4 ms·

I don’t understand what they are trying to say with that sign. Does it mean “we are not of enemy nationality”? Or does it mean “we are foreigners in the US and

I don’t understand what they are trying to say with that sign. Does it mean “we are not of enemy nationality”? Or does it mean “we are foreigners in the US and our nationality is enemy nationality”

35997279 3y ago
Here’s a higher resolution copy. https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-aliens-of-enemy-nationalities https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-alien...
gcr 3y ago
You can read the full text of a substantially similar sign here: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-aliens-of-enemy-nationalities https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-alien... One way of fulfilling requirements for some scout ranks is to partake in community service programs, so perhaps they’re running errands for their community by hanging this sign up. It’s a haunting image.
burkaman 3y ago
They likely considered themselves Americans (because they were), and did not realize that even third-generation American-born citizens would be considered "aliens" and "enemies" and sent to the camps.
zo1 3y ago
I think I figured it out: If all non-citizens are aliens, then aliens of enemy nationality is a subset of that group. It's defined by aliens that are from a country that is designated as an enemy country. So French aliens are not included, but German and Japanese aliens were.
- burkaman 3y ago
  No, they didn't care about citizenship or where you were from. > "A Jap's a Jap. It makes no difference whether the Jap is a citizen or not." - — General John L. DeWitt, Commander, Western Defense Command, 1942 > "I am determined that if they have one drop of Japanese blood in them, they must go to camp." — Colonel Karl Bendetsen, Administrator, Wartime Civil Control Administration, 1942 - https://amhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/removal_process.html https://amhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/removal_proc... They also didn't really care about German or Italian ancestry, there were millions of such people and almost none were imprisoned. Nearly all Americans with Japanese ancestry were imprisoned, and most were American-born citizens.

35997279 3y ago

Here’s a higher resolution copy. https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-aliens-of-enemy-nationalities https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-alien...

gcr 3y ago

You can read the full text of a substantially similar sign here: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-aliens-of-enemy-nationalities https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/notice-to-alien... One way of fulfilling requirements for some scout ranks is to partake in community service programs, so perhaps they’re running errands for their community by hanging this sign up. It’s a haunting image.

burkaman 3y ago

They likely considered themselves Americans (because they were), and did not realize that even third-generation American-born citizens would be considered "aliens" and "enemies" and sent to the camps.

zo1 3y ago

I think I figured it out: If all non-citizens are aliens, then aliens of enemy nationality is a subset of that group. It's defined by aliens that are from a country that is designated as an enemy country. So French aliens are not included, but German and Japanese aliens were.

burkaman 3y ago
No, they didn't care about citizenship or where you were from. > "A Jap's a Jap. It makes no difference whether the Jap is a citizen or not." - — General John L. DeWitt, Commander, Western Defense Command, 1942 > "I am determined that if they have one drop of Japanese blood in them, they must go to camp." — Colonel Karl Bendetsen, Administrator, Wartime Civil Control Administration, 1942 - https://amhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/removal_process.html https://amhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/removal_proc... They also didn't really care about German or Italian ancestry, there were millions of such people and almost none were imprisoned. Nearly all Americans with Japanese ancestry were imprisoned, and most were American-born citizens.