Proclamation 2527 and the Internment of Italian Americans

The National WWII Museum ^ | December 13, 2021 | Stephanie Hinnershitz, PhD

[Brooklyn Attitude]

Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in San Jose, California arrested Filippo Molinari, an Italian immigrant who sold subscriptions to L’Italia, a popular newspaper in his Italian American community. While held in custody, Molinari asked why he was being detained, only to be told that his arrest was “by order of the President.”

A few days later, FBI agents forced Molinari and approximately 500 other “enemy aliens”—including more Italian nationals as well as Japanese and German immigrants from California—onto a train bound for an internment center in Missoula, Montana. Later, Molinari recalled how cold his feet were when he got off of the train and stepped onto the freshly-fallen snow. He realized that he still wore his slippers and pajamas because he was unable to grab a coat or any heavy winter clothes before his arrest.

Across the country, FBI agents continued to arrest Italian immigrants during the days immediately following America’s declaration of war on Japan, Germany, and Italy.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

I am embarrassed to say that as a grandchild of 4 Italians who legally immigrated to America prior to WWII I had never heard of this. Both my parents and many of my uncles served in the US Military during WWII and while the internment of other groups was widely publicized, internment of 600,000 Italians was not. My family, their neighbors and friends lived through this but chose not to use it as an excuse to hate their adopted country.

[cowboyusa]

That’s ok, I hate fdr enough for both of us.

[Leaning Right]

Here’s another little-known fact:

On D-Day in 1944, American, British, and Canadian troops hit the beaches in Normandy and moved inland to liberate France from the Nazis.

Weeks later, they were followed by thousands of Italian soldiers. Not Italian-American soldiers. Italian soldiers.

https://youtu.be/39BhaqucJzg?si=1xYbkkf-3bBgo22p

[dfwgator]

By then Italy had switched over to the Allies. Mussolini was a German puppet in the northern part of the country.

[TigerClaws]

I had an intense debate with a leftist - yes, pointless - that the Soviets had initially sided with Hitler.

Fun how Communists constantly rewrite history so ‘their guy’ - Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, etc. - was always on the ‘right side of history.’

Communists - like Christians - have a belief system that history is advancing to some utopia on Earth (or New Earth) where mankind will leave in peace and harmony. This is a fundamentally Western belief — Eastern religions see history in terms of repeating cycles.

[Leaning Right]

Fun fact: The Soviet Union never referred to Hitler’s gang as “Nazis”. And that’s because Nazi was the German abbreviation for National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The Soviets always called Hitler’s gang “fascists”.

[aquila48]

Bookmark

[pierrem15]

SOP in both WWI and WWII for all powers was to intern enemy aliens.

Germans and Italians not associated with the German or Italian governments or intelligence services were released relatively early. Japanese were held longer, although some were simply relocated away from the West Coast to Chicago and other places.

[Dr. Sivana]

Why did they inter Italian descendants and immigrants before we even declared war on Italy, on December 11, AFTER they declared war on us? The article says they were removed within “hours”, which implies fewer than four days after Pearl Harbor.

[cherry]

many people have suffered from tyrannical govt policies...some groups will grind it into the pavement and collect sympathy and money while other groups just put up with it and moved on....

people will talk about the Holocaust but not about the mass purposeful starvation in Ukraine, or the murders of millions of gypsies or Catholics and other groups in WW2, and of course Armenia by the turks...

another black spot on our history....and I can guarantee you, practically nobody knows about what happened to the Italians in this country because TPTB wanted another narrative...

[SunkenCiv]

I had an intense debate with a leftist - yes, pointless - that the Soviets had initially sided with Hitler.

That's diagnostic of being a left winger.