Research Paths
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Introduction
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Check Records Online:
Database of Japanese American Evacuees
(War Relocation Authority, RG 210)
Index to the WWII Alien Enemy Detention and Internment Case Files
(Department of Justice, RG 60)
Compensation and Reparations: Index to the Redress Case Files
(Department of Justice, RG 60)
Public Hearings and Testimonies
(Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, RG 220)
Military Records
(Office of the Provost Marshal General, RG 389, and US Army Defense Commands, RG 499) -
Order Copies of Records
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What You Can Do Next
Read publications from the Commission:
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Personal Justice Denied
This report extensively reviews the history and circumstances of the decisions to exclude, remove, and then detain Japanese Americans and Japanese resident aliens from the West Coast; it covers the treatment of Aleuts during WWII as well.
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Personal Justice Denied, Part 2
In the final part of their report, the Commission recommends remedies.
Check the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) for Public Hearings and Testimonies (Record Group 220)
About the CWRIC
The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) was set up to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the forced relocation and internment and the impact it had on American citizens and permanent resident aliens.
What you will find in these records
These records reflect the Commission's twenty days of hearings and testimonies from more than 750 witnesses between July and December 1981, in cities across the country. These witnesses included Japanese Americans and Aleuts who had lived through the events of WWII, former government officials who ran the internment program, public figures, internees, organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League, interested citizens, historians, and other professionals who have studied the subjects of the Commission's inquiry. Included also are publications, reports, press releases, photographs, newspaper clippings, and transcripts that relate to the hearings.Many of the transcripts are personal stories of experiences of evacuees.
Read more about the records of the CWRIC
(click on the Title of the records in the list, and then the Creator link for descriptions.)
Search the Archival Research Catalog (ARC) for name indexes and descriptions of the records
The following materials have lists of individuals who testified. You can search for individuals by name.
- Abstracts of Witness Testimony, 1981 (ARC ID: 734703)
- Solicited Testimony Files, 1981-1982 (ARC ID: 734695)
- Transcripts of Public Hearings, 1981 (ARC ID: 734681)
You can request to see the entire hearing testimony through contacting the Civilian Records Branch.
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