[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E449-E450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        LETTER REGARDING WARTIME TREATMENT OF ITALIAN AMERICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a letter that I 
recently received from Chet Campanella of San Jose. Mr. Campanella is 
an Italian American who experienced firsthand the injustices committed 
against Italians living in America during World War II. He has been 
sharing his story, and his efforts to raise awareness resulted in a 
formal acknowledgment and apology from the State of California in 2010.
  Many are familiar with the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans 
during World War II, partly due to the enactment of the Commission on 
Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Act in 1980, the 
Commission's report in 1983, and the subsequent Civil Liberties Act of 
1988 that provided an official apology for the internment of Japanese 
Americans. What remains less well known is the mistreatment of 
thousands of Japanese and European Latin Americans, European Americans, 
and Jewish refugees that took place prior to and during WWII.
  The 1980 Commission did address the mistreatment of Japanese, German, 
and Italian Latin Americans, but only in the appendix to its report. 
Just one chapter of thirteen addressed the mistreatment of German and 
Italian Americans in the U.S. Moreover, no recommendations were made 
with regard to these populations and no official apology was issued--
unlike for Japanese internment.
  This is an issue that I've been involved with for several years. In 
2008, I worked with a number of my colleagues to amend a Japanese-
American internment resolution to include injustices committed against 
European Americans during World War II. As amended and passed by the 
House, H. Res. 1357 specifically expressed Congress' resolve to 
``review the wartime treatment of . . . Italian Americans, to determine 
whether they should also receive an apology and reparations similar to 
that provided in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 for Japanese Americans 
interned during World War II.'' The following year, as Chair of the 
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, 
Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, I led a hearing that 
featured testimony from experts detailing the severe injustices 
suffered by Italian Americans and other groups during this difficult 
time in our nation's history. Under my leadership, the subcommittee 
also considered H.R. 1425, the ``Wartime Treatment Study Act,'' which 
called for a commission to study and issue a report on the treatment of 
European-Americans during World War II. Although the bill

[[Page E450]]

made it through the subcommittee and was reported favorably by the full 
Judiciary Committee, the bill was not taken up on the House floor.
  I urge my colleagues to take the time to read Mr. Campanella's 
letter.

                                                   February, 2014.
     Hon. Zoe Lofgren,
     Longworth House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Lofgren: My name is Chet Campanella, 
     and I am writing this letter to ask that you and all members 
     of Congress vote in favor of giving us Italian survivors a 
     formal public apology on behalf of our United States 
     government for the mistreatments and injustices suffered by 
     Italian ``Enemy Aliens'' here in the U.S. during World War 
     II.
       I am 83 years of age and one of the many thousands of 
     Italian survivors. I was twelve years of age during the time 
     of these mistreatments, having lived through it, and I 
     remember them very well. I feel that I am well qualified to 
     address the topic I am writing to you about.
       Shortly after World War II began the treatment here in the 
     United States and in California of 600,000 Italians who were 
     classified as ``Enemy Aliens'' was truly horrible. When I 
     refer to'' Enemy Aliens'' I mean those Italian immigrants to 
     the U.S. who were not yet naturalized American Citizens, who 
     truly loved America, and were here to forever stay. I will 
     describe the mistreatments that our Italian ``Enemy Aliens'' 
     were made to endure.
       I was 12 years old at the time and I remember the curfew 
     times were from 8 P.M. until 6 A.M. ``Enemy Aliens'' were not 
     allowed to travel more than a five mile radius from their 
     homes. They were given ``Enemy Alien'' identification tags 
     that they had to carry on their person at all times. We 
     Italian ``Enemy Aliens'' had our homes searched by the F.B.I. 
     who were searching for all types of signaling devices such as 
     short wave radios, radios, flashlights, cameras, and guns. 
     Italian ``Enemy Alien'' fisherman who earned their living 
     deep sea fishing off the coast of California had their 
     fishing boats confiscated by our Navy.
       There were 10,000 ``Enemy Aliens'' who lived in coastal 
     communities off the coast of California who were forced to 
     board up their homes and were forced to evacuate inland. 
     These ``Enemy Aliens'' were made to fend for themselves 
     without any government assistance whatsoever. There were also 
     2,000 elderly ``Enemy Aliens'' living in the city of 
     Pittsburg, Ca. who were forced to do the same.
       There were hundreds to thousands of ``Enemy Aliens'' who 
     were arrested by the F.B.I. and interned in internment camps 
     throughout the United States during World War II. The largest 
     of these internment camps was Fort Missoula, Montana. I had 
     an uncle who was arrested by the F.B.I., right in front of 
     me, and sent to an internment camp.
       I have always thought that it was so sad that these Italian 
     ``Enemy Aliens'' were made to endure such harsh mistreatments 
     and injustices because there was not one instance of proof 
     that they ever in any way hindered our American war effort. 
     These ``Enemy Aliens'', my parents included, truly loved 
     America and would do absolutely nothing to harm their new 
     country.
       I know that our United States government decided to make 
     many of the documents that described the mistreatments 
     endured by these ``Enemy Alien'' during the war classified 
     information top secret. It was to be made as if nothing ever 
     happened.
       I am asking Congress for a formal public apology on behalf 
     of our United States government for all of the horrible 
     mistreatments and injustices forced on Italian ``Enemy 
     Aliens'' during World War II. This formal apology is well 
     deserved and long overdue.
       In the year 2010 California Senator Joseph Simitian 
     sponsored SCR 95, The Mistreatments Of Italian Immigrants 
     During World War II. On June 23, 2010 I was asked to give a 
     testimony on this subject to the California State Senate 
     Rules Committee at the Capitol Building in Sacramento, 
     California. I did it from the head and heart with no notes. 
     Shortly after August 20, 2010 we Italian survivors on behalf 
     of the state of California received a formal public apology.
       I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my 
     letter.
           Sincerely,
     Chet Campanella.

                          ____________________