Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians

6. Relocation Centers

6 The Relocation Centers Near the end of May 1942, the first evacuees began to arrive at the relocation centers. 1 Most came directly from the WCCA assembly centers, although a few arrived from other places, as shown in Figure A. Evacuees had been assured that the WRA centers would be more suitable for residence and more permanent than the hastily established assembly centers. They also believed that at the new camps some of the most repressive aspects of the assembly centers, particularly the guard towers and barbed wire, would be eliminated.2 All things considered , they were prepared for an orderly, cooperative move. By June 30, over 27,000 people were living at three relocation centers: Manzanar, Poston and Tule Lake.3 Three months later, all the centers except Jerome had opened, and 90,000 people had been transferred .4 By November 1, transfers had been completed and, at the end of the year, the centers had the highest population they would ever have-100,770 people.s Over 175 groups of about 500 each had moved, generally aboard one of 171 special trains, to a center in one of six western states or Arkansas.6 The train trips, particularly the longer ones, were often uncomfortable . Even on trips of several days, sleeping berths were provided only for infants, invalids and others who were physically incapacitated.7 Most evacuees sat up during the entire trip,8 and mothers with small children who were allowed berths were separated from their husbands .9 Ventilation was poor because the military had ordered that the 149 150 PERSONAL JUSTICE DENIED FIGURE A: The Evacuated People FROM TO 90,491 54,127 WCCA Relocated to Assembly West Coast Centers Evacuated Area 17,915 52,798 Direct Relocated to Evacuation ~ other sections of I United States and Hawaii 5,981 Births 4,724 \ 120,313 - To Japan WRA 1,735 Custody Dept. of Justice tInternment and (Includes 757 institu- 3,121 Detention Camps tionalized cases and Dept. of Justice 753 seasonal workers - Internment 1,579 released by WCCA Including Family who were never asSeasonal ~ signed to nor inducted Members Workers into a WRA center.) (Released by WCCA) 2,355 V U.S. Armed 1,275 - Forces Institutions ~ \ 1,862 1,118 Deceased Hawaiian (Excludes 4 Islands unauthorized departures) V 1,322 219 Voluntary Institutions Residents Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, WRA, The Evacuated People: A Quantitative Description (1946), p. 8. RELOCATION CENTERS 151 shades be drawn.1O The toilets sometimes flooded, soaking suitcases and belongings on the floor. 11 The trips were slow because the trains were old, and sometimes they were shunted to sidings while higherpriority trains passed. Delays could be as long as ten hours. 12 Although the WCCA reported that it had made provision for meals on the trains,13 these arrangements were not always satisfactory.14 Medical care was sometimes poor; although the WCCA had ordered that trains be stopped and ailing evacuees hospitalized along the route,15 two evacuees testified about separate incidents of infants dying during the journeys.16 The military guards harassed some evacuees. 17 Two testified about their experiences: When we finally reached our destination, four of us men were ordered by the military personnel carrying guns to follow them. We were directed to unload the pile ofevacuees' belongings from the boxcars to the semi-trailer truck to be transported to the concentration camp. During the interim, after filling one trailertruck and waiting for the next to arrive, we were hot and sweaty and sitting, trying to conserve our energy, when one ofthe military guards standing with his gun, suggested that one of us should get a drink of water at the nearby water faucet and try and make a run for it so he could get some target practice.18 The second evacuee reported: At Parker, Arizona, we were transferred to buses. With baggage and carryalls hanging from my arm, I was contemplating what I could leave behind, since my husband was not allowed to come to my aid. A soldier said, "Let me help you, put your arm out." He proceeded to pile everything on my arm. And to my horror, he placed my two-month-old baby on .top of the stack. He then pushed me with the butt of the gun and told me to get off the train, knowing when I stepped off the train my baby would...