Chinese Exclusion Act. Case File 2077/1-1 for Anna May Wong, dated December 5, 1938.
This record is Chinese Exclusion Act Case File, 2077/1-1, Port of Seattle, for Anna May Wong. Anna May Wong was born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles and became the first internationally recognized Chinese-American actress. The file held in Seattle documents her travel across the Canadian border early in her career to film motion pictures on location in Canada. The National Archives at Riverside also maintains the Chinese Exclusion Act Case File, 14036/236-A, Port of Los Angeles, for Anna May Wong.
The National Archives at Seattle holds over 50,000 files for individuals who entered the United States through ports at Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, as well as files for individuals who entered through ports that were managed by officials in Seattle, including: Helena, MT; Port Townsend, WA; Portal, ND; Sumas, WA; and Vancouver, British Columbia. These records are contained in Record Group 85: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The files document U.S. immigration policies/practices and are extremely valuable to the large Asian-American community in the region. The records often contain photographs of both the applicant and local businesses; personal letters; interrogations of the individual and occasionally those of verifying witnesses; and copies of federal and local court records. You can read more about the Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files held at the National Archives at Seattle here.
Case File 2077/1-1 for Anna May Wong, dated December 5, 1938. National Archives Identifier: 329265336.
View and download the Chinese Exclusion Act Case File for Anna May Wong on the National Archives Catalog. This record is one example of the many Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files held at the National Archives at Seattle, WA. You can explore more records held at the National Archives at Seattle through the National Archives Catalog or by visiting the National Archives at Seattle. This record is located within Record Group 85: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Series: Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1895-ca. 1943. Many of the records in this collection have yet to be digitized. We encourage researchers to visit us onsite to explore these records and learn more about the archival collections held at the National Archives at Seattle.