, federal 
agencies, from the Department of Education to the National Endowment 
for the Humanities, would be encouraged to support projects like ``Una 
Storia Segreta'' that draw attention to this episode of American 
history.
  The United States has rightfully admitted its error in interning 
Japanese Americans. However, Americans of Italian descent suffered 
equal hardships and this same recognition has been denied to them. I 
look forward to working with my colleagues to secure passage of this 
legislation so that the United States government will begin to release 
the facts about this era. Only then can Italian Americans begin to come 
to terms with the treatment they received during World War II.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1909

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Wartime Violation of Italian 
     American Civil Liberties Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The freedom of more than 600,000 Italian-born 
     immigrants in the United States and their families was 
     restricted during World War II by Government measures that 
     branded them ``enemy aliens'' and included carrying 
     identification cards, travel restrictions, and seizure of 
     personal property.
       (2) During World War II more than 10,000 Italian Americans 
     living on the West Coast were forced to leave their homes and 
     prohibited from entering coastal zones. More than 50,000 were 
     subjected to curfews.
       (3) During World War II thousands of Italian American 
     immigrants were arrested, and hundreds were interned in 
     military camps.
       (4) Hundreds of thousands of Italian Americans performed 
     exemplary service and thousands sacrificed their lives in 
     defense of the United States.
       (5) At the time, Italians were the largest foreign-born 
     group in the United States, and today are the fifth largest 
     immigrant group in the United States, numbering approximately 
     15,000,000.
       (6) The impact of the wartime experience was devastating to 
     Italian American communities in the United States, and its 
     effects are still being felt.
       (7) A deliberate policy kept these measures from the public 
     during the war. Even 50 years later much information is still 
     classified, the full story remains unknown to the public, and 
     it has never been acknowledged in any official capacity by 
     the United States Government.

     SEC. 3. REPORT.

       The Inspector General of the Department of Justice shall 
     conduct a comprehensive review of the treatment by the United 
     States Government of Italian Americans during World War II, 
     and not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act shall submit to the Congress a report that documents the 
     findings of such review. The report shall cover the period 
     between September 1, 1939, and December 31, 1945, and shall 
     include the following:
       (1) The names of all Italian Americans who were taken into 
     custody in the initial roundup following the attack on Pearl 
     Harbor, and prior to the United States declaration of war 
     against Italy.
       (2) The names of all Italian Americans who were taken into 
     custody.
       (3) The names of all Italian Americans who were interned 
     and the location where they were interned.
       (4) The names of all Italian Americans who were ordered to 
     move out of designated areas under the United States Army's 
     ``Individual Exclusion Program''.
       (5) The names of all Italian Americans who were arrested 
     for curfew, contraband, or other violations under the 
     authority of Executive Order 9066.
       (6) Documentation of Federal Bureau of Investigation raids 
     on the homes of Italian Americans.
       (7) A list of ports from which Italian American fishermen 
     were restricted.
       (8) The names of Italian American fishermen who were 
     prevented from fishing in prohibited zones and therefore 
     unable to pursue their livelihoods.
       (9) The names of Italian Americans whose boats were 
     confiscated.
       (10) The names of Italian American railroad workers who 
     were prevented from working in prohibited zones.
       (11) A list of all civil liberties infringements suffered 
     by Italian Americans during World War II, as a result of 
     Executive Order 9066, including internment, hearings without 
     benefit of counsel, illegal searches and seizures, travel 
     restrictions, enemy alien registration requirements, 
     employment restrictions, confiscation of property, and forced 
     evacuation from homes.
       (12) An explanation of why some Italian Americans were 
     subjected to civil liberties infringements, as a result of 
     Executive Order 9066, while other Italian Americans were not.
       (13) A review of the wartime restrictions on Italian 
     Americans to determine how civil liberties can be better 
     protected during national emergencies.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) the story of the treatment of Italian Americans during 
     World War II needs to be told in order to acknowledge that 
     these events happened, to remember those whose lives were 
     unjustly disrupted and whose freedoms were violated, to help 
     repair the damage to the Italian American community, and to 
     discourage the occurrence of similar injustices and 
     violations of civil liberties in the future;
       (2) Federal agencies, including the Department of Education 
     and the National Endowment for the Humanities, should support 
     projects such as--
       (A) conferences, seminars, and lectures to heighten 
     awareness of this unfortunate chapter in our Nation's 
     history;
       (B) the refurbishment of and payment of all expenses 
     associated with the traveling exhibit ``Una Storia Segreta'', 
     exhibited at

[[Page S14558]]

     major cultural and educational institutions throughout the 
     United States; and
       (C) documentaries to allow this issue to be presented to 
     the American public to raise its awareness;
       (3) an independent, volunteer advisory committee should be 
     established comprised of representatives of Italian American 
     organizations, historians, and other interested individuals 
     to assist in the compilation, research, and dissemination of 
     information concerning the treatment of Italian Americans; 
     and
       (4) after completion of the report required by this Act, 
     financial support should be provided for the education of the 
     American public through the production of a documentary film 
     suited for public broadcast.

     SEC. 5. FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

       The United States Government formally acknowledges that 
     these events during World War II represented a fundamental 
     injustice against Italian Americans.
                                 ______