DIGEST OF RECENT PROCLAMATIONS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES REGARDING JAPANESE , GERMAN AND ITALIA
NATIONALS
quoted from Interpreter Releases, Vol. XVIII, No. 57December 10, 1941
On December 7th the President of the United States issued a proclama-tion in regard to the status of" natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects ofthe Empire of Japan" who are within the United States or any of its outlyingpossessions and in regard to the conduct to be observed by them now thatthey are" alien enemies". On December 8th he issued similar proclamations inregard to German and Italian nationals or subjects.
In pursuance of the authority vested in him by the three proclamations,Attorney General Francis Biddle has been taking into custody Japanese , German and Italian citizens who are deemed dangerous to the peace and security ofthe United States . According to information released by the Attorney General on December 8th," it is estimated that less than 1000 Japanese nationalswill be affected"; as yet no information is available as to the number ofGerman and Italian nationals who already have been taken into custody or whoare likely to be. The Attorney General has, however, given definite assur-ances that only persons against whom there is damaging and fairly convinc-ing evidence will be apprehended and that they will all be accorded a fairhearing before tribune ls which are now being set up. The suspects arebeing taken into custody by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investi gation and afterwards turned over to the Immigration and NeturalizationService.
The Attorney General as stated above, is determined that so far aspossible there shall be no injustice done to or undue hardship inflictedupon these enemy aliens. An excerpt from a press release issued by him onDecember 8th and dealing with Japanese nationals is of interest in thatconnection." There are in the United States many persons of Japanese ex-traction whose loyalty to this country, even in the present emergency, isunquestioned. It would, therefore, be a serious mistake to take any actionagainst these people. State and local authorities are urged to take nodirect action against Japanese in their communities but should consult withrepresentatives of the Department of Justice ." The same desire to avertinjustice is shown in identical telegrams sent by the Attorney General onDecember 9th to Governor Stassen of Minnesota who is chairman of theGovernors' Conference and to Governor O'Conor of Maryland who is chairmanof the Law Enforcement Committee of the Council of State Governments; thetelegrams read as follows