Application to Enter the United States from Peter Halfke
5/31/1917
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This document is a transcript of a meeting of A Board of Special Inquiry at Angel Island Station. It includes the sworn statement of Peter Halfke, who was forced to respond to questions about his national loyalties. It also includes his application to enter the United States, along with his photograph.
Halfke met the qualifications to enter the United States but was excluded as an "alien enemy" under the Presidential Proclamation of April 6, 1917, that declared war on Germany. President Woodrow Wilson called on residents in the United States, citizen and immigrant alike, to uphold all laws and provide support for all measures adopted in order to protect the nation and secure peace. For individuals termed "alien enemies" – all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of Germany (including American born women who married German men) – this showing of loyalty and devotion required a number of additional parameters and processes.
This document comes from a file about admissions by boards of special inquiry of unaccompanied children under 16 from 1917–1939.
It was digitized by teachers in our Primarily Teaching 2014 Summer Workshop in Washington, D.C.
Halfke met the qualifications to enter the United States but was excluded as an "alien enemy" under the Presidential Proclamation of April 6, 1917, that declared war on Germany. President Woodrow Wilson called on residents in the United States, citizen and immigrant alike, to uphold all laws and provide support for all measures adopted in order to protect the nation and secure peace. For individuals termed "alien enemies" – all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of Germany (including American born women who married German men) – this showing of loyalty and devotion required a number of additional parameters and processes.
This document comes from a file about admissions by boards of special inquiry of unaccompanied children under 16 from 1917–1939.
It was digitized by teachers in our Primarily Teaching 2014 Summer Workshop in Washington, D.C.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
National Archives Identifier: 12013859
Full Citation: Transcript of Meeting of Board of Special Inquiry at Angel Island Station with Enclosed Application to Enter the United States and Photograph; 5/31/1917; 54278/154; General File - Admissions by Boards of Special Inquiry of Unaccompanied Children Under 16 - Rule 6; Subject and Policy Files, 1906 - 1957; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group 85; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/application-halfke, March 27, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Ports of Immigration: Angel Island and Ellis Island
Created by the National Archives Education Team
Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
