[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E335-E336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING A NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS 
 OF EVENTS SURROUNDING INTERNMENTS OF JAPANESE AMERICANS DURING WORLD 
                                 WAR II

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                               speech of

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2003

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the efforts of the 
Japanese, German, and Italian American communities in educating the 
public about their experiences during World War II. I also commend my 
colleague, Rep. Michael Honda, for his efforts in redressing the 
mistreatment of many American ethnic groups during this period and 
specifically for sponsoring H. Res. 56, the Day of Remembrance 
Resolution.
  Today we reflect upon the forced internment of thousands of American 
citizens during World War II. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin 
D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the 
Secretary of War to incarcerate Japanese Americans in designated areas 
controlled by the military.
  Executive Order 9066 was decreed without the issue of formal charges, 
warrants or trials; this presidential decree denied thousands of 
citizens the due process of law that is guaranteed by the Constitution. 
Executive Order 9066 was born out of the misguided fear that some 
Japanese Americans might harbor anti-American sentiment and could 
possibly threaten the nation's security during a time of war.
  The execution of this law devastated the lives of many Japanese 
Americans. More than 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast were 
given one week's notice and told to bring only what they could carry 
before being forcibly removed from their homes. They were then 
relocated to internment camps where they lived behind barbed wire and 
endured such hardships as inadequate medical supplies and insufficient 
food and water.
  Japanese Americans were not the only ethnic group faced with internal 
prejudice during this period. German and Italian Americans also faced 
significant intolerance from other Americans during World War II.
  Prejudice against ethnic Americans still resonates today. The events 
of September 11 proved that terrorists threaten our country and our 
very way of life. Although some terrorists may still inhabit our 
homeland, we cannot threaten the liberty of every Arab-American in 
order to get to those that would threaten the United States. In this 
way, the events of November 19, 1941 are with us as much today as ever.
  Today is a day of remembrance and a day of reflection. We must 
reflect upon the atrocities committed during World War II, upon the 
internment of Japanese-Americans and upon the prejudice many Americans 
faced during this time. And we must remember and learn from the 
mistakes of our past, so that we do not repeat them in the future.

[[Page E336]]



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