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World War II Japanese American Incarceration: Post-War Legacy

The end of World War II and closing of the camps did not lead to an immediate return to normal life for the formerly incarcerated. Mass removal and confinement continued to have far-reaching effects in the years and decades that followed. Records at the National Archives offer a valuable resource for researchers seeking to explore these postwar struggles as Nikkei (Japanese emigrants and their descendants) communities rebuilt their lives and pursued restitution for their monumental economic and personal loss. This enduring impact was underscored long after the war when the U.S. government finally acknowledged the mistreatment suffered by Japanese Americans, as demonstrated through reparations as well as through the preservation of the confinement sites and their associated records

For more information and to request access to the records below, click the National Archives Identifier to access the records description in the National Archives Catalog and contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) office identified under “Archived Copy.”  

 

World War II Incarceration - Resources for Genealogists

Conducting genealogical research on formerly incarcerated Japanese and Japanese Americans can present a challenge for even the most adept researcher. Additional details can be found under the World War II Japanese American Incarceration: Researching an Individual or Family page.

On This Page

Proclamations and Legislation
Protests
Repatriation and Expatriation    
Redress and Reparations    
Treason and Clemency
War Brides    
Property Disposal Records
Preservation and Commemoration

 

 

Proclamations and Legislation

Proclamation 2655 (1945) and 2685 (1946) (National Archives Identifier: 299955): Two proclamations that allowed for the deportation of alien enemies deemed dangerous, including those taken from Latin America.

Proclamation 2762 (National Archives Identifier: 299955): President Truman’s pardon of draft resisters in 1947.

Proclamation 4417 (National Archives Identifier: 1670001): President Ford’s 1976 proclamation confirming the Termination of the Executive Order 9066 and removed the possibility of a reinstitution of Executive Order 9066. 

Public Law 78-405 (National Archives Identifier: 299811): Also referred to as the "Renunciation Act of 1944," this legislation enabled Americans to voluntarily renounce their citizenship and remains in effect to this day.

Public Law 80-213 (National Archives Identifier: 299811): A 1947 amendment to the Public Law 79-271, also known as the “War Brides Act,” removed racial restrictions and allowed for the admission of Asian spouses of American servicemen.

Public Law 80-886 (National Archives Identifier: 299811): Also known as the "Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act," this 1948 act sought to provide compensation to Japanese Americans removed from the West Coast for losses of real and personal property.

Public Law 100-383 (National Archives Identifier: 24739718): Also known as the “Civil Liberties Act of 1988,” the act authorized reparation payments and a formal presidential apology to Japanese Americans who were confined during World War II. 

2013 Tule Lake Preservation Committee Newsletter

Tule Lake Preservation Committee Newsletter, July 2013 (National Archives Identifier: 198242958)

Protests

U.S. House of Representatives (Record Group 233)

Petitions and Memorials Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs in the 78th Congress (National Archives Identifier: 63530737): Protests against the return of Japanese communities to the West Coast.

Repatriation and Expatriation

Initially, over 20,000 individuals of Japanese descent—including U.S. citizens (Nisei), immigrants (Issei), and those taken from Latin America—applied for voluntary deportation to Japan during and after the war. As part of the application process, the expatriates (Nisei) were required to renounce their citizenship. Following a series of legal challenges (see Federal Courts), fewer than 5,000 actually left for Japan, with many returning to the United States at a later date.

Department of State (Record Group 59)

Repatriation Activities and the S.S. Gripsholm, 1943–1944 (National Archives Identifier: 518082)

Moving Images Relating to U.S. Foreign Policy and Foreign Relations, 1911–1972 (National Archives Identifier: 11906)

  • Gripsholm Repatriation Film Reels (National Archives Identifier: 11927)

Transcripts of Proceedings before the Hearing Board of the Alien Enemy Control Section, 1946 (National Archives Identifier: 657806): Proceedings to determine whether former enemy aliens could return to their Latin American country.

Nationality and Citizenship Files, 1957–1960 (National Archives Identifier: 2255076): Includes records relating to dual nationality, the Nationality Act of 1940, and the status of Japanese Americans.

Japanese Internees board Swedish Liner MS Gripsholm in Exchange of Prisoners, New York City (National Archives Identifier: 75819)

Reentry permit for Torazo Sugai

Learn more about Alien Files (A-Files)

Department of Justice (Record Group 60)

Class 146-54 (Voluntary Renunciation of Citizenship) Litigation Case Files and Enclosures, 1944–1972 (National Archives Identifier: 20761625) and Index (National Archives Identifier: 159982441)

U.S. Attorneys (RG 118)

Japanese American Citizenship Renunciation Case Files, 1943–1959 (National Archives Identifier: 74888438)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Record Group 566)

Alien Files (A-Files) may include deportation and renunciation proceedings for those who were able to successfully halt deportation (e.g., Hayako Ikeda, A6155715) and those who expatriated and returned to the United States (e.g., Masaaki Kuwabara, A10807119). A-Files are name searchable in the National Archives Catalog.

Redress and Reparations

Records at NARA include case files for claims filed under the Claims Act of 1948, claims filed under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and testimonies from the public hearings held by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). Materials also include settlement of claims for damages caused by the occupation on part of the Colorado River Indian Reservation used as confinement sites.

Department of State (Record Group 59)

Draft Copies of Reports on Japanese Reparations, 1945–1946 (National Archives Identifier: 872140)

Department of Justice (Record Group 60)

Japanese American Claims Act of July 2, 1948

  • Class 146-35 (Japanese American Claims Act) Litigation Case Files and Enclosures, 1942–1962 (National Archives Identifier: 783824)
  • Security Classified Class 146-35 (Japanese American Evacuation Claim) and Class 146-36 (Martial Law; Military Law) Litigation Case Files, 1942–1980 (National Archives Identifier: 17367111)

Office of Redress Administration, Civil Liberties Act of 1988

  • Japanese American Redress Case File Records, 1989–1998 (National Archives Identifier: 729685)
  • Japanese American Redress Case Files, 1991–1992 (National Archives Identifier: 16873435)
  • Japanese American Redress Verification Information System (JARVIS) Files, 1989–2006 (National Archives Identifier: 5752350)

Attorney General’s Office

Includes correspondence relating to monetary compensation paid to persons of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during World War II:

  • Alphabetical Name Correspondence Files of the Attorney General, 1979–1991 (National Archives Identifier: 646761)
  • Subject Files of the Attorney General, 1974–1993 (National Archives Identifier: 651799)
  • Chronological Files of the Attorney General, 1977–1993 (National Archives Identifier: 765347)
  • Subject Files of the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, 1971–1994 (National Archives Identifier: 1642917)

Bureau of Indian Affairs (Record Group 75)

Correspondence Relating to Attorney's Contracts, 1938–1968 (National Archives Identifier: 6219857): Includes claims for damages resulting from the occupation of part of the Colorado River Indian Reservation for the internment of Japanese during the war.

Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards (Record Group 220)

Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC)

Audiovisual Materials:

  • Photographs, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 540041)
  • Video Recordings, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 39771)
  • Sound Recordings, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 1702299)

Testimonies:

  • Abstracts of Witness Testimony, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 734703)
  • Solicited Testimony Files, 1981–1982 (National Archives Identifier: 734695)
  • Unsolicited Testimony Files, 1981–1982 (National Archives Identifier: 749135)
  • Transcripts of Public Hearings, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 734681)
  • Records of Public Hearings of the Commission, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 229699513): Microfilm Publication M1293.

Other Records:

  • Subject Files, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 596647)
  • Numerical Files, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 729709)
  • Chronological Index to Numerical Files, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 729716)
  • Subject Index to Numerical File, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 729717)
  • Books, Reprints, and Reports, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 731312)
  • ICF Incorporated Materials, 1982–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 734630)
  • Press Clippings, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 734638)
  • General Correspondence, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 749137)
  • Chronological Files, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 749142)
  • Administrative Records, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 749196)
  • Subject File of Charles Z. Smith, 1981 (National Archives Identifier: 749212)
  • Footnote Sources, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 749220)
  • Records of D. J. Komure, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 749255)
  • Publications, 1981–1983 (National Archives Identifier: 765322)

White House Television Office (WHTV) (Reagan Administration) (Collection RR-WHTV)

President Ronald Reagan's Remarks and Signing Ceremony for The Japanese American Internment Compensation Bill (HR442) (National Archives Identifier: 38995301)

Treason and Clemency

Department of Justice (DOJ) (Record Group 60)

Select Subject Files Relating to the Treasonable Utterances of Iva Toguri d'Aquino (a.k.a. Tokyo Rose), 1942–1967 (National Archives Identifier: 614583)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (Record Group 65)

Records include files related to Iva Toguri D'Aquino and/or Tomoya Kawakita:

  • Treason Investigations, March 22, 1935–April 9, 1984 (National Archives Identifier: 567567)
  • Application For Pardon, November 25, 1968–November 1, 1977 (National Archives Identifier: 568547)
  • Ascertaining Financial Ability (Fine), January 18, 1966–November 7, 1975 (National Archives Identifier: 568762)
  • Treason Investigations, 1942–2004 (National Archives Identifier: 631379)

Audiovisual Materials related to Iva Toguri D'Aquino and Radio Tokyo

  • Class 61 (Treason) Moving Images Relating to Tokyo Rose, March 22, 1935–April 9, 1984 (National Archives Identifier: 6126749)
  • Class 61 (Treason) and Class 100 (Domestic Security) Recordings of Foreign Radio Broadcasts, March 22, 1935–April 9, 1984 (National Archives Identifier: 1115899)
  • Class 61 (Treason) Recordings of Foreign Radio Broadcasts, March 22, 1935–April 9, 1984 (National Archives Identifier: 1126797)

U.S. Attorneys (Record Group 118)

 Iva Toguri D'Aquino, “Tokyo Rose”:

  • Case Files, 1943–1969 (National Archives Identifier: 296663) 
  • Radio Broadcasts, 1944–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 1991161)

Bureau of Prisons (Record Group 129)

Tomoya Kawakita

  • Alcatraz Inmate Case File (National Archives Identifier: 117696355) and Page from Warden’s Notebook (National Archives Identifier: 236734205)

Iva Toguri D'Aquino

  • Notorious Offenders Files, 1919–1975 (National Archives Identifier: 580698) and 1920–2010 (National Archives Identifier: 168943273)

Office of the Pardon Attorney (Record Group 204)

Iva Toguri d'Aquino:

  • Executive Clemency Case Files, 1941–1976 (National Archives Identifier: 624530)
  • Security-Classified Pardon Case Files, 1951–1991 (National Archives Identifier: 7461456)

Executive Clemency Case Files of Tomoya Kawakita, 1952–1989 (National Archives Identifier: 624531)

Philip W. Buchen Files, 1974–1977 (Collection GRF-0019)

Philip W. Buchen Files, 1974–1977 (National Archives Identifier: 574066): Folder, Clemency - Rose, Tokyo 

War Brides

"Japanese War Bride" (National Archives Identifier: 51818)

Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State (Record Group 84)

Classified Visa Case Files, 1954–1961 (National Archives Identifier: 4522390): Eligibility for visa issuance to Japanese applicants, mainly the spouses of U.S. servicemen. 

Immigration and Naturalization Service (Record Group 85)

Immigration case files (other than the Alien files) may have been created for foreign spouses of American servicemen. Visit the Restricting Asian/Pacific Islander Immigration page for more information on how to access these records.

Office of the Chief Signal Officer (Record Group 111)

Motion Picture Films from the Army Library Copy Collection, 1964–1980 (National Archives Identifier: 25061)

  • Japanese War Brides, San Antonio, Texas, November 2, 1954 (National Archives Identifier: 26947)
  • Japanese War Brides School, Tokyo, Japan, June 2, 1952 (National Archives Identifier: 25498)
  • Visit of Robert T. Stevens, Secretary of Army to 3D Infantry Division, Lawson Air Force, Georgia; Japanese war brides, Forest Park, Georgia, December 13, 1954 (National Archives Identifier: 27104)

General Records of the Department of the Navy (Record Group 428)

Moving Images Relating to Military Activities, ca. 1947–1980 (National Archives Identifier: 75284): Here are the query results for “Japanese Bride.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Record Group 566)

Alien Files (A-Files): An Overview

Alien files (A-files) will have been created for every spouse of American servicemen. A-files that have been transferred to NARA are name searchable in the National Archives Catalog.

Property Disposal Records

These records relate to the disposal of surplus federal property following the end of the war. They also document protests over new proposals for land use.

Bureau of Land Management (Record Group 49)

Post-war real property disposal records which include land appraisals.

  • Disposal Case Files, 1945–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 7512510)
  • Files of Francis L. McFarren, 1945–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 7512508)
  • Files of C. W. Kershaw, 1945–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 7512506)
  • Records Concerning Reports and Publications, 1945–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 7512504)
  • Disposal of Assets of Manzanar and Tule Lake War Relocation Centers, 1946–1948 (National Archives Identifier: 4713813)

1980s protests concerning new proposals for land use.

  • Resource Management Plan Protest Correspondence, 1985–1996 (National Archives Identifier: 2995540)
  • Protest Files, January 1, 1990–December 31, 2005 (National Archives Identifier: 133876681)

Farm Credit Administration (Record Group 103)

Surplus Property Disposal Case Files, 1946–1950 (National Archives Identifier: 7387660): Includes files for the Topaz (Central Utah) War Relocation Authority (WRA) camp.

Bureau of Reclamation (Record Group 115)

Records Relating to the Tule Lake Civilian Conservation Corps Camp and Japanese American Internment Camp, 1936–2010 (National Archives Identifier: 5134297): Includes documentation on use of incarcerated labor on reclamation projects as well as the disposition of property after the war.

Records Relating to the War Relocation Authority and Protection of Structures, August 27, 1940–July 6, 1953 (National Archives Identifier: 894528): Includes agreements and disposal records related to the Heart Mountain WRA camp. Also includes documentation on prisoners of war (German, Italian, and Japanese) and construction projects.

**To access additional WRA camp disposal property reports (which include numerous photographs) created by the Bureau of Reclamation, contact the National Archives at Denver at denver.archives@nara.gov.

Public Buildings Service (Record Group 121) 

Real Property Disposal Case Files, 1949–2006 (National Archives Identifier: 616603): Includes real property disposal files for the Tule Lake Segregation Center and Poston (Colorado River) WRA Camp.

General Services Administration (Record Group 269)

Files include a 1945 inventory and disposition of the properties after the war.

  • Arizona Real Property Disposal Case Files, ca. 1946–ca. 1962 (National Archives Identifier: 636139): Includes files related to the Poston (Colorado River) and Gila River camps.
  • Southern California Real Property Disposal Case Files, ca. 1946–ca. 1962 (National Archives Identifier: 636808): Includes files related to the Manzanar camp.

Real Property Disposal Case Files, 1945–1953 (National Archives Identifier: 7323642): Includes files for Amache (Granada) (National Archives Identifier: 7387989 and 7387988); Rohwer (National Archives Identifier: 7388234); and Topaz (Central Utah) (National Archives Identifier: 7387841).

War Assets Administration (Record Group 270) 

Real Property Disposal Case Files, 1946–1949 (National Archives Identifier: 627579): Files related to the properties from the Arboga and Merced Assembly Centers, and Tule Lake Segregation Center.

Case Files Relating to Property Disposal, 1946–1949 (National Archives Identifier: 2733411):

  • Folder, I- Utah 4 - Central Utah Relocation Center - Topaz, UT (National Archives Identifier: 2792912)
  • Folder, WI- New Mexico 14 - Lordsburg Internment Camp - Lordsburg, NM (National Archives Identifier: 2792647)

Real Property Disposal Case Files, 1946–1951 (National Archives Identifier: 566592): Includes case files for the Minidoka WRA Camp.

Preservation and Commemoration

National Park Service (Record Group 79)

Correspondence Relating to National Historic Landmarks, 1974–1986 (National Archives Identifier: 1138601)

National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013–2017 (National Archives Identifier: 20812721)

Legislative Files, ca. 2010–January 3, 2016 (National Archives Identifier: 79420000): Consists of files related to legislative activities including the establishment of national historic sites.

Records Related to Educational Programs Planning and Development, 2008–2018 (National Archives Identifier: 149279833): Interpretative materials developed by staff at the Tule Lake National Monument.

National Archives and Records Administration (Record Group 64)

NARA Statutes: Documents Relating to Japanese Internment (50 App. U.S.C. § 1989b-6)

National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) funded grants:

U.S. Information Agency (Record Group 306)

Moving Images Relating to U.S. Domestic and International Activities, 1982–1999 (National Archives Identifier: 46890)

  • Of Forms and Growth (National Archives Identifier: 102038197): A film exploring the life of artist Ruth Asawa with a segment that delves into her experiences during the war.

U.S. Agency for Global Media (Record Group 517)

Video Tape Programs and Worldnet Broadcasts, 1999–2009 (National Archives Identifier: 74221734)

  • Dance to Remember (National Archives Identifier: 77170227)
  • The Legislative Process (National Archives Identifier: 77181818)
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