Registration
In February 1943, incarcerated Japanese Americans were forced to fill out an Application for Leave Clearance, which soon became known as the "loyalty questionnaire." It included two questions which would have devastating consequences:
Question #27:
"Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty wherever ordered?"
"Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty wherever ordered?"
Question #28:
"Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization?
"Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization?
I thought it was odd that the poster calling for all Japanese to be evacuated was written in English only. I would think if the government really wanted to communicate with Japanese, and Japanese-Americans, the poster would be written in the Japanese language as well. Another alarming feature was the size of the word "Japanese." It was the size of a word like "WARNING" or DANGER or RAT POISON. It was the size of a real attention getting word, as if there was a real threat to the safety of the populace, and that threat was named JAPANESE. It was interesting that the poster specified "No Personal Items." That would presumably include books, a bible, important photos or letters, or perhaps even a child's teddy bear. No pets could be brought, and no mention of any accommodations for storing them, as there were for pianos and washing machines. Cooking utensils, the poster mentions, would be accepted for storage, meaning there would be no cooking in the facility, and a "limited" amount of clothing could be taken. This is starting to sound a lot like jail, except you would be with your family. Also the fact that the poster is signed by a Lt. General, and the people must report to the Presidio, a military facility, would be quite disturbing. Plus, nobody had done anything wrong, or illegal, except for looking Japanese (even if they were citizens). One can only imagine the conversations between parents and their children, trying to explain to the youns ones why the family had to leave.
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