Japanese American Evacuee Property Letters

Today’s post is written by Jana Leighton, an Archivist in the Electronic Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On February 19, 1942, two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 that allowed the Secretary of War to designate military areas and order evacuation of … Continue reading Japanese American Evacuee Property Letters

Major League Baseball, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and World War II, 1941-1942

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, Archivists at the National Archives at College Park. During the summer of 1940, as German military forces overran France, many Americans began to support the need for compulsory military training in the event that the United States entered the war in Europe. In … Continue reading Major League Baseball, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and World War II, 1941-1942

Rose Bowl game program from January 1, 1942

The [Transplanted] 28th Rose Bowl, Oregon State vs. Duke – January 1, 1942

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. The Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) Beavers football team, under Coach Lon Stiner, started the 1941 season winning two games and losing two games.  One of those victories was a 10-0 shutout of Stanford University and one … Continue reading The [Transplanted] 28th Rose Bowl, Oregon State vs. Duke – January 1, 1942

black and white photo showing Lt. General DeWitt with a stenographer in the background

A Slap’s a Slap: General John L. DeWitt and Four Little Words

Today's post is written by Alan Walker, a processing archivist at Archives II in College Park. Lt. General John L. DeWitt was in charge of the U.S. Army’s Western Defense Command in 1942 and was instrumental in the development of Executive Order 9066, which directed the internment of all Japanese Americans living on the West … Continue reading A Slap’s a Slap: General John L. DeWitt and Four Little Words

Halloween at the Tule Lake Relocation Center

By Jason Clingerman 70 years ago today, Japanese Americans at the Tule Lake Relocation Center celebrated a harvest festival by wearing costumes. At the Tule Lake Relocation Center, later the Tule Lake Segregation Center, over 24,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned because of suspected disloyalty to the U.S. government under Executive Order 9066.  Starting in 1943, Tule … Continue reading Halloween at the Tule Lake Relocation Center

For Love of Country

By Robin Waldman As the US involvement in World War II heightened, the nation faced many critical shortages. Certainly sugar and butter come to mind, as do images of children collecting bottle caps and pieces of glass. But "Mrs. Housewife" was called to her patriotic duty to conserve another good: household fats. The Conservation Division … Continue reading For Love of Country