Fair play generally observed in state to resident Japanese

Fair Play Generally

Observed in State to

Resident Japanese

SERIOUS CASES

REPORTED FEW

Northern California 4

Committee Issues

Statement on Problems

The Northern California Com- |

mittee on Fair Play for Citizens

and Aliens of Japanese Ancestry (c)

of which Governor Culbert L. Ol-

son is honorary chairman issued

the statement below Tuesday.

| General David P. Barrows is

chairman of the committee with

Dr. Galen M. Fisher as secretary.

The central objective of our com- !

mittee on Fair Play has been sup- |

ported by the California public, :

even under the stress of Japan's:

treacherous attack. Californians

have kept their heads. There have

been few if any serious denials of.

civil rights to either aliens or cit-.

izens of Japanese race, on account

of the war. The American tradi-

Three More Reasons

We also have three other reasons

for satisfaction:

1-All the organs of public in-

fluence and information-press, pul-

pit, school, welfare agencies, radio

and cinema-have discouraged mob

violence and have pleaded for tol-

erance and justice for all law-abid-

"ing residents of whatever race. Gov-

ernor Olson and Attorney General

Biddle have issued proclamations to

the same end.

.2.-Federal and Jocal officials

charged with maintaining order and

suppressing subversive activities

have shown both vigor and sympa-

thetic consideration in the fulfill-

ment of their duty.

3.-Private civie agencies have

acted promptly to handle the many

difficulties encountered by Japan-

ese residents on: account of neces-

sary wartime restrictions on persons

and property, and also to interpret

to the public and to the aliens af-

tion of fair play has been observed. , ft

`Committee on Fair Treatment for

Japanese Releases

(Continued from Front Page)

officers and members of the Com-

mittee on Fair Play took an active

part.

Committees Urged

We now urge that members of

the Committee on Fair Play, who

live in other Northern California

cities having numbers of Japanese

residents, bring about the formation

of similar Committees of Consulta-

tion, or make sure that existing

agencies are meeting the need. The

function of such committees is two-

fold: to give counsel and relief to

the Japanese residents, at a time

when many of the Japanese langu-

age papers on which they have de-

pended for information have been

suppressed; and to utilize all local

channels of publicity to make known

_ the following authentic information:

1, All law - abiding aliens who

have lived in the United States

continuously since June 17, 1940

may transact financial and other

business as before the war, and any

citizen is free to employ them or

deal with them.

2.-Needy aliens are entitled to

assistance from county relief funds

on the same basis as are citizens.

3.-Unemployed aliens and natur-

alized citizens may register with

the State Employment department.

| Those who have paid into the un-

| employment insurance fund are eli-

gible for unemployment benefits.

Banned from Traveling

4-Enemy aliens are prohibited

rom traveling in public carriers

jand from changing their abode, but

they may travel reasonable dis-

`tances in private automobiles. They

may not possess firearms, cameras,

short-wave sets, or. explosives.

5.-About 150 Japanese nationals

in Northern California have been

detained for investigation by the

Department of Justice. Many of

them have been sent to Missoula,

Montana, for lack of adequate ac-

commodations in San Francisco.

Civilian Boards to conduct hearings

and make recommendations have

been appointed by the Department

of Justice. Each person detained

may call one witness, but no attor-

ney, to testify in his behalf. Final

decision as to internment is to be

made by the department in Wash-

`|as vice-chairmen:

ington. Only one citizen of Japan-

ese stock has been detained by the

F. B. I. in California, and he was

released after a few days. Cases of

| eleased after af ew days. Cases of

subversive or suspicious activity by

fected the sometimes sweeping and

technical government regulations.

College students of Japanese an-

cestry, anxious to return to distant

homes at the close of the semester,

were confronted by restrictions on

`al House in Berkeley ;

the way in overcoming -

travel and funds. The Internation-,

ckly led

`stacles. The immigrant and family.

| welfare agenci

Community Chest in

grappled with the prol

Japanese. The Couneil of Socia

ssociated with the

in. San Francisco

and Oakland

Community Chest designated the

International Institute to act in the

same capacity. In all these groups

| (Continued on Back Page)

ems of other:

Japanese or any one else should, of

`Course, continue to be reported to

the proper authorities. (Seven

others were detained, but most of:

them have been released.-Editor.)

_ 6-American citizens of Japanese

Stock enjoy the same rights as any

other citizen, but on account of the

difficulty of differentiating between

them and alien Japanese, public

Carriers and other parties, may

when necessary, ask for the presen-

tation of a birth Certificate, to prove

citizenship by virtue `of birth in the

les S

Statement

United States.

7.-Speakers connected with the

Councils of Civilian Defense, min-

isters of religion and radio com-

mentators are urging fair play and

protection of Japanese residents in

the enjoyment of their legal rights,

both as a demonstration of the

American Way and as a contribu-

tion to national morale.

8.-The Japanese-American Cit-

izens league, consisting of some 8,000

citizens of Japanese ancestry, has

made repeated pronouncements of

loyalty to the United States and of

opposition to the aggressive poli-

cies of Japan. Furthermore, several

bodies of long-resident first genera-

tion Japanese aliens have made sim-

ilar declarations. Many such Japan-

ese have encouraged their sons to

enter U. S. armed forces and have

subscribed to defense bonds.

We appeal to all our members and

to all citizens who see this state-

ment to make its contents widely

known, and to cooperate actively in

ensuring fair play and security to

all law-abiding Japanese residents.

David P. Barrows, Chmn.

Galen M. Fisher, Sec.

Besides Governor Olson, General

Barrows and Dr. Fisher, the com-

mittee includes the following prom-

inent persons of the San Francisco

bay area and Northern California

Frederick J. Koster, Alfred J.

Lundberg, Joseph S. Thompson, Dr.

Monroe E. Deutsch, J. Hugh Jack-

son, Dr. Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, .

Dr. Robert Gordon Sproul, Dr. Ray

Lyman Wilbur, Frank S. Gaines,

Richard R. Perkins, James K. Fisk,

George G. Kidwell, George Wilson,

Mrs. Wallace Alexander,

Mrs. Robert McWilliams, Mrs.

Duncan Robinson, Mrs. Agnes Mor-'

ley Cleaveland, Karl Morgan Block, ,

Benjamin WwW. Black, Chauncey |

Leake, Chester H. Rowell, Arthur |

Cushman McGiffert, Rabbi Irving |

S. Reichert, J. S. Curran, Ralph T,'

Fisher, ex-Governor C, C. Young, |

and Gerald H. Hagar,