Speech-"Relocation-Your Responsibility as a Member of Your Community"

              FOLLOWING IS IRA TiAXI OP PROJECT DIRECTOR JAMES G. LISILEY'S SPEECH fELIVK;REr
ON NOV, 12, 1943 AT THE ^LOCATION FORUM DISCISSION SjBRIaS AT TERRY liALL,
"REliCAl.IOb m  YOUR RESPONSIBILITY aS a MPmAih OF JCG.UB CCAiUNITY"
The United States is engaged in total
war against powerful,ruthless, and high*
ly resourceful enemies* When a country
is at war it becomes perforce -a military:
despotism. The democracy for which we
are .fighting does not function while we
are fighting. Nevertheless, - it is worth
fighting for so thao in the Interludes
of peace we may enjoy government of the
people,by the people,and for the people.
Bearing this in mind, there are hard and
practical considerations of a strictly
military nature which justify the wfest
Coast evacuation.
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December
7, 1941,started evacuation. On ,:-ebruary
19, 1942, the President signed an executive order authorizing designated military
commanders to prescribe military areas
from which ail persons might be excluded,
or in which their movements might be restricted. On Ma rch 2, L i e u t e nan t Qe ne r a1
J. L. De Witt issued a proclamation defining Military Areas hos. 1 and 2, and
requested voluntary evacuation. Or: March
14,the 'Wartime Civil Control Administration was established to supervise an
evacuation program, and work was started
to i erect housing for an assembly center
at Manzanar, California* On sfaroh IB,
an itixecutive Order signed by the President, created the War leidc&tion Authori*.
ty,a non-military agency, with authority
to formulate and carry out a program for
a planned and orderly relocation of persons evacuated from military areas.
The. ifll&r Relocation Authority has three
major functions; (l) ■ To provide the
evacuated people with an equitable substitute for the living and homes given
up; (2) To re-establish them as a productive segment of the American population.; (3) To- facilitate their reassimi-
lation in the normal currents of American
life.
The present population of the ten relocation centers is approximately 106,000.
Roughly, two-thirds of these people are
American citizens by virtue of birth in
this country. The remaining one-third'
are aliens, whose naturalization is not
permitted under the laws of the united
States. There are approximately three
hundred thousand Japanese in the United
States and Hawaii — the figure of two-
thirds American citizens' still holding.
The average age of the aliens is 58; of
American-born, 23 years* They comprise
a close-knit minority, and the so-called
"Japanese problem" in this country stems
from the concentration of this population
on  the Pacific Coast and in the Pacific
Islands
America mus
f
s ouna ana
permanent solution of this problem through
thoughtful attention of American leaders.
These leaders must strive to end, immediately and forever, all proposals that
American citizenship of Japanese born in
this country be revoked. Our whole program is based on the premise that all
persons of -Japanese ancestry living In
this country, except- t: ose who request
repatriation, and those who may be deported
for Illegal activiti.es, will continue to
live in the United States aifter the close
of the war.
The aims of the Project- Administration
have been: (l) To conduct the operation
of the centers so that the substitute for
the homes of the evacuees be as adequate
as possible under war»time limitations;
(2)To provide schooling for the evacuees
of school age; (3) And training and
jobs  on the  Center for adults so that
;he  zrouo need
■■ e"
stand s
or
10
backward, but can go forward and fit
themselves for their clip,nee in life;
(4) To work toward a gradual depopulation of the relocation centers, and a
.."-ispersal for assimilation into American
life of loyal ^evacuees.
The sincere and -selfless efforts of
the Japanese Americans must be enlisted
in ttis program. The.first steo must be
taken by them. It is easier to stay in
the Center than to go out; it is easier
to sit than stand; it is easier to play
than work. Resentment, inertia and fear
of the unknown must be overcome. If this
is accomplished,--and. it is our duty to
work unceasingly toward such an end--then
the Immediate future of the VJAA program
is a wholehearted participation in center activities by evacuees and administrative staff alike, and a wholehearted
acceptance' of the relocation program by
all who can look forward to relocation
as a resolution of their present problems.
The program of segregation was Under-
ta k:en t .0 enab 1 e fch e -c erite r re s I d en t s who
wished repatriation and expatriation to
Japan and those who could not bring themselves to declare' unqualified loyalty to
the United 0tales and, In the case of
Uni t e d S ta te s c i t i z e ns,10 r en 0unc e the i r
A.-yalby to Japan, and those who were
overtly disloyal to this country to be
'removed "to a single center where others
oi' ] ike beliefs, desires, and loyalties
would be concentrated. The removal of
this group gives those evacuees who want
to be American, gthe opportunity to express
their Americanism without ine.eer Terence .
This expression of Americanism should be
deeds  as  well as words.  "By their
t)V
n
■works shall ye know the?
■'" the way for leave clearance is new
open. You came to this center against
your wi11,' perchance. Pou stay of your
OWn free will. The front gate is open:
for your relocation and for your assimilation into the American stream of- life.
We are all here to help you in any way
we can when you decide to take that -step.
But,remember,relocation is your problem;
it is not the problem of the Administration.
1  have
topics of
that this
necessary.
1. How
new home.
2. Your part
Programs.
3. Attendance at.
4. The  fusion  oi
is mr lean Culture .
5 *  As sImi 1a11on
deoarted  from the assigned
is discussion because I felt
rather long introduction was
The topics assigned were:
to make new friends in vour
n
All
:a.K
■hem
CIvi1i a n Defense
Civic activities,
the Ja pane s e and
and  what it means,
brieflv in the order