Japanese American Incarceration During World War II

This is the yearbook for the 1939-1940 academic year at the University of Puget Sound. The Japanese Students’ Club is located on page 62. The entry includes a photograph of members and a short description of the club’s activities. When does it say the club was organized? What was the most notable activity of the year?

This is the yearbook for the 1940-1941 academic year at the University of Puget Sound. The Japanese Students Club is located on page 81. The entry includes a photograph of members and a short description of the club’s activities. What percentage of the student body do they make up? What activities do they participate in on campus?

This is the yearbook for the 1941-1942 academic year at the University of Puget Sound. The Japanese Students Club is located on page 69. The entry includes a photograph of members and a short description of the club’s activities. Who was the club president this year? Are the events of WWII (Pearl Harbor, Japanese American incarceration, etc.) reflected in this entry? In the yearbook as a whole?

The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 1, there are multiple articles of interest, including “Mrs. Roosevelt Sees Students,” and “Discuss Japanese-American Problem.” Where does this newspaper issue fit into the timeline of World War II? Why are the Japanese American students making loyalty statements?

This image is on page 2 of the February 6, 1942, issue of The Trail, which is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. The image features First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with four Japanese American students. The caption describes their meeting, which corresponds with an article in the December 16, 1941 issue of The Trail. What do you find interesting about the photograph? What do you think is the “problem of the American-born Japanese” the caption refers to?

This Civilian Exclusion Order was posted around Pierce County on May 10, 1942. The poster outlines instructions that individuals of Japanese ancestry need to follow before they are “evacuated,” which is a euphemism for being incarcerated. In order to better read the text, use the zoom function to more closely investigate the poster. What is the date individuals need to report by? How much time will elapse between May 10th and the deadline? What types of belongings are they instructed to pack? What will happen to the rest of their belongings?

This letter is from the Tacoma chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) to the faculty and students of the College of Puget Sound. What has been the relationship between the Tacoma JACL and the college? What do you find most impactful about this letter?

The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 2, read the article titled “CPS Japanese Students Give Final Message in Chapel.” Who performed the message on behalf of the Japanese American students? What do they cite as their only tangible contribution to the college?

This letter is from Waichi Oyanagi, a Puget Sound student who has been incarcerated, to Professor Frederick at the University of Puget Sound. When is the letter dated and where does it come from? How does Waichi describe the “camp”? How does he describe daily life?

President Thompson began working at the University of Puget Sound in the spring of 1942. Prior to coming to Puget Sound, he worked as a professor at Willamette University, where he met student Kenji Kurita. In this undated letter, Kenji reaches out to President Thompson about his ongoing endeavors to get accepted into a university in the “interior” United States, which was one of the few ways you could leave an incarceration camp. Included is a letter to Kurita from the University of Denver, dated June 16, 1942.

This letter is from Kenji Kurita’s father, T. Kurita, to University of Puget Sound President R. Franklin Thompson. T. Kurita refers to his son’s experiences at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where President Thompson used to work as a professor. Where is T. Kurita writing from? Consider how WWII and incarceration impacted different areas of the United States in different ways. How has the incarceration of Kenji impacted his parents?

In this undated letter from Kenji Kurita to University of Puget Sound President Thompson, Kenji updated Thompson on his pre-registration at Nebraska Wesleyan University, President Thompson’s alma mater. Kenji includes an August 18, 1942, letter from the National Student Relocation Council, which was an organization that attempted to place Japanese American students into universities not in the “exclusion zone.” What is the National Student Relocation Council doing to help students? How does Kenji’s experience with the University of Denver (see letter from Kenji Kurita to President Thompson, circa 1942) highlight the difficulties of being placed at a university?

In this November 12, 1942 letter from Kenji Kurita to University of Puget Sound President R. Franklin Thompson, Kenji has made it to Lincoln, Nebraska. Since it is late in the semester, Kenji and Dean Deal decide he will begin classes next semester. In the meantime, Kenji outlines his activities and work. What jobs does he say Japanese Americans are barred from?

The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 1, read the article titled “My Peace Plan,” by Shigeo Wakamatsu. This article predates the United State’s involvement in WWII. Based on the other items in this set, who is Shigeo Wakamatsu and why is it meaningful that he wrote this article? What is his plan for peace?

The Trail is the student newspaper at the University of Puget Sound. On page 3, read the article titled “A generation remembers internment.” This page features an article and multiple photographs surrounding the “Remembrance of Japanese American Internment” program, which is briefly mentioned on page 1. Shigeo Wakamatsu and other Japanese Americans are featured on this page. How is Japanese American incarceration remembered and commemorated by the University of Puget Sound in 1992?