L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 10 Dear Readers, On February 19, 1942 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, many were under the misconception that it applied only to the Japanese and Japanese-Americans living in the Western United States, but they were wrong. Long after World War II was over, many Italo-Americans never knew that their own par- ents, relatives and neighbors had been impacted by that Executive Order, because it was rarely talked about. That is why, when the exhibit "Una Storia Segreta: When Italian Americans Were Enemy Aliens", curated by pro- ject director Lawrence DiStasi, opened at the Museo Italo Americano in San Francisco, California, February 1994, the unexpected happened. Crowds flocked to see it, newspapers gave it front-space coverage, and requests to show it in cities across the U.S.A. streamed in. Since then, the exhibit has been displayed at over 50 sites nation- wide and has resulted in national legislation, the Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act, signed in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. *** The "Una Storia Segreta" exhibit, supported by the slimmest shoe-string budget in the history of the Museo Italo Americano (Fort Mason Center, Bldg. C, San Francisco, CA 94123, Tel. 415.673.2200, www.sfmuseo.org) opened in February 1994. Signor T.S., a Japanese-American L'Italo- Americano reader married to an Italian war bride, sent a pre- exhibit donation along with a note which I will share with you: Dear Italian Connection: I enjoy your column very much, especially the largely unknown story of Italian family relocation of Japanese Americans. It brought back many poignant memories, and I am enclosing a story of kindness during those "Mala Notte" times that I would like to share with you. Tante Grazie, T.S. Caro Signor T.S.: As my mother used to say, "Siamo tutti figli di Dio", we are all God's children, therefore any story that has kindness for our worldwide family as a focus is definitely welcome. For the benefit of Readers who missed the column, here is a brief synopsis: "It has long been an historical miscon- ception that Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 applied only to Japanese (and Japanese- Americans) living in the Western States. Such was not the case, at least not at first. In the early months of the war, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, com- manding general of the Fourth Army and Western Defense Command in San Francisco, interpreted the order to include all so-called 'enemy aliens'- Italians and Germans, along with the Japanese. Gen. DeWitt, paranoid about so- called 'fifth column' activities, pushed for the forced relocation of all 'enemy aliens'. It was only in the ensuing months, treatment of the Japanese would become more heinous than that of their Italian and German counterparts. Nevertheless, of the 25,655 'enemy aliens' arrest- ed during the war, 14,426 (or 55 percent) were Italians and Germans." Following FDR's declaration of war in December 1941, President Roosevelt ordered the arrest of all Italian, Japanese and German aliens who the FBI and other federal agen- cies deemed "dangerous to American security". Within 72 hours, 846 aliens were arrested, most of them were Italian. Scores of Santa Cruz Italians were relocated in the first few months of the war, as were thou- sands of other Italian immigrants along the West Coast. Many oth- ers were arrested on dubious charges and sent to prison or to inland internment centers run by the Immigration Service. Weeks later, General DeWitt recommended that all enemy aliens 14 years of age and older be removed to the interi- or. He was supported by the FBI's resident xenophobe, J. Edgar Hoover. With its large populations of farmers and fish- ermen of Japanese and Italian descent, the Monterey Bay area was of particular concern to DeWitt. By January 25, 1942, all areas west or oceanside of Hwy. 1 in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were declared restricted to 'enemy aliens'. The day fol- lowing FDR's declaration of war, a dozen Italian nationals were no longer allowed to take their boats out to sea. The Santa Cruz Sentinel declared, "Fishermen with 23 Sons in Army and Navy are Bound to Wharf While Boats Lie Idle and Seafood is Needed". An Italian American veteran whose father was told to relocate remembers: "Here I was in the Navy, and I had another brother in the Army, and they do this to my father? It was a bunch of B.S." For Japanese residents, both citizens and non-citizens alike, their crisis was just the beginning. On February 21, two days following the signing of Executive Order 9066, hundreds of aliens were arrested through- out California. In Santa Cruz County, Ben Toringe, owner of the sporting goods store, was picked up for being in possession of a dozen shotguns, a camera, an alleged "illegal radio", and so- called "subversive literature". One fellow was charged with possession of a "signaling device", more commonly known as a flashlight! In the ensuing five months, more than 100,000 Japanese- 70 percent of the U.S. Citizens- were forcibly removed to inland concentration camps, beginning one of the greatest tragedies in American history (at the same time, the all- Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team was drafted out of the internment camps and Hawaii, and became known as the "Go for Broke" regi- ment). Signor T.S., a decorat- ed veteran of the "Go for Broke" regiment, a longtime subscriber and former resident of California, was in the western state of Wyoming when the "Mala Notte" began. His story begins: "One day, a perfect stranger walked into my father's shoe repair shop in Casper, Wyoming and handed my father $500 in cash, warning that our bank accounts would be frozen the next day and that he would need funds to survive until he could earn enough money to keep current with his bills, etc. True enough, my father's savings and checking accounts were frozen the next day (I later learned that the kind stranger had been an employee of a local utili- ty company who had overheard the bad news at a local coffee shop). "Fortunately, the District Attorney of Casper, Wyoming (population about 25,000 at the time), was very understanding and cleared my parents' security status shortly afterward. I had graduated from high school with two scholarship awards (In those days, scholarships were awarded on an academic basis). My broth- er was a three-year varsity foot- ball player, and a younger sister had made some headlines as a piano virtuoso. Her first recital was at the age of five years (She retired as a professor of music at Mankato State University in Minnesota). "Many people were loyal to personal friendships and would carefully watch vacat- ed stores, automobiles, furniture and, in some cases, lease the property of evacuated neighbors if it was used for farming." cialty, a porchetta sandwich with potatoes for only 5 euro. But if you wish to blow your expense budget, at Il Tartufo where you can have pasta con- tartufo, for 22 and 16 euro per plate for the seasonal white and black truffles. At the nearby wine bar, all wines are from Italy, and all wines are 5 euro a glass. All drinks, whether coffee or wine, are served in glass or porcelain. But in keeping with the laid-back atmosphere of the space, nearly all dishes are served on paper plates with plas- tic utensils. Every item is recy- cled. The Leonardo Da Vinci Cooking School was in session the morning we were there. The students were hard at work preparing the filling for Sicilian cannoli, including instruction on how to make the shell. The next morning they were laboring over a written examination before they returned to their spaces to make a chocolate sauce. On the weekends Il Centrale is crowded with lines at nearly every counter. But because we are in Florence in January, the customer base is largely Florentines. But this will cer- tainly change during Italy's high tourist season. Beyond the jobs that the five million euro created in the remodeling of the space, Il Centrale has generated over one- hundred and seventy permanent jobs. I took special note of the fact that nearly all the workers were under thirty-five, the hard- est hit demographic section of the Italian economy. Currently, the 18-35 age group has a 35% unemployment rate. If they do find work, most young Italians, must accept short-term contract jobs at low pay and excessive number of hours per week. Upon exiting into the Piazza Mercato, you see the Ganapathi Mini Market, the Macelleria Halhal, and the Alimentari arabo, africano, e asiatico. Just steps away from our hotel there are Chinese, kabab, and Japanese restaurants, including stores owned by recent immigrants. This is modern Italy, the one that Il Centrale also represents. This is what idealizers complain about. But like it or not, Italy is modern society with modern issues, including immigration, that require changes. Certainly, Eataly will be visited by tourists. According to one web source, tourism in Italy generates more than 45 billion dollars a year. But it is an industry whose impact on the environment can be effec- tively controlled and minimized. I would be a hypocrite if I did not admit that this spring Carole and I will return to Rome for an extended study of Italian in Rome. Thereafter, for about the fifth time we will again drive through Italy's northern regions and visit churches and museums while sampling the local cuisine and drinking the local wine. Don't misunderstand me, the old never gets old in Italy. Continued from page 8

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