The Record - May 1998

American Originals: Sun Yat-Sen Initial Arrival Photograph


Sun Yat-Sen, initial arrival photograph, April 1904.
(National Archives and Records Administration–Pacific Region-San Francisco, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service)

American Originals is a changing exhibition of some of the National Archives most compelling and historically significant documents. Among the items currently featured are documents from the immigration case file of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, towering figure of the Chinese Revolution. In 1904 while the Chinese Exclusion Laws were in effect, Dr. Sun gained entry to the United States through the use of documents falsely attesting to his status as a U.S. citizen. These items will remain on view through mid-December.