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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Newspaper article, "In Homes of Many Japanese Americans, There are Gold Star Service Flags!"
Newspaper article showing the Gold Star Service flag that was bought and displayed to honor those who served in the military.
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Newspaper article, "Japanese-American, Reported Missing, Is German Prisoner"
Newspaper article about a missing Japanese-American soldier.
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Newspaper article, "McGehee Minister Gives Baccalaureate Sermon at Rohwer"
Newspaper article discussing a sermon given at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Military Minutes: Rohwer"
Newspaper article discussing the return of Japanese-American soldiers to Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Military Minutes: Silver Star, D.S.C. Awarded 2 Soldiers from Rohwer Center"
Article discussing the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross being awarded to two internees from the Rohwer Relocation Center for their service in the war.
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Newspaper article, "Nisei Serviceman Wounded 3 Times"
Newspaper article about a Japanese-American soldier wounded while deployed.
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Newspaper article, "Pine Bluff Police Arrest Jap Couple"
Newspaper article about the arrest of a Japanese couple for driving in Pine Bluff.
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Newspaper article, "Plan Chair Car For Jap Returnees"
Newspaper article about a planned return trip to the West Coast for Japanese-American relocation centers.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Camp to Close by December 15: Center Houses 4,600 Persons, Most of Whom Are 'Unemployable'"
Newspaper article describing the closing of Rohwer Relocation Center by December 15, 1945.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Center Gets 1st Casualty Notice from South Pacific"
Newspaper article discussing a casualty notice received at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Center Teams Wins National Volleyball Meet"
Newspaper article discussing the success of the Rohwer Relocation Center girl's volleyball team.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Japanese May Have Second Car to California"
Newspaper article discussing a second train car to take Japanese Americans back to the west coast.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Soldier Gets Commission on Battlefield"
Newspaper article about James H. Kurata's promotion to second lieutenant.
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Newspaper article, "Talk of the Times"
Newspaper article about the use of Rohwer Relocation Center workers in other parts of the state.
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Newspaper article, "The Silver Star Medal"
Article discussing the awarding of the Silver Star medal to a Rohwer Relocation Center internee.
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Newspaper article, "West Coast Attitude Toward Jap-American is Termed "Excellent' "
Newspaper article discussing the West Coast perception of Japanese Americans.
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Newspaper article, "WRA Reports $570 More in Polio Drive: County March of Dimes Donations Total $700 More than Past Year"
Newspaper article discussing the totals from a WRA Polio Drive.
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Notice, Executive Committee of the Rohwer Recreation Association to all appointed personnel
Notice from the Rohwer Recreation Association rescheduling a camp barbecue.
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Personal narrative of Austin Smith, Jr., reports officer for the reports division
Personal narrative of Austin Smith, Jr., reports officer for the Reports Division of the War Relocation Authority.
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Personal narrative of Ray D. Johnston, project director of Rohwer Relocation Center
Personal narrative of Ray D. Johnston, Project Director of Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Postcard, Kinuye to Hazel Retherford
Postcard from Kinuye in Detroit, Michigan to Hazel Retherford at the Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Postcard to unnamed resident at Rohwer Relocation Center
Postcard to an unnamed resident in Block 2 of Rohwer Relocation Center. The postcard is sent from California and written in Japanese.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt's memorial service program
Program from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's memorial service, held at the Prisoner of War Camp at Monticello, Arkansas.
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Program for "Observing the End of World War II"
This is a program for a ceremony recongnizing the end of World War II.
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Program, memorial service for Teruo "Ted" Fujioka
This is a program for Teruo ""Ted"" Fujioka's memorial service in Hollywood, California, November 11, 1945.