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THE GREATER NEW YORK COMMITTEE FOR JAPANESE AMERICANS, INC. Room 785, 11 West 42nd Street, New York 18, New York Wisconsin 7-1616 IF YOU BELIEVE IN FAIR PLAY -Oppose Race Prejudice -Are a Socially Responsible Person YOU WILL WANT TO READ THIS During the war hysteria in early 1942, 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from the West Coast states. They were moved to crude barracks in bleak, desolate Western areas of the United States. Two-thirds of these people were citizens of the United States and no charge of any kind had been brought against any of them. Their one "crime" was their face. General DeWitt, who was largely responsible for the evacuation, made no effort to conceal the racist theory under which he acted. "A Jap's a Jap, there's no way to determine their loyalty." As a result of this act of racial discrimination these people suffered property losses in excess of four hundered million dollars. Theoretically government provision was made for safeguarding property. Actually, little zeal was shown by those entrusted with this responsibility and little was done to acquaint the people with their property rights. The result was huge losses from forced sales. The War Relocation Authority was set up to deal with the situation created by the Army's action. It was awre of the questionable legality of detaining U. S. citizens guilty of nothing but their race. It was aware also of the inevitable breakdown in morale that must occur in concentration camp life. So the WRA took steps to resettle these people in other areas of the United States. This resettlements has just been completed. Some thousands of persons have come to New York City. These People Must Have Help If you had lost your business, most of your personal property, your job, and had moved to a strange city, you and your family would probably need help during your periof of readjustment. Finding a place to live in these times would be difficult, and finding a job is never simple. But if you were also handicapped by having to mmet racial prejudices further inflamed by wartime passions, you might find adjustment almost impossible without a helping hand. Many types of help are needed in addition to assistance in housing and employment. Elderly people need welfare assistance, language aid and health services. Businessmen need advice and counsel. Students need guidance. Veterans of the famous 442nd Combat Unit need many types of advice and help. Legal aid is essential for many, particularly in connection with attempts to reclaim lost property. But you can imagine, perhaps, the almost infinite variety of needs for information, counseling, and aid that must arise in the settlement of a displaced people in a strange city. Greater New York Committee for Japanese Americans Formed The Greater New York Committee for Japanese Americans has been formed by citizens of good will, including many Japanese Americans already established in New York, to take care of these problems. The War Relocation Authority has until recently maintained a staff of 12 to 20 trained works in New York City to help solve the problems of adjustment for these displaced persons. But on the first of April these offices were closed and no provision made by the Federal Government for continuing this work. What Must Be Done The Greater New York Committee for Japanese Americans is fully aware that it cannot possible finance the individual case work, the inquiries, the counseling required by these hundreds of people, all with their emergency problems. Nor does it attempt this. This city has welfare services, health agencies, veterans groups, educational organizations, and employment agencies. But the stranger in the city with more than normal timidity because of the handicap of racial prejudice has no idea of where to go to find the solution to his problem. The minimum service that must be rendered to these people in the next year is referral to the proper agencies. This is exactly what the Committee is now doing and must continue to do. The amount estimated as the absolute minimum for operations for the coming year is $15,000. This is but a small fraction of the amount considered essential by the War Relocation Authority when its officers were open. An Emergency Problem We are aware that the need of these people is not the only call being made upon the liberal community of New York City, but we believe it deserves special consideration. In the first place, it is an emergency problem. Before they were suddenly evacuated from the West Coast, these people were known for their sturdy independence and self-reliance. Few ever were on the relief rolls. They managed to achieve an average family income considerably higher than the average in the United States. There is every reason to believe that if assistance is given now, before it is too late, these people will again become self-reliant and independent. In the second place, the need of these people grows out of a particularly ominous violation of civil rights. Japanese American War Sacrifices The least that Americans who believe in democracy can do is to give evidence in terms of action to these people who have suffered so much through no fault of their own. In addition to the sacrifices of the young men of the Japanese American 442nd unit, which suffered 9,230 casualties, three times the unit's original battle strength, they were made to suffer staggering personal losses. No moral justification for evacuation has been advanced by anyone. At the best, the justification was expediency and a decision made in haste before full information was available. Help is Needed Now The need is urgent. If you are a hard-headed realist who believes in helping these people to stand on their own feet, or if you want to help balance undemocratic racial prejudices by an act of constructive helpfulness, you should join the Greater New York Committee for Japanese Americans and contribute what you can to its support. What you do must be done now if it is to count. THE GREATER NEW YORK COMMITTEE FOR JAPANESE AMERICANS, INC. Room 785, 11 West 42nd Street, New York 18, N.Y., Wisconsin 7-1616 1. I am interested in joining the Committee 2. I would like to be on a working sub-committee, dealing with ... 3. I am enclosing a check for ... dollars. ........ Name ........ Address
