In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued on February 19th, 1942, Executive Order 9066--which designated military zones along the United States coast and directed the army to remove all residents of Japanese ancestry from these areas. The president then created the War Relocation Authority (WRA), a federal agency tasked with caring for the approximately 110,000 Japanese-Americans uprooted by Executive Order 9066. The WRA saw to the planning and construction of long-term internment camps located in the interior of the country where the displaced population would be held for the duration of World War II. Two of the selected sites were located in the Arkansas Delta, one at Rohwer in Desha County--which operated from September 18, 1942-November 30, 1945--and the other at Jerome in sections of Chicot and Drew counties--which operated from October 6, 1942-June 30, 1944. The internment camps at Rohwer and Jerome would incarcerate over 16,000 Japanese-Americans between October 1942 and November 1945.
This collection exhibits materials from school administrators and superintendents, pastors, teachers, social welfare workers, and WRA administrators associated with the internment camps. Materials also source from the Homer Adkins’ gubernatorial papers, articles from the McGehee Times and Dermott News, and the official closing roster of the Rohwer Relocation Center.
All materials within this online exhibit are available for research at the Arkansas State Archives. These items were digitized by the Arkansas State Archives as part of a joint project entitled “Rohwer Reconstructed,” overseen by the University of Arkansas’ Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies and funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service through the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
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Letter, John L. DeWitt, Lieutenant General, United States Army to Governor Homer Adkins
Letter informing Governor Adkins that a second relocation center will be established for 10,000 Japanese Americans at Jerome in Chicot and Drew Counties.
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Letter, John L. DeWitt, U.S. Army Lieutenant General, to Governor Homer Adkins
Letter from U.S. Lieut. General John L. DeWitt notifying Governor Adkins that the War Department has purchased land in Rohwer, Desha County, Arkansas, for the internment of Japanese Americans.
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Letter, Robbins Barstow, director of Japanese American Student Relocation to Heber L. McAlister, Arkansas State Teachers College
This letter discusses the interruption of students' education as they are moved around the country and how best to handle that interruption. The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council is appealing to the Arkansas State Teachers College to see if they would be willing to take in students from the internment camps.
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Letter, Robbins W. Barstow, director of National Japanese American Student Relocation to Governor Homer Adkins
This letter is reminding Governor Adkins that the individuals being relocated are American citizens and that their rights are being violated and that the American public should provide an education for these individuals.
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Memorandum, Ralph B. Jones, Arkansas State Commissioner of the Department of Education, to Governor Homer Adkins
Letter informing Governor Adkins that no state supported schools are willing to take in students from the Japanese Relocation program.
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Newpaper Article, "Hallowe'en Party, Dance at Rohwer November 5th"
Newspaper article discussing a Halloween party and dance held at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "10,000 Japs [sic] May Be Sent To Jerome: Two Reception Centers For This Part Of State Proposed By War Dept. And Relocation Authority"
This article is detailing how relocation centers for Japanese Americans could be placed in Dermott. The article states that Arkansas is willing to do its part for the war effort, but with conditions. These conditions are: the army must guard the camp at all times; all Japanese Americans being held at the camp will be relocated out of Arkansas at the end of the war; and at no time will they be allowed to compete with local labor.
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Newspaper article, "10,000 Japs [sic] To Be Removed To Arkansas Camp: Site Will Be Near Rohwer, Desha County"
This Arkansas Gazette article covers the relocation of 10,000 Japanese Americans from the west coast to Rohwer, Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "5,000 Japs to be at Rohwer September 1: Construction of Buildings, Roads, Etc., Underway"
Article discussing the anticipated arrival of Japanese Americans at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "75 Repatriates to Rohwer Center"
Newspaper article discussing the transfer of 75 Japanese Americans from Jerome to Rohwer.
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Newspaper article, "8,059 Japanese are at Rohwer: No More Scheduled Now for this Center"
Newspaper article discussing the arrival of more evacuees at Rohwer.
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Newspaper article, "Adequate Guards On Hand At Jap [sic] Evacuee Center"
Article discussing the number of military police and weapons supplied to relocation centers in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "A.G. Thompson to be Head of Jerome Japanese Schools"
This article discusses the appointment of A.G. Thompson as head of Jerome Relocation Center schools.
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Newspaper article, "Alien Camp to be Constructed in this Area: Internment Camp to be Placed Near Monticello by the Army"
Article discussing the building of a prisoner of war camp near Monticello, Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "Aliens Must Obtain Identification Certificates"
Article discussing a new requirement for foreigners from Italy, Germany, or Japan to obtain certificates of identification from the government.
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Newspaper article, "All Quiet On Denson Front" December 7
Article from the Dermott News in December 1942. The article states that on the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, things at the Jerome Relocation Center were quiet with no disturbances.
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Newspaper article, "Arkanstuff: Japs [sic] In Our Hair"
Article discussing concerns from Arkansans about Japanese Americans being relocated to Arkansas. Concerns include employment, land, and containment.
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Newspaper article, "Arkanstuff: 'Little Nippon' in Arkansas"
This article discusses the opening of War Relocation Authority offices in Little Rock, Arkansas, with E.B. Whitaker as director and comments on the desire of Arkansans to make sure Japanese internees removed from the state after the war.
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Newspaper article, "Arkanstuff: Work Has Started on the Jap [sic] Interment at Rohwer"
This is an article in the Dermott News about the beginning of construction work at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Arkanstuff: WPA Undergoes Operation"
This article discusses the W.P.A.'s contribution to the labor force constructing the Japanese-American internment camps in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "Army Guards Will Patrol Jap Centers: Rohwer and Jerome Jap Colonies Designated Military Areas"
Article discussing the declaration of Jerome and Rohwer relocation centers as military areas.
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Newspaper article, "Ask Repair of Rohwer Road: Condition of Road to Jap Colony Growing Worse"
Article discussing the request for repair of the road between Rohwer and McGehee by the McGehee Association of Commerce directors.
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Newspaper article, "A Word from the Ministers Alliance"
Newspaper article giving a message from the Ministers Alliance about Japanese-American Christians.
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Newspaper article, "Between the Lines: Speech Given at the Rotary Club by an Offical of the A.J. Rife Construction Company"
This article praises the citizens of Dermott for their cooperation with relocation center construction efforts.
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Newspaper article, "Bill To Prevent Alien Orientals Buying Property: Pulaski County Solon To Copy California Statute"
Newspaper article discussing the proposal of an Arkansas bill to block Japanese Americans from owning land in the state.