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                                 SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 104

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Governmental Operations (originally sponsored by Senator Fleming)

Read first time 2/25/85.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced uprooting, migration, and subsequent confinement in internment camps of 120,313 persons of Japanese ancestry who were then residing in the Pacific Coast states of this nation; and

          WHEREAS, The alleged purpose of this drastic course of action was to prevent persons of Japanese descent from committing acts of espionage and sabotage against the United States during the period of its involvement in World War II; and

          WHEREAS, Various reports prepared by this country's national intelligence agencies, prior to and during World War II, repeatedly found that Japanese-Americans were loyal to the United States to an extraordinary degree, yet these reports were kept substantially undisclosed to the public during this time period; and

          WHEREAS, Records of the United States Department of Intelligence, the Executive branch, and various national intelligence agencies show that not a single case of wrongdoing or disloyalty, contrary to the war effort of the United States, was ever filed against any person of Japanese ancestry prior to or during, World War II; and

          WHEREAS, Hindsight has proven that the predominant factor which actually led to the internment of Japanese-Americans was not a military necessity to protect the United States from possible espionage or sabotage, but was the long-standing prejudices held by many people at that time against persons of Japanese descent; and

          WHEREAS, The small amount of warning given to Japanese-Americans being relocated into internment camps did not provide sufficient time for them to arrange for the proper disposal and liquidation of their property and caused such persons to lose millions of dollars in property and assets; and

          WHEREAS, The placement of persons of Japanese descent in internment camps resulted in immeasurable physical and psychological damages; and

          WHEREAS, Among those persons placed in internment camps were numerous loyal employees of both state and local governments, including at least thirty-eight persons employed by the state of Washington, who were forced to resign or were dismissed solely because of their Japanese ancestry; and

          WHEREAS, The Washington State legislature has enacted legislation providing monetary redress to state employees of Japanese ancestry who lost their jobs because of relocation and imprisonment in internment camps; and

          WHEREAS, Congress established a Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians which held a number of hearings to investigate possible courses of action that would educate persons of this country, prevent a reoccurrence of similar acts in the future, and evaluate various options to provide monetary reparations intended to make some degree of restitution to those persons of Japanese-American ancestry who suffered internment during World War II; and

          WHEREAS, The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians has recommended to Congress that Japanese-Americans receive a reparation for the injustice and indignity of being interned; and

          WHEREAS, The defense of constitutional rights and the basic principles of democracy have been, and remain, a major concern of the Washington state legislature;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress enact the proposed legislation which authorizes the direct payment of up to twenty thousand dollars to persons of Japanese descent who became involuntary residents of internment facilities and consequently suffered physical, psychological, and economic damages.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.