Personal Justice Denied: Part 2, Recommendations
1982
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On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 (EO 9066) authorizing the forced evacuation and relocation of all people in military areas who might pose a threat to national security. Over the next six months, 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent were forced from their homes and incarcerated in camps without due process—nearly 70,000 were American citizens.
Following decades of effort by various groups, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga and Congressmen Robert Matsui and Norman Mineta led Congress to finally establish a commission in 1980 to review the facts surrounding the enforcement of EO 9066 and its impact on American citizens and others. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held 20 days’ worth of hearings with over 750 witnesses testifying and completed copious research in archives. After years of work, the commission issued its final 467-page report, titled “Personal Justice Denied."
In the second part of the report, the commission outlined a series of recommendations, including that the federal government apologize “for the acts of exclusion, removal, and detention” and issuing Presidential pardons for anyone convicted of curfew and exclusion violations. It also recommended that Congress direct federal agencies to review “with liberality” all applications for restitution associated with the internment, and that a special foundation be created to research and educate the public about “the causes and circumstances of” internment. Finally, it recommended a congressional appropriation of $1.5 billion to pay all surviving evacuees and detainees $20,000 each in reparations.
While there was some opposition, Congress eventually passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 on August 10, 1988, implementing the commission’s recommendations stating the government’s actions were motivated “by racial prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
Following decades of effort by various groups, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga and Congressmen Robert Matsui and Norman Mineta led Congress to finally establish a commission in 1980 to review the facts surrounding the enforcement of EO 9066 and its impact on American citizens and others. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held 20 days’ worth of hearings with over 750 witnesses testifying and completed copious research in archives. After years of work, the commission issued its final 467-page report, titled “Personal Justice Denied."
In the second part of the report, the commission outlined a series of recommendations, including that the federal government apologize “for the acts of exclusion, removal, and detention” and issuing Presidential pardons for anyone convicted of curfew and exclusion violations. It also recommended that Congress direct federal agencies to review “with liberality” all applications for restitution associated with the internment, and that a special foundation be created to research and educate the public about “the causes and circumstances of” internment. Finally, it recommended a congressional appropriation of $1.5 billion to pay all surviving evacuees and detainees $20,000 each in reparations.
While there was some opposition, Congress eventually passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 on August 10, 1988, implementing the commission’s recommendations stating the government’s actions were motivated “by racial prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
This primary source comes from the Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards.
National Archives Identifier: 24746908
Full Citation: Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, Part 2, Recommendations; 1982; Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, 1981-1983, 1981 - 1983; Publications, 1981 - 1983; Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards, Record Group 220; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/personal-justice-denied-recommendations, May 2, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.