available at c-span.org or our home page or searching the video library. each week, american history tv's "reel america" brings you archival films that help to tell the story of the 20th century. feb 19th, 1942, president roosevelt issued executive order 9066, leading to forced location and internment of more than 100,000 people of japanese ancestry that lived on dhoes of the united states. it is a 10 minute office of war information film hosted and narrated by milton eisenhower, the brother of then general eisenhower. as head of the relocation authority, mr. eisenhower indicated enforcement of the policy and while scenes of the internment camps are shown.

♪ ♪ when the japanese attacked pearl harbor, our west coast became a potential combat zone. living in that zone were more than 100,000 persons of japanese ancestor, two-thirds american citizen and one-third, aliens. we knew some were potentially dangerous and know one knew what

would happen among this population if japanese forces tried to invade our shores. military authorities therefore determined all of them, citizens and aliens alike would have to move. this picture tells how the mass migration was accomplished. neither the army nor war relocation authority relished the idea of taking men, women and children from their homes, shops and farms so they determined to do the job as a democracy should, with real consideration for the people involved. first attention was given to the problems of sabotage and espionage. here at san francisco, for example, convoys were being made up within sight of possible axis agents. there are more japanese in los angeles than any other area. nearby san pedro, houses and hotels occupied almost exclusively by japanese were within a stone's throw of a naval air base, shipyards, oil

we wells. japanese fishermen had every opportunity to watch the movement of our ships. japanese farmers were livie ing close to vital aircraft plants. as a first step, all japanese were required to move from critical areas such as these. of course, this limited evacuation was a solution to only part of the problem. the larger problem, the uncertainty of what would happen among these people in case of a japanese invasion, still rema remained. that is why the commanding general of the western defense command determined all japanese within the coastal areas should move inland. immediately the army began m mapping evacuation areas and for a time encouraged the japanese to leave voluntarily. the trouble for the voluntary japanese were they were soon threatened in their new locat n locations and plan was for protected basis and there after

they made plans. notices were posted. all persons of japanese descent were required to register. they gathered in their own churches and schools and the japanese themselves cheerfully handle the enormous paperwork involved in the migration. civilian physicians made preliminary medical examinations, government agencies helped in 100 ways, they helped them find tenants for their farms and businessmen least, sell or store their property. this was financed by the government. the quick disposal of property often involved financial sacrifice for the japanese. now, the actual migration got under way. the army provided fleets of vans to transport household belongings. buses to move the people to assembly centers. the vehicevacuees cooperated wholeheart

wholeheartedly. the many loyal among them thought this was a sacrifice they could make on behalf of america's war effort. in small towns as well as large up and down the coast, the moving continued. behind them, they lot of shops and homes they had occupied for many years. ♪ ♪ their fishing fleets were impounded and left under guard. now, they were taken to racetracks and fairgrounds where the army almost overnight had built assembly centers. they lived here until new pioneer communities could be completed on federally owned lands in the interior. santa anita racetrack, for

example, suddenly became a community of about 17,000 per n persons. the army provided housing and plenty of healthful nourishing food for all. the residents of the new community set about developing a way of life as nearly normal as possible. they held church service, protestant, catholic and buddhist. they issued their own newspapers, organized nursery schools and some made camouflage nets for the united states army. meanwhile, in arizona, utah, colorado, wyoming and elsewhere, quarters were being built where they would have an opportunity to work and more space in which to live. when word came that these new homes were ready, the final movement began.

at each relocation center, vehicles were met by an advanced contingent of japanese who arrived several days earlier and now acted as guides. naturally the newcomers looked about with some curiosity. they were in a new area, on land that was raw, uptamed, but full of opportunity. here, they would build schools and educate their children, reclaim the desert. their own physicians took precautions to guard against epidem epidemics. they opened advanced americanization classes for college students who in turn would instruct other groups. they made a rough beginning at self-government. for a while, the army would guard the outer limits of each area and community life and security within were largely up to the japanese themselves. they immediately saw the need

for developing civic leaders. at weekly community meeting citations were given to the leaders who worked most diligently. special emphasis was put on the health and care of these american children of japanese descent. ♪ ♪ their parents, most of whom are american citizens, and their grandparents, who are aliens, immediately wanted to go to work. they built a house and began with guayole cuttings and the plants will add to our rubber supply. at parker, they undertook the r

irrigation of fertile desert lands. meanwhile, in areas away from the coast and under appropriate safeguards, many were permitted to enter private employment, particularly to work in sugar be both fiel beet fields where labor was badly needed. this brief picture is actually the prologue to a story yet to be told. the full story will begin to unfold when the raw lands of the desert turn green and all adult hands are at work in productive lands or private employment. it will be fully told only when circumstances permit the loyal american citizens once again to enjoy the freedom we in this country cherish, and when the d disloyal, we hope, have left this country for good. in the meantime, we are setting a standard for the rest of the world in the treatment of people who may have loyalties to an enemy nation. we are protecting ourselves without violating the principles

of christian decency. we won't change this fundamental decency no matter what our enemies do. we hope mostly our example will influence the axis powers of those with americans who fall into their hands. the civil liberties act in 1988, signed by president ronald reagan provided reparations of 20,0$20,000 to each surviving n detainee, formally acknowledging the order was unjust, 966 and apologized on behalf of the american people. tomorrow, nasa scientists will announce the discovery of twox o planet, planets outside the solar system. watch our live coverage from nasa headquarters in washington, d.c. at 1:00 p.m. eastern time here on c-span3 and c-span.org or listen live on your

smartphone with a c-span radio app. >> c-span's washington journal live everyday with policy issues that impact you. coming up wednesday morning, former national republican chair michael steele joins us to talk about the party and president trump a little more than a month into his residency. and mr. crowley, on the trump administration's foreign security and foreign policy efforts and plans to lay out new travel and vetting guidance. alan gomez looks at new immigration guidelines drafted by the department of homeland and security as part of presu president trump's efforts to reinforce enforcement in the unitedst