[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 152 (Wednesday, November 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H10321-H10326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORIC CONFINEMENT SITES WHERE
JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE DETAINED DURING WORLD WAR II
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1492) to provide for the preservation of the historic
confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World
War II, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1492
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC CONFINEMENT SITES.
(a) Preservation Program.--The Secretary shall create a
program within the National Park Service to encourage,
support, recognize, and work in partnership with citizens,
Federal agencies, State, local, and tribal governments, other
public entities, educational institutions, and private
nonprofit organizations for the purpose of identifying,
researching, evaluating, interpreting, protecting, restoring,
repairing, and acquiring historic confinement sites in order
that present and future generations may learn and gain
inspiration from these sites and that these sites will
demonstrate the Nation's commitment to equal justice under
the law.
(b) Grants.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Japanese American National Heritage Coalition, shall make
grants to State, local, and tribal governments, other public
entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit
organizations to assist in carrying out subsection (a).
(c) Property Acquisition.--
(1) Authority.--Federal funds made available under this
section may be used to acquire non-Federal property for the
purposes of this section, in accordance with section 3, only
if that property is within the areas described in paragraph
(2).
(2) Property descriptions.--The property referred to in
paragraph (2) is the following:
(A) Jerome, depicted in Figure 7.1 of the Site Document.
(B) Rohwer, depicted in Figure 11.2 of the Site Document.
(C) Topaz, depicted in Figure 12.2 of the Site Document.
(D) Honouliuli, located on the southern part of the Island
of Oahu, Hawaii, and within the land area bounded by H1 to
the south, Route 750 (Kunia Road) to the east, the Honouliuli
Forest Reserve to the west, and Kunia town and Schofield
Barracks to the north.
(3) No effect on private property.--The authority granted
in this subsection shall not constitute a Federal designation
or have any effect on private property ownership.
(d) Matching Fund Requirement.--The Secretary shall require
a 25 percent non-Federal match for funds provided under this
section.
(e) Sunset of Authority.--This Act shall have no force or
effect on and after the date that is 2 years after the
disbursement to grantees under this section of the total
amount of funds authorized to be appropriated under section
4.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act the following definitions apply:
(1) Historic confinement sites.--(A) The term ``historic
confinement sites'' means the 10 internment camp sites
referred to as Gila River, Granada, Heart Mountain, Jerome,
Manzanar, Minidoka, Poston, Rohwer, Topaz, and Tule Lake and
depicted in Figures 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.4, 9.2, 10.6, 11.2,
12.2, and 13.2, respectively, of the Site Document; and
(B) other historically significant locations, as determined
by the Secretary, where Japanese Americans were detained
during World War II.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(3) Site document.--The term ``Site Document'' means the
document titled ``Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of
World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites'', published
by the Western Archeological and Conservation Center,
National Park Service, in 1999.
SEC. 3. PRIVATE PROPERTY PROTECTION.
No Federal funds made available to carry out this Act may
be used to acquire any real property or any interest in any
real property without the written consent of the owner or
owners of that property or interest in property.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
$38,000,000 to carry out this Act. Such sums shall remain
available until expended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Gohmert) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).
General Leave
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1492, introduced by the gentleman from California
(Mr. Thomas), would establish a grant program within the Department of
the Interior to protect, preserve, and interpret historic confinement
sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.
While there are two units in the National Park System that recognize
the internment period, Manzanar National Historic Site and Minidoka
Internment National Monument, there are many who believe other
internment sites should also be preserved short of becoming a unit of
the National Park System.
This bill would further that purpose by providing Federal funds with
a partial private match. I urge adoption of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. RAHALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, while the temptation to sweep this shameful
chapter of American history under the rug is powerful, we must resist
that urge.
The pending legislation will, we hope, prevent future discrimination
against groups of Americans based on race, ethnicity, or religious
belief by preserving and interpreting a dark chapter in American
history when our actions fell far short of our ideals.
Mr. Speaker, it is sobering to realize that the internment of
Japanese Americans did not take place in some far distant past history.
Rather, the horror of internment camps are real for many Americans,
among them a very good friend and colleague of ours and now the
Secretary of Transportation, Mr. Norm Mineta.
After he and his family were forced from their home and interned,
Secretary Mineta devoted his life to serving the country which had
treated him so shamefully to ensure that such injustice will never be
repeated.
Secretary Mineta overcame the labels placed on him as a child and
went on to carry labels including soldier, city councilman, mayor,
Congressman, Mr. Chairman, and now Mr. Secretary. Throughout this
distinguished career, he was often the first Asian American to hold
those titles.
Another great American victimized by internment was our friend and
former colleague, the late Bob Matsui. Like Norm Mineta and many
others, Bob Matsui overcame injustice and adversity suffered as a child
to build a career of distinguished public service.
His widow and dear colleague of ours today will be heard from in just
a moment. While he might have been forgiven for being bitter or angry,
Bob Matsui was universally praised as one
[[Page H10322]]
of the most diplomatic and cordial Members of this body.
He took his experiences as a child and turned them into a passion for
serving the young, the sick and the elderly, those most at risk for
uncaring treatment by government.
Representative Matsui's life work has been taken up by his wife,
Representative Doris Matsui. She, along with Representative Mike Honda,
has worked tirelessly to bring this measure to the floor; and they are
to be commended for their efforts.
This legislation is not only a tribute to those who suffered the
injustice of internment but also to the triumphs of these distinguished
former colleagues. We urge support for H.R. 1492 in their names and in
the names of all of those who have faced or continue to face injustice.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas).
(Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to finally bring this bill
to the floor because it puts a closing note on what was to a very great
extent my upbringing in California with personal friends through the
40s and the 50s. In addition to that, I had the honor and pleasure of
serving in the California Assembly with Floyd Mori.
As was mentioned by the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall),
Norm Mineta and Bob Matsui, and Floyd were Nisei, American born, first
generation. Their parents are known as Issei, those who came over from
Japan. Their grandchildren are Sansei. And it does mark a period in our
history where native-born American citizens were in essence rounded up.
I got to know it personally, but as I went through school and I went
through constitutional law classes and looked at Korematsu v. United
States, I realized that the majority's opinion in Korematsu was written
by Justice Hugo Black, who is known probably as one of the premier
First Amendment-freedom Justices on the Court; and it underscored the
extent that this concept permeated American society.
I am very, very grateful to the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo)
and his committee that voted this bill out unanimously, notwithstanding
the fact that we have created a separate fund which will help pay for,
in a public-private match, to preserve what is rapidly slipping away
since these internment camps were for obvious reasons in rural areas
across mostly western United States. I am most familiar with Manzanar
which is in Inyo County, and I have represented Inyo County for more
than a decade in the Congress. And we were able to preserve that in a
location fairly close to Southern California.
But in working with my friend and former colleague, Floyd Mori, in
looking at where these locations are in Utah, Wyoming, other States, we
realized that just the ongoing growth and partial urbanization of these
areas would forever cover up these particular sites.
It is not so much that I think people are ashamed of them. I think
they are principally ignorant of them. And whether it is desire to
forget out of knowledge or ignorance, neither one is acceptable. So I
am very pleased that Leadership has allowed us to move today a very
modest approach, quite rightly unifying public and private where
appropriate under what circumstances, working with those people who are
in the area, and in some instances Indian tribes, to allow those who
are still alive and have memories to pass them on to the young ones.
And for those of us who take trips across the country to visit sites,
there are several different reasons, but probably first and foremost is
that great people, and I believe Americans are great people, can make
mistakes. What you need to do is admit it and remember it and do not
make it again. And for that reason it is very fulfilling that this bill
is before us.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1492. I greatly appreciate the
House's consideration of this important legislation as well as the
assistance Chairman Pombo, Representatives Doris Matsui, Mike Honda,
and Devin Nunes have provided to develop it and bring it to the floor
today.
Very simply, this legislation is a modest effort to provide the
structure and resources necessary for citizens, schools, communities,
and others to undertake projects in order to preserve and interpret an
aspect of American history that many, quite frankly, would much prefer
to ignore or never know. Nations, as do people, have the opportunity to
recognize their mistakes and use the lessons learned from those
mistakes to improve themselves. However, to do so, the mistake must not
only be recognized, the lesson must be learned and remembered.
The United States of America has recognized the terrible mistake it
made between 1942 and 1945, when pursuant to Executive Order 9066, over
120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and
detained in government assembly and then relocation centers. Moreover,
this mistake taught the United States that racial prejudice and wartime
hysteria do not justify the denial of human dignity and the fundamental
freedoms afforded by the U.S. Constitution. Thus, the legislation
before the House today is designed to help ensure the United States
and, more importantly, its citizens, never forget the lesson learned
from this mistake.
Those who do not know the facts of this aspect of American history
are undoubtedly quite surprised to learn that the U.S. Government,
while rightly fighting to preserve freedom throughout the world, on
March 2, 1942, wrongly declared over 100 areas in the States of
Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington as ``prohibited areas'' to
those of Japanese ancestry. While thousands of people voluntarily moved
out of these prohibited areas, thousands more who wanted to voluntarily
leave the prohibited areas could not, either because their assets had
been frozen at the beginning of the war or because other States were
unwilling to accept them as residents.
On March 24, 1942, the U.S. Army began to evacuate residents of the
prohibited areas; the evacuees included newborns, children, even those
who had been adopted by non-Japanese parents, and the elderly. Sadly,
those being evacuated were given just 6 days notice and, as they could
only take those items the family could carry, were forced to dispose of
nearly all of their possessions, often for ridiculously small sums. In
addition, and of particular importance in California, people were not
given the opportunity to harvest their crops; in fact, the only act of
``sabotage'' by a Japanese-American occurred when a farmer plowed his
strawberry crop under when his request for the opportunity to harvest
it was denied.
As they waited to be transported to one of 10 ``relocation centers,''
the evacuees were temporarily housed in 17 assembly centers in Arizona,
California, Oregon, and Washington, 12 of which were in California. One
of those 12 was located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds in Tulare, CA,
which I formerly represented. The assembly centers were surrounded by
barbed wire fences, which were patrolled by military police, and
consisted of hastily constructed military barracks, with separate
communal bathrooms and dining halls. However, thousands of people,
including 8,500 at Santa Anita alone, lived in horse stables at the
Santa Anita and Tanforan assembly centers in California.
By the end of October, the evacuees were moved by train into one of
the following 10 relocation centers or internment sites: Jerome and
Rohwer in Arkansas; Colorado River--Poston--and Gila River in Arizona;
Tule Lake and Manzanar in California; Granada in Colorado; Minidoka in
Idaho; Heart Mountain in Wyoming; and Central Utah--Topaz. Like the
assembly centers, the relocation centers were surrounded by barbed wire
fences but also had guard towers. The centers were designed to be self-
contained and self-sustaining communities, and like the assembly
centers, they primarily featured barracks-type housing. In addition,
the relocation centers were dusty, muddy, and often subject to extreme
temperatures. Finally, the use of the Japanese language was restricted.
In December 1944, the U.S. Government announced the relocation
centers would be closed within a year. While nine closed before the end
of 1945, Tule Lake was not closed until May 1946 because it continued
to hold those who had renounced their U.S. citizenship. Unfortunately
but not surprisingly, the Government provided only minimal assistance
to those who it had wrongfully detained as they left the centers to
rebuild their lives.
As I have stated, the U.S. Government has admitted its mistake in
this instance. It has sought to make some degree of recompense to those
evacuated by paying reparations and issuing a formal apology; a
memorial has been constructed in Washington, DC, within sight of the
Capitol. In addition, six of the relocation centers are listed on the
National Register, Manzanar and the cemetery at Rowher are National
Historic Landmarks, and Minidoka is a National Monument. As a result of
legislation--P.L. 102-248-- I cosponsored and
[[Page H10323]]
worked with my former colleague Representative Mel Levine to enact,
Manzanar, which I formerly represented, has been established as a
National Historic Site. With regard to the assembly centers, seven,
including the one in Tulare, do not have some form of marker or plaque
to remind future generations of our past wrong.
While the legislation before the House today certainly is designed to
authorize the funding necessary to facilitate projects that involve
bricks and mortar--for example, the construction of a museum at Granada
or the stabilization of a hospital chimney at Heart Mountain--its
intent is not to completely reconstruct or restore the infrastructure
at every relocation site or assembly center for the sake of show and
tell. Rather, the legislation is designed to be as flexible as possible
in recognition of the wide differences in the current conditions at the
pertinent sites of historic significance, as well as to allow for
grantees to conduct a wide variety of projects in many different forms
to ensure the lesson taught by the sites is preserved forever. For
instance, a project could be as simple as a citizens' group buying and
placing a plaque on a stable; another could involve an effort by
students to collect, preserve, and interpret the memories of surviving
evacuees, a generation we are rapidly losing.
This flexibility is necessary and recognizes that the only common
thread that binds the sites related to the confinement of Japanese-
Americans is Executive Order 9066. As with each of the 50 States, which
are bound together by the U.S. Constitution, each of the sites has its
own unique history and characteristics. Thus, the preservation projects
needed that would be undertaken with monies authorized under H.R. 1492
necessarily must be unique to the individual sites.
The legislation provides the U.S. Secretary of the Interior with the
flexibility to approve projects related to sites other than the 10
relocation and 17 assembly centers. An example of such a site is the
Crystal City World War II Alien Family Internment Camp in Texas, which
was run by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and which
housed Japanese immigrants and nationals sent to the United States from
Latin America.
It is important to note that, upon request, I have included
limitations in this legislation. Specifically, the legislation contains
a 25 percent non-Federal match requirement, a cap on the amount of
monies authorized, and a sunset. The legislation also limits the use of
these Federal funds to acquire private property to just four
locations--Jerome, Rohwer, Topaz, and Honouliuli--and further requires
the written consent of the pertinent private property owners.
Finally, it is fitting that we are considering this legislation as we
return from observing Veterans Day as the segregated Japanese-American
100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which had a
total of 25,000 men during the war, together became the most decorated
combat unit for its size in U.S. history. In fact, the men who served
in this unit were awarded 8 presidential unit citations, 9,486 Purple
Hearts, and 18,143 individual decorations, including 52 Distinguished
Service Crosses, the second-highest award for valor. Moreover, the only
Japanese-American World War II veteran awarded the Medal of Honor
during the war, PFC Sadao Munemori, earned his citation on April 5,
1945, when he dove on a hand grenade to save the lives of two of his
comrades during the Po Valley Campaign in Italy. Poignantly, at the
time of his death, Munemori's mother and brother were interned at
Manzanar.
Accordingly, I now ask that you join with me to pass this important
legislation, not just to honor Private First Class Munemori, not just
to honor those interned, but to ensure that the United States does not
forget and repeat the grievous mistake it made.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to our
dear and, in every sense of the word, distinguished colleague from
California (Ms. Matsui).
(Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia for
yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, history plays a significant role in this country. Not
only does it influence and inform our decisions today, but it clearly
shows the successes and failures of this Nation to ensure every citizen
is protected under the Constitution.
Sixty years ago, Executive Order 9066 permitted the Federal
Government to uproot 120,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry
from their homes and their communities, forcibly interning them in one
of several camps across the western United States. This included my
husband, Bob, who was at that time just an infant, and his family. They
were held a short time at Tule Lake in California before being sent to
Caldwell, Idaho. After being expelled from their community, my parents
met at the internment camp in Poston, Arizona, where I was born at the
end of World War II.
It was one of the greatest suspensions of liberty in our Nation's
history, an avoidable consequence of racial prejudice and wartime
hysteria.
{time} 1230
These camps are the physical, tangible, representation of our
government's failure to protect the constitutional right of every
American. However, they are also a symbol of this Nation's ability to
recognize and acknowledge our mistakes.
For both of these reasons, it is essential that the internment camps
and sites be preserved and maintained. In protecting them, we are
reaffirming our belief in the Constitution and the rights and
protections it guarantees for each and every American.
The bill before us embraces this idea. H.R. 1492 allows for camp
committees; private citizens; and State, local and tribal governments
to partner with the Federal Government to preserve the historical sites
from this period. By preserving the history behind these physical
landmarks, new generations of Americans will learn the lessons of this
tragic period, and significantly, the lesson will not fade from our
national memory.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Congressman
Bill Thomas for his passionate leadership in working with
this bill and in bringing it to the floor. I would also like
to thank Congressman Honda, Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member
Rahall for their bipartisan dedication to this issue. I would
also like to acknowledge Mike Holland with Congressman
Thomas' personal staff.
Finally, I would like to thank my good friend Gerald Yamada, who
originally brought this to my husband's attention last year, for his
tireless effort behind the scenes on behalf of the Japanese-American
community.
Through this legislation, we refresh the pact established in our
Constitution between citizen and government which ensures our
government is a protector of our rights and liberties.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Guam (Ms. Bordallo), a very distinguished member of our Resources
Committee whose help was tremendous on this legislation.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for the
time.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1492, the Preservation of
World War II Internment Sites Act. Introduced by our colleagues from
California, Mr. Thomas, and I thank him for his perseverance, Mr. Honda
and Ms. Matsui, this legislation would go far in preserving the memory
and the history, however troubling and painful they may be, of our
government's decision to intern Japanese-Americans during the Second
World War.
I thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for their very hard
work in reporting this bill from the Resources Committee.
Both U.S. history and the American conscience now view Executive
Order 9066, which directed the Japanese Americans be interned, as
totally wrong.
President Jimmy Carter signed into law legislation that led to the
1982 ``Report of the U.S. Commission on Wartime Relocation and
Internment of Civilians.'' That report concluded that ``Executive Order
9066 was not justified by military necessity.'' Further, the report
concluded that the underlying rationale for Executive Order 9066 was
shaped by ``race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political
leadership.''
When signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law, President
Ronald Reagan said: ``Here we admit a wrong. Here we affirm our
commitment as a Nation to equal justice under the law.'' The Civil
Liberties Act provided a long overdue apology for the imprisonment of
Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1492 directs the Secretary of the Interior to
create a program within the National Park Service to support and work
in partnership with citizens, governmental
[[Page H10324]]
and tribal organizations, educational institutions, and private
nonprofit organizations for the purpose of identifying, protecting, and
acquiring historic confinement sites where Japanese-Americans were
detained during World War II in order to gain inspiration from these
sites and to demonstrate the Nation's commitment to equal justice.
The initiatives that will be funded by this bill, and the history
that these initiatives will preserve, are important to our country. The
Second World War was a great battle for freedom. However, 120,000
Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and ordered to live in
seclusion.
Answers to the questions: Why did this happen, where did this happen,
and to whom did it happen, and what was it like for those who
experienced it, this should remain available for future generations of
Americans to study, to interpret, to reflect upon and to learn from.
Passage of H.R. 1492 will go far in achieving these goals. It
deserves our support, Mr. Speaker, and I commend the gentleman from
California (Mr. Thomas) who has long worked to preserve this story and
those sites of historical significance.
I also again thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) and the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) for their leadership, and I
urge support for H.R. 1492.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Hawaii (Mr. Case).
Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1492, which I
am truly honored, especially representing Hawaii, the State with the
highest number of Americans of Japanese ancestry, to cosponsor.
I, like others, express my deepest appreciation on behalf not only of
our AJAs, but all Americans, to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Thomas), the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Matsui), the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo)
and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for bringing this
vital measure before the people's House.
The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II is a tragic
and shameful chapter in our history, replete with misunderstanding by
too many and courage by too few. Although AJAs on the U.S. mainland,
particularly the west coast, bore the brunt of this national mistake,
Japanese-Americans throughout our country were affected.
After Pearl Harbor, about 10,000 people in Hawaii were investigated,
and almost 1,500, mostly AJAs, were detained on all of Hawaii's main
islands. The principal camps were at Sand Island and Honouliuli on
Oahu. I attach to these remarks a compelling article from the June 2,
2004, Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporting the remembrances of some of
Hawaii's surviving detainees.
Mr. Speaker, it is right and appropriate that we provide for
permanent memorials of this difficult time, when good people did bad
things out of fear and ignorance. I especially appreciate that among
these memorials will be Honouliuli, so that the people of Hawaii and
elsewhere may put a place and a reality to the words of Harry Urata, of
Hawaii, who said: ``They made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. But
don't repeat that.''
Mahalo.
[From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 2, 2004]
The WWII Internments--``A Sad Time . . . A Challenging Time''
(By Rosemarie Bernardo)
In March 1943, FBI agents arrived at the Honolulu Planning
Mill in Kakaako where Shozo Takahashi worked as a woodworker.
Authorities issued Takahashi a warrant for his arrest, but
allowed him to go home to pick up some of his belongings. His
brother and wife dropped him off at the FBI office, where he
was questioned.
Takahashi was then taken to the immigration station, where
he was photographed and fingerprinted. All the while, he
wondered what he had done to be treated like a criminal.
But it would take the federal government 45 years to tell
Takahashi why it detained him at the Honouliuli internment
camp.
An exhibit will open Saturday at the Japanese Cultural
Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St., telling the story of
Takahashi and other Japanese Americans who were detained at
internment camps in Hawaii during Word War II.
Takahashi and other former internees are expected to attend
the opening from 1 to 3 p.m.
``Dark Clouds Over Paradise: The Hawaii Internees Story''
will be displayed in the center's community gallery Tuesdays
through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until July 31.
Admission is free.
Many people are not familiar with the history of Japanese
Americans who were held in internment camps in Hawaii, said
Keiko Bonk, president and executive director of the Japanese
Cultural Center.
The detained Japanese ``had to ask themselves these serious
questions of who they were and where they belong and how
these things could be happening to them,'' Bonk said.
``It was quite a sad time, as well as a challenging time
for the Japanese community,'' she said.
The Japanese have to speak and educate people about the
injustices, Bonk added.
About 10,000 people in Hawaii were investigated shortly
after the Pearl Harbor attack. Buddhist priests, ministers,
Japanese school principals and community leaders were
detained on the night of Dec. 7, 1941. Within two years, the
FBI picked up a number of kibei--Japanese Americans who moved
to Japan during their youth to obtain an education and later
returned to the United States. An estimated 1,250 Japanese
Americans were detained in Hawaii during the war.
Japanese Americans, along with some Germans and Italians,
were held at internment camps on Maui, Kauai and the Big
Island before they were transported to a Sand Island camp in
May 1942. Officials later decided that detainees should be
held inland to avoid the possibility of an attack.
Detainees were taken to Honouliuli in Leeward Oahu on March
1, 1943. Takahashi said they were treated well.
``We all cooperate, no trouble,'' said Takahashi, whose
wife, Yuriko, assisted as an interpreter.
He noted that detainees had the opportunity to do various
jobs in the camp to earn coupons at 10 cents an hour.
Takahashi said he and another man counted spoons before and
after meals after they had heard that a detainee at Sand
Island had sharpened a spoon into the shape of a knife in an
attempt to commit suicide.
``If we miss some, gotta go all over,'' Takahashi said.
Takahashi said he took English classes, played his violin
and attended Christian services on Sundays, when he prayed
for the war to end.
At Honouliuli, Takahashi met Harry Urata, and the two
became friends.
Yuriko Takahashi, who remained in Kaimuki, sent Takahashi a
fingerprint of their first daughter, who was born in October
1943. In his excitement, Takahashi showed it to Urata. It was
only then when Urata learned that Takahashi's wife was his
former coworker.
A year later, Takahashi went on a conditional release from
Honouliuli. He was required to report to authorities once a
month until he was let go in February 1945.
Takahashi, a kibei who was educated, underwent ROTC
training and taught in Japan for 24 years before he returned
to Hawaii, wrote to the government in 1988 and requested a
copy of his internment records.
A report cited in Takahashi's 1992 autobiography ``An
Autobiography of a Kibei-Nisei'' stated he had dual
citizenship and had ``never attempted to be expatriated.'' It
further stated that he lived in Japan for more than 20 years,
where he attended school, received military training and
taught students for four years. It also mentioned that he
was a Japanese-language teacher in Honolulu for three
years.
Takahashi said the authorities thought he was pro-Japanese.
Both Takahashi and Urata, who were born in Hawaii, had
taught at the Waialae Japanese Language School at different
times before the war started.
After the internment, Takahashi worked as a carpenter with
his brother-in-law. He later returned to teaching at Japanese
schools in Honolulu, had two more children and built a house
for his family in Kaimuki, where he and his wife still live.
Takahashi, now 89, continues to take English classes once a
week.
In March 1943, Urata was called to the principal's office
at Mid-Pacific Institute, where two FBI officers were
waiting.
The officers questioned Urata for two days before he was
taken to the immigration station, where he was held for two
weeks in a shack surrounded by a barbed-wire fence.
He joined other Japanese Americans, many of them issei
(first-generation Japanese), at Honouliuli. Urata read books
in English and Japanese, played his guitar and sang songs to
occupy his time. He also played baseball, practiced kendo and
cut kiawe bushes outside the camp, which was also surrounded
by a barbed-wire fence.
``You get to go out from the wire, fresh air,'' Urata said.
While he was being held in Honouliuli, Urata said he often
wondered why he was detained because he was an American
citizen.
``Everytime I used to think like that inside the camp. I
thought it was a mistake,'' Urata said.
Urata speculated he was held at the camp because he was a
kibei who left for Japan when he was 6 and returned to Hawaii
13 years later.
Urata said he was among 69 men who were sent to the Tule
Lake internment camp from
[[Page H10325]]
Honouliuli in November 1944 after he described himself as
being ``hardheaded.''
After he was released from Tule Lake, he taught Japanese at
the University of Minnesota for a couple of months before
returning to Honolulu in December 1945, the year the war
ended.
Urata opened a music studio in Palama, where he taught
piano, guitar and voice lessons to generations of students.
His studio moved to a few other locations before it settled
in its current location in downtown Honolulu. He later
married and continues to give voice lessons.
More than four decades later, Takahashi, Urata and
thousands of former surviving internees each received a
$20,000 reparation check and a letter of apology from the
U.S. government for its injustice toward Japanese Americans
during the war.
Urata, 85, said he is not bitter about his experience.
``They made mistakes,'' Urata said. ``Everybody makes
mistakes. But don't repeat that.''
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), a very important member of our
Resources Committee.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R.
1492, a bill to provide for the preservation of historic internment
facilities where our fellow Americans who happened to be of Japanese
ancestry were detained during World War II.
I also want to especially commend my colleague, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Thomas), for his leadership and commitment for
authoring this important legislation, in recognizing the need for some
kind of a program to identify and provide a historic recognition of
these so-called relocation camps or internment camps, I call them
concentration camps, where well over 100,000 men, women and children,
all Americans who happened to be of Japanese ancestry, all within the
borders of our own country, were forced to move into these camps that
were, in actuality, more like prison camps. Their homes and properties
were confiscated without any compensation and certainly without any due
process of law.
Despite all of this, and I want to share this with my colleagues if
they do not know this, tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans
requested to join our military to fight for our country during World
War II. It was at the recommendation of George Marshall to President
Roosevelt that we should establish a military force composed of these
Japanese-Americans. That was the result of our establishing the 100th
Battalion and 442nd Infantry groups who fought for our country in
Europe against the Nazi Germans.
History documents the bravery of these Japanese Americans I submit,
Mr. Speaker. The military records of the 100th Battalion and 442nd
Infantry are without equal. These units received over 18,000 individual
declarations, many awarded posthumously, for courage in the field of
battle; 9,480 Purple Hearts; 560 Silver Stars; 52 Distinguished Service
Crosses; and only one Medal of Honor. I submit, Mr. Speaker, something
was wrong here, one Medal of Honor. The 442nd combat group emerged as
the most decorated combat unit of its size ever in the history of the
United States Army.
Because of the tremendous sacrifices made by Japanese-American
soldiers and African-Americans during World War II, President Truman
was so moved by this that he issued an Executive Order to desegregate
our Armed Forces.
I am proud to say that the Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, the senior
Senator from the State of Hawaii, and the late highly respected Senator
Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii were among those who distinguished themselves
in battle as soldiers of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry.
It was while fighting in Europe that Senator Inouye lost his arm
while engaged in battle. After congressional mandate to review the
military records of our Japanese-American veterans, I was privileged to
attend the White House ceremony officiated by then-President Clinton
that provided an additional 19 Congressional Medals of Honor to these
Japanese Americans. I submit, Mr. Speaker, how beautiful it is to see
justice, including for Senator Inouye who was also awarded with the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
When the patriotic survivors of the 100th Battalion and 442nd
Infantry returned to the United States, many were reunited with their
parents and brothers and sisters in these relocation camps. I do not
even know if I could have done what they did. Despite all the hatred
and the bigotry, the racism that was heaped upon these Americans, when
they came back, they could not even get a haircut in San Francisco
simply because they were Japanese-Americans. Full with their
decorations and a uniform, they could not even get a haircut in San
Francisco simply because they were Japanese.
I believe these sites must be preserved because they remind us to be
vigilant, never to forget what happens if we allow our judgments to be
clouded by bigotry and racism. Preserving these sites is how great
America can truly be for our mistakes rather than sweeping them under
the rug, and we learn from our mistakes in order to move to closer
equality for all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I wish I did not have to call myself a Pacific American
or Japanese-American or African-American. I have not heard anybody
refer to themselves as European American or French-Americans. I do not
know why we are forced into this kind of a situation. I would just like
to say we are all Americans. I hate these labels. I wish we could have
done a better job.
I thank my dear friend for allowing me the time. I want to especially
commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), my colleague and
Chairman of our Asia Pacific Congressional Caucus, and also the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), Mr. John Tateishi, the
National Director of the Japanese-American League and my good friend,
Floyd Mori, the Washington representative for JACL.
I want to share this point with my colleagues and the public about
what happened.
I remember a former colleague and Member of this House for many
years, my good friend, Secretary Norm Mineta, an 11-year-old in these
camps. They had these machine gun nests posted all over the camps, and
he was telling me this story. We asked, well, why do you have these
machine guns around the camp? He said, they are to protect you from
invaders coming in from outside. He said, if that is true, how come the
machine guns are pointed all inside the camp?
Mr. Speaker, I think this bill is well-deserved of consideration and
approval by our colleagues here, and again, I want to commend the
gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), my good friend, for his
leadership in getting this bill in, and I sincerely hope that the
Members of this institution will approve this legislation.
Again, I thank my good friend for allowing me this additional minute
to say these things.
{time} 1245
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), whose determination and
dedication helped bring this bill to the floor today.
(Mr. HONDA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr.
Rahall) for yielding me this time and also special thanks to Chairman
Thomas for his impassioned advocacy of this bill. We owe him a lot.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1492, a measure to
provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where
Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. I thank Chairman
Thomas for his steadfast leadership in introducing and working so
effectively in moving this bill forward. I am also pleased to be on
this measure as an original cosponsor with the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Matsui).
This bill creates a grant program to provide funding for local
communities to implement plans to repair, restore, and preserve
historic confinement sites so that current and future generations can
learn the lessons of the internment period.
The bill uses the phrase ``confinement sites'' so that funds may be
used not only for the 10 internment camps
[[Page H10326]]
but for associated sites as well. As stated in the bill, by preserving
these sites, we will be showing to all Americans and to the world that
we are a Nation that can deal honestly with past wrongs and further
show that we can learn from our own mistakes. Ultimately, through this
preservation program, we will demonstrate the Nation's commitment to
equal justice under the law.
When I was a member of the California State Assembly, I had the
privilege of passing legislation to create the California Civil
Liberties Public Education Program. The measure created an education
program to provide competitive grants for educational activities and
the development of educational materials to ensure that the events
surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and incarceration of
civilians and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry would be
remembered.
The Public Education Program has also shed light on how Executive
Order 9066, the order paving the way for the internment, impacted
others such as the Italian and German Americans as well as people of
Japanese ancestry living in Latin America. I know that H.R. 1492 in a
similar fashion will add to the depth of knowledge we have regarding
the internment period. Only by understanding the causes leading to the
internment can we as a Nation put ourselves in a better position to
avoid making similar mistakes.
While my State bill in California helped to preserve the stories of
the internment period, the legislation that Mr. Thomas has authored
will help to preserve the physical, tangible reminders of this period
and will have a deep impact on our ability to make the stories real for
future generations.
The internment sites, Manzanar, Topaz, Minidoka, Heart Mountain, Tule
Lake, Gila River, Poston, Amache, Rohwer, Jerome, and related
confinement sites stand as an important and powerful lesson for this
Nation.
I commend the groups making up the Japanese American National
Heritage Coalition and the work of Gerald Yamada and Floyd Mori in
bringing this issue to Congress. And, again, I truly want to thank
Chairman Thomas for his efforts in making this bill a reality today and
thank all of my colleagues who have joined as cosponsors of this
measure.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion of the debate on this bill, I
appreciate my colleagues across the aisle and the wonderful heartfelt
comments that have been made. It is deeply moving to hear some of the
personal testimonies, and when the gentleman from Samoa spoke saying he
wished he were not referred to as a Pacific American, I was reminded of
the events immediately after 9/11. Such a horrible evil thing when evil
people filled with hate wanting to destroy innocent Americans came and
crashed into our buildings, leaving so many devastated and destroyed
and killed.
But I recall the day after 9/11, and like that flower that grows
after a terrible event, so many all over America held hands and sang
songs. I remember the day after that event there were no hyphenated
Americans in the United States anywhere. We were all Americans. And
that was one of the few things that we came away from. What a wonderful
thing. Race did not matter. Background, socioeconomic conditions did
not matter. We were Americans, and we were proud to be Americans.
The other comment that has been made that should be highlighted is
that it is important to learn from our mistakes, and that is one of the
great things about America. It is one of the very few nations in this
world that will stand up and say, you know what, we made a mistake and
we are going to fix it. We are going to notice it.
Some say Satchel Paige made the quote that often is used: ``Don't
look back. They may be gaining on you.'' But I read that he also had a
quote later in life: ``It's okay to look back. Just don't stare.'' This
bill will allow us to look back, see that we made a mistake, and make
sure that it is corrected.
With regard to our troops that come home from Iraq and Afghanistan
who are doing the service of this country, it is important also that we
learn from our mistakes, and without regard to race, creed, sex,
gender, socioeconomic conditions, we welcome them home; we thank them
for their bravery.
In the meantime, this is a good bill. We urge the passage of this
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1492, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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