Larry DeWitt's Master's Thesis: The U.S. Social Security Board and its Program of Assistance and Services to Enemy Aliens and Others During the Relocations and Internments of World War II- Photo Sampler, Assembly Centers

Master's Thesis - Photo Sampler, Assembly Centers

ASSEMBLY CENTERS

Figure 10: In addition to the loss of their freedom, many Japanese-Americans lost properties and businesses when they were evacuated to the Assembly Centers. NARA caption: Oakland, California. Following evacuation orders, this store, at 13th and Franklin Streets, was closed. The owner, a University of California graduate of Japanese descent, placed the "I AM AN AMERICAN" sign on the store front on Dec. 8, the day after Pearl Harbor. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-C519.

Figure 11: New arrivals and their luggage at the Salinas, California Assembly Center, 3/31/1942. NWDNS-210-G-A213.

Figure 12: Residents of the Salinas Assembly Center, 3/31/1942. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-A224.

Figure 13: Temporary living quarters for the evacuees in the Salinas, California Assembly Center, 3/31/1942. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-A234.

Figure 14: A makeshift closet in the barracks of the Salinas Assembly Center, 3/31/1942. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-A221.

Figure 15: Conditions were considerably more harsh in some assembly centers, as these were slapdash temporary affairs. NARA caption: San Bruno, California. Shown here is one type of barracks for family use. These were formerly the stalls for race horses. Each family is assigned to two small rooms, the inner one with no outside door nor window. The center has been in operation about six weeks. 8,000 evacuees are now assembled here. 6/16/1942. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-C651.

Figure 16

Figure 17

Closer views of the converted horse-stalls at Tanforan Assembly Center, 6/14/1942. Even though these were indeed formerly horse-stalls, they had been modified for human habitation. We should not have the false idea in mind that internees were literally forced to live in horse stalls in the form which the horses did. NARA photos: NWDNS-210-G-C594 and NWDNS-210-G-C598.

Figure 18: The Yamagata family pose in front of their temporary “horse stall” homes at the Santa Anita Racetrack, 4/6/42. NWDNS-210-H-B429.

Figure 19: Overview of the Salinas Assembly Center, from the guard tower, 4/20/1942. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-C70.

Figure 20: Another overview of Salinas Assembly Center. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-C68.

Figure 21: Santa Anita Assembly Center, Arcadia, California, 4/6/1942. The buildings in the center of the photo were new temporary construction. The converted horse-stalls are in the upper right-hand corner of the photo. Obviously, not everyone at Santa Anita was housed in converted horse stalls. NARA caption: A panoramic view of the Santa Anita assembly center where evacuees from this section await transfer to War Relocation Authority centers to spend the duration. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-B63.

Figure 22: Mrs. Lily Okura engages in a little horseplay at the Santa Anita Racetrack Assembly Center, 4/6/42. NWDNS-210-H-B444.

Figure 23: View of the guard tower overlooking the converted horse-stall area at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, 4/6/1942. Views of the armed guards and the watchtowers are relatively rare in the WRA photos. NARA caption: Military police on duty in watch-tower at Santa Anita park assembly center for evacuees of Japanese ancestry. NARA photo: NWDNS-210-G-B388.