Letters From Camp
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This album contains some of the actual images from the National Archive Record Administration, College Park, Maryland that are referred to in the Discover Nikkei journal article, Letters From Camp. Out of the 190-pages of (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Naturalization Service, War Relocation Authority, U.S. District Attorney and the Department of Justice's Alien Enemy Control Unit), only key documents are presented that highlights Suyeichi Okamura, my grandfather's arrest and imprisonment as an Alien Enemy of the United States of America. This album also includes some of the personal letters and telegrams sent on his behalf from his wife, children and in-laws, which adds human emotions to an otherwise dry collection of official documents. They provide the heart of Letters From Camp.
Slides in this album |
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19411215 - FBI Director John Edgar Hoover Memo Re: Suyeichi OkamuraThis is a *compacted copy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's memo to Laurence Smith, Chief of the Special Defense Unit. This gives the information for the arrest of Suyeichi Okamura and the reasons for his arrest, the day after the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii attack by the Japan on December …
National Archive Records Administration (NARA) copy 19411215 |
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19411215 - FBI Director John Edgar Hoover Memo Re: Suyichi OkamuraThis is the same memo above, but an unaltered copy of the actual J. Edgar Hoover memo.
NARA 19411215 - FBI Director John Edgar Hoover Memo Re: Suyichi Okamura |
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19411219 - Change of Status Memo Re: Arrival of Suyeichi Okamura at Missoula, MontanaThis is a copy of the Change of Status Memo to report the arrival of Detained Enemy Alien Suyeichi Okamura at Ft. Missoula, Montana sent from the Special Assistant to the District Attorney to the head of the Special Defense Unit.
NARA 19411219 - FBI Director John Edgar Hoover Memo Re: Suyichi Okamura |
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19420209a 1o2 pg Report & Recommendation of DOJ/AEC Hearing BoardPage 1 of 2 pages Department of Justice / Alien Enemy Control Hearing Board Report and Recommendation. Outline of Suyeichi Okamura case evidences.
NARA 19420209a 1o2 pg DOJ/AEC Hearing Board Report & Recommendation |
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19420209b 2o2 pg DOJ/AEC Hearing Board Report & RecommendationSummary of Facts & Opinion finding Sueyichi Okamura "to be a dangeous Alien Enemy." The report gives all the reasons why it came to its decision. This page also lists the participants of the Hearing Board.
NARA 19420209b 2o2 pg Hearing Board Report and Recommendation |
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19420306a 1o3 pg FBI Report of ApprehensionThis page names the FBI agent making the arrest and the address where the arrest occur. It also refers to a "Confidential Informant SF-9," who on Dec. 7, 1941 provided the information about Suyeichi Okamura. where he was from in Japan and when he arrived in the US.
NARA 19420206a 1o3 pg FBI Report of Apprehension |
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19420306b 2o3 pg FBI Report of ApprehensionThis page continues the Confidential Informant SF-9 report of Suyeichi Okamura's membership in Japanese organizations that "incriminates" him as an Alien Enemy, especially his membership in the Togo Kai, the adminration society of Japan Navy Admiral H. Togo.
NARA 19420306b 2o3 pg FBI Report of Apprehension |
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19420306c 3o3 pg FBI Report of ApprehensionThis page is titled: UNDEVELOPED LEADS. It mentions waiting to see the Immigratiion and Naturalization Service Alien Enemy Questionaire before reporting the final disposition of Suyeichi Okamura by the Office of the District Attorney. |
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19420320 AEC Hearing Board RecommendationThis document names Suyeichi Okamura as the ACCUSED, EVIDENCES, DISCUSSION and makes the RECOMMENDATION that the accused remains, INTERNED (Imprisoned).
NARA 19420320 AEC Hearing Board Recommendation |
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19420817 - Typed letter of appeal from (Bachan) Owai Okamura to DOJThis is the typed letter which I surmise that my father, Sam Masami Ono wrote for my grandmother. At that time my father was a volunteer Policeman for the Merced Assembly Center. In her letter to the Department of Justice, my grandmother mentions that the family is about to be …
NARA 19420817 - Typed letter from Owai Okamura to DOJ |
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19420824a - 1o3 pg Handwritten letter Owai Okamura to US Atty San FranciscoI believe, by handwriting comparison, that this 3-page letter was writen by daughter-in-law Dorothy Yoshiko (Kato) Okamura for Owai Okamura. This was sent from Merced Assembly Center. This page mentioned tha she had an expensive operation just before being incarcerated in MAC and that her daughter was ill. (I'm not sure …
NARA 19420824a - 1o3 pg Handwritten letter Owai Okamura to US Atty San Francisco |
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19420824b - 2o3 pg Handwritten letter Owai Okamura to US Atty San FranciscoOn this page Owai Okamura questions why her husband, who ran a succesful San Francisco confectionary business for 40-years and raised his children to be good US citizens, was arrested. She also mentions that they were getting ready to be moved to Granada, Colorado soon and hoped that he could …
NARA 19420824b - 2o3 pg Handwritten letter to US Atty San Francisco |
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19420824c - 3o3 pg Handwritten letter Owai Okamura to US Atty San FranciscoThis last page carrys over the referrence to character witnesses who would vouch for her husband, Suyeichi Okamura. It also reminds that they will be moving to Granada, Colorado soon and wish for him to join the family there..
NARA 19420824c 3o3 pg Handwritten letter Owai Okamura to US Atty San Francisco |
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19420829 Memo from DOJ/INS Philadelphia offce to Edward J. Ennis, Dir of AECThis memo from W.F. Kelly, Supervisor of Border Patrol to the Director of the Alien Enemy Control Unit, Edward J. Ennis regarding Owai Okamura's 19420817 letter stating that her husband Suyeichi was in the "First Internment Camp, Camp Livingston, Lousiana, but that their records show that he never left Fort Sill, Oklahoma …
NARA 19420829 DOJ/INS Memo from DOJ/INS Philadelphia offce to Edward J. Ennis, Dir of AEC |
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19421218 - Seven Okamura Siblings signatures on typed letter to US District Atty, Francis BiddleThis startling letter, hand-signed by all seven children of Suyeichi Okamura, are asking for their father to be released to join their mother in Amache, the Granada, Colorado WRA camp so that some of them as loyal and responsible adult citizens could take part in the release from camp program …
NARA 19421218 Seven Okamura Siblings signatures on typed letter to US District Atty, Francis Biddle |
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19430211 Rehearing Denial Memo from US Atty Frank J. Hennessy to Edward J. Ennis AECThis Memo from the US Attorney, Frank J. Hennessey to Edward J. Ennis, Director of Alien Enemy Control Unit denies the request by Suyeichi Okamura for a rehearing, stating his membership in Japanese organizations, epecially the Togo Kai and his three trips to Japan.
NARA 19430211 Denial Memo from US Atty Frank J. Hennessy to Edward J. Ennis AEC |
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19430604 Letter from Hiroshi, eldest son of Suyeichi Okamura to Edward J. Ennis, AECThis is the last letter to ever be written by Hiroshi Okamura, the eldest son of Suyeichi Okamura. It was written to Alien Enemy Control Unit Director Edward J. Ennis stating that his brother George Saburo, 23 was volunteering into the US Army, which shows the patriotism of his father's family …
19430604 Letter from Hiroshi, eldest son of Suyeichi Okamura to Edward J. Ennis, AEC |
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19430615 - 1o2 pg Letter from Amache Camp Director to his boss WRA Director in Washington,DCThis letter from James G. Lindley, Granada Project, Amache, Colorado to his boss, Dillon S. Myer, Director of the War Relocation Authority in Washington, DC detailing the death of Hiroshi, eldest son of Suyeichi Okamura. Suyeichi was escorted from the DOJ prison camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico to attend the funeral for …
NARA 19430615 1o2 pg letter from Amache Director James G. Lindley to his boss WRA Director in Washington,DC |
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19430615 - 2o2 pg Letter from Amache Director to WRA Director, Washington, DCThis is the 2nd page of the letter from James. G. Lindley, Amache Camp Director to his boss, War Relocation Authority Director, Dillon S. Myer in Washington, DC. This page shows Lindley's signature.
NARA 19430615 - 2o2 pg Letter from Amache James G. Lindley to WRA Director, Washington, DC |
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19430621 - 1o3 pg Handwritten letter from widow Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty GeneralThis 3 pages, handwritten letter to Francis Biddle, US Attorney General, Washington, DC is from the recently widowed wife of Hiroshi Okamura, who died June 8, of a injury sustained on an Amache work project the day before. In her letter, Dorothy Yoshiko (Kato) Okamura describes her tragic situation, mother of …
NARA 19430621- 1o3 pg Handwriten from widow Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty General |
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19430621 - 2o3 pg Handwritten letter from widow Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty GeneralIn this 2nd page Dorothy Yoshiko describes her father-in-law's family situation and the fact that in his absence her recently deceased husband was the acting head of the family in Suyeichi Okamura's place and now Hiroshi is gone, her father-in-law's returne is of greater importance for the whole family. Another …
NARA 19430621 - 2o3 pg Handwritten letter from widow Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty General |
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19430621 - 3o3 pg Handwritten Letter from wido Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty GeneralThis final page just contains closing remarks and a wish for a rapid response. It is signed, " (Mrs) Y. Okamura "
NARA 19430621 - 3o3 pg Handwritten Letter from wido Yoshiko Okamura to US Atty General |
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19430623 - 1o2 pg Typed letter from Owai Okamura to US Atty GeneralThis two page letter from Owai Okamura, wife of Suyeichi to Francis Biddle, US Attorney General, Washington, DC is requesting a rehearing for her husband who has always been a good US citizen, hardworking and a contributor to many charities including the Red Cross, YMCA, Community Chest, Boys Scout of …
NARA 19430623 - 1o2 pg Typed letter from Owai Okamura to US Atty General |
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19430623 - 2o2 pg Typed letter from Owai Okamura to US Atty GeneralThis second page describes her husband Suyeichi's pride in being able to operate an independent business in the United States for almost 40-years and his declaration to never move back to Japan. She rephasized the current family situation and the greater need for his being reunited with his family. Of course. …
NARA 19430623 - 2o2 pg Typed letter from Owai Okamura to US Atty General |
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19430624 Letter to AEC Director, Wash.,DC from Amache Camp DirectorJames G. Lindley, Granada Project Amache Camp Director, always attempts to remain neutral regarding other government agencies area of responsibilities, but I get the feeling that he goes out of the way to support the Amache inmates. In this letter he verifies the facts mentioned in Owai Okamura's 19430623 letter Washington, …
NARA 19430624 Letter to AEC Director, Wash.,DC from Amache Camp Director |
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19430729 - 1o3-pg Notarized petition for the release of father written by George Saburo OkamuraSaburo, 23 wrote a detailed 3-page petition that fully characterized his father, Suyeichi Okamura, a prisoner in the DOJ Alien Enemy prison camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a good American citizen and a strong and generous Japanese American community leader. Saburo also describes the accidental death of his …
NARA 19430729 1o3-pg Notarized petition for the release of father written by George Saburo Okamura |
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19430729 - 2o3 pg Petition written by George Saburo Okamura in support of father(As above)
NARA 19430729 - 2o3 pg Petition written by George Saburo Okamura in support of father |
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19430729 - 3o3 pg Petition written by George Saburo Okamura in support of father(As above)
NARA 19430729 - 3o3 pg Petition written by George Saburo Okamura in support of father |
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19430803 Character Reference letter from Maryknoll Director to AEC Director, Wash.,DCReverend Hugh Lavery, Director of the Maryknoll Fathers, Los Angeles wrote this letter to Edward J. Ennis, Director of the Alien Enemy Control Unit, DOJ in Washington, DC in support of Suyeichi Okamura being released to join his family in Amache, where his eldest son, Hiroshi died in a camp Amache accident and …
NARA 19430803 - Character Reference letter from Maryknoll Director to AEC Director |
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19430804 - Handwritten letter, Tom Togo Okamura, first of three, 11-year-old, to AEC DirectorThis letter in the Letters from Camp article is the first of three letter written by 11-year-old Tom Togo Okamura, the youngest of the seven siblings. In this letter to Edward J. Ennis, Director of the Alien Enemy Control Unit, Department of Justice, Washington, DC, he writes about the loss …
NARA 19430804 - Handwritten letter, Tom Togo Okamura, first of three, 11-year-old, to AEC Director |
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19430821 - Letter from Director of AEC, Washington, DC to Sam Ono in DenverThis letter from Edward J. Ennis, Aien Enemy Control Unit Direct to my father, Sam Masami Ono at the 1721 Curtis Street, Denver, Colorado address, where we lived while he worked for the British Political Warfare Mission along with the US Office of War Information doing radio broadcasting in Japanese …
NARA 19430821 -Letter from Director of AEC, Washington, DC to Sam Ono in Denver |
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19430922 - 1o3 pg Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura,This letter to Edward J. Ennis, Alien Enemy Control Unit Director was sent from Hirofumi, 20, another son of Suyeichi Okamura also asking for his father's release to join his family in Amache for the same various reasons given by other family members. Hirofumi was at this time was working …
NARA 19430922 - 1o3 Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura |
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19430922 - 2o3 Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura(As above)
NARA 19430922 - 2o3 Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura |
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19430922 - 3o3 Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura(As avove two pages)
NARA 19430922 - 3o3 pg Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Hirofumi Okamura |
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19431217 - 1o2 pg Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Kimiye (Okamura) OnoIn this letter my mother Kimiye Ono writes to Edward J. Ennis, AEC Director to thank him for the recently held rehearing of his case in Sanata Fe and says her mother (Owai Okamura) is over-anxiously awaiting the outcome. My mother further pleas for a favorable decision.This letter must have been …
NARA 19431217 - 1o2 pg Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Kimiye (Okamura) Ono |
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19431217 - = 2o2 Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Kimiye (Okamura) Ono(As avove)
NARA 19431217 - 2o2 pg Handwritten letter to AEC Director from Kimiye (Okamura) Ono |
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19431217 - Handwritten letter to AEC Director from 11-yr-old Tom Togo OkamuraThis letter from the youngest Okamura siblings to Edward J. Ennis, Alien Enemy Control Director, Washington, DC thanks him for the decision to release his father to rejoin the family in Amache. I wonder about the coincidence of this letter dated the same as my mother, his sister? Also, it …
NARA 19431217 Handwritten Tom Togo Okamura letter to AEC Director |
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19431222 Western Union Telegram from Mr & Mrs Sam Ono to AEC DirectorThis telegram to Edward J. Ennis, Alien Enemy Control Directore in Washington, DC from Mr & Mrs Sam Masami & Kimiye (Okamura) Ono who are visiting Granada (Amache) from Denver, mentions that mother-in-law, Owai Okamura is sick with worrying about the release of her husband, Suyeichi Okamura.
NARA 19431222 Western Union Telegram from Mr & Mrs Sam Ono, Denver |
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19431223 - Letter from AEC Director to Mrs.Ono c/o Mrs Okamura in reply to telegramThis reply to the telegram is sent to my mother, Kimiye (Okamura) Ono in c/o Mrs. Suyeichi Okamura to the Amache address. The telegram did have the 1721 Curtis STreet, Denver address on it, but perhaps my parents were still visiting in Amache? Ennis advises that he is pleased to …
NARA 19431223 - Letter to Mrs.Ono c/o Mrs Okamura from AEC Director in reply to telegram |
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19431224 Telegram from Saburo Okamura, Camp Savage, Minnesota to AEC DirectorT-5 Saburo George Okamura attending Camp Savage, MIS, language training in Minnesota sent this Western Union telegram exclaiming that his father, Suyeichi should be rleased, that his mother is very ill. Can you imagine having this kind of emotional dilemma going on around the Christmas holiday?
19431224 Telegram from T-5 George Saburo Okamura, Camp Savage, Minnesota to AEC Director |
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19440113 Postal Telegram from Owai Okamura, Granda to AEC Director WashingtonIn this telegram to Edward J. Ennis, Alien Enemy control Director, Owai Okamura is aking for her husband, Suyeichi's release to conincide with the January 15th furlough date of *PFC Saburo George so that the son can accompany his father to Amache. *Saburo's Western Union telegram was signed "T-5 Saburo Okamura"
NARA 19440113 Postal Telegram Owai Okamura, Granda to AEC Director, Washington |
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NARA 19440202 INS Memorandum Change of Status Report of AE Suyeichi OkamuraThis US Department of Justice, Immigration & Naturalization Service, Philadelphia, PA memorandum was for the Alien Enemy Control Information Bureau, Office of the Provost Marshal General, War Department, Washington, DC. The effective date of the Change of Status to Parolee was January 22, 1922, with the present location given as: …
NARA 19440202 INS Memorandum Change of Status Report of AE Suyeichi Okamura |
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Letters From Camp
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