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- Chronology

Master's Thesis - Chronology

Appendix 1: Chronology of Events Related to the ASEAO Program

November 9, 1939: FBI orders compilation of a Custodial Detention List of persons of Italian, German and Japanese ancestry who are for some reason suspected of being potentially disloyal.

June 29, 1940: Congress passes the Alien Registration Act (also known as the Smith Act). The law required all alien residents in the United States over 14 years of age to register with the government. Within four months a total of 4,741,971 aliens had been registered.

December 7, 1941: FBI begins round-up of suspected resident aliens from the Custodial Detention List.

December 7, 1941: President Roosevelt issues Presidential Proclamation 2525 placing restrictions on all resident aliens of Japanese ancestry.

December 8, 1941: President Roosevelt issues Presidential Proclamations 2526 and 2527 placing restrictions on all resident aliens of German and Italian ancestry, respectively.

January 29, 1942: Self-initiated relocations from restricted areas begins.

January 31, 1942: Attorney General Francis Biddle wrote a letter to FSA Administrator Paul McNutt asking FSA to provide social welfare support for persons affected by the evacuations and relocations.

February 6, 1942: In a letter to the FSA Administrator, President Roosevelt authorizes the aid sought by Attorney General Biddle, and allocates an initial $500,000 for this purpose. This letter created what would come to be called the Assistance and Services to Enemy Aliens (ASEA) program. FSA Administrator delegates the program to the Social Security Board (SSB). (This aid was restricted to "enemy aliens," meaning that affected citizens of the U.S. were ineligible.)

February 9, 1942: SSB sets up initial operations in 29 State welfare offices along the coast of California to provide aid under the ASEA program.

February 19, 1942: President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066 authorizing forced removal of persons of Axis ancestry from restricted areas.

March 7, 1942: E.O. 9066 takes effect.

March 11, 1942: WCCA created.

March 18, 1942: President Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9102 creating the War Relocation Authority, in the Executive Office of the President, with its Director reporting directly to the President.

March 23, 1942: FDR issues letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, expanding the Assistance and Services to Enemy Aliens program to include "persons other than enemy aliens", i.e, citizens, thus producing the complete ASEAO program.

March 29, 1942: Forced evacuations and internments begin.

April 11, 1942: A Governor's Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah with the leaders of the 10 western states and the WRA and WCCA. Governors generally refuse voluntary relocation of evacuees.

May 8, 1942: First evacuees arrive at a Relocation Center (Colorado River Center near Parker, Arizona).

June 17, 1942: President Roosevelt appoints Dillon S. Myer to replace Milton Eisenhower as head of WRA.

July 1942: Significant releases begin from the Relocation Centers, engaging SSB in the provision of Resettlement Assistance.

August 7, 1942: General DeWitt announces completion of the removal of 110,000 Japanese from prohibited areas.

October 5, 1942: President sends amended letter to FSA Administrator expanding original programs from his two February letters and including in one umbrella authorization the three parts of the War Civilian Security program.

January 4, 1943: First WRA field office opened in Chicago--to facilitate resettlement of release internees.

1943-1944: ASEAO workloads gradually increase.

February 16, 1944: President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9423 transferring WRA from Executive Office of the President to the Department of the Interior.

December 17, 1944: War Department announces the end of all mass exclusion orders and the freedom of the interned to return home (effective January 2, 1945).

January 2, 1945: All restrictions rescinded and internees free to return to homes anywhere in the U.S.

January 1945-June 1946: Huge spike in Resettlement Assistance as internees leave the Relocations Centers in massive numbers.

September 4, 1945: Army revokes all individual exclusion orders and all further military restrictions against persons of Japanese descent.

June 1946: Last internees leave Relocation Centers.

November 1946: ASEAO program officially ends.