“The ‘American Alien’…is neither a refugee, nor, at any time, an enemy alien. He is, in reality, an immigrant – a product of American history.”
— Earl G. Harrison, Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, September 1941, “Axis Aliens in an Emergency,” Survey Graphic.
The Enemy Alien Files: Hidden Stories of World War II exhibit presents the experience of Italians, Germans and Japanese immigrants in the US and from Latin America during WWII. It explores the treatment of over 31,000 “enemy aliens” including their exclusion, forced removal, internment, use in prisoner exchanges, and deportation. The exhibit experience reminds us of the fragile nature of our constitutional and human rights in times of international and domestic crisis as well as the human impact of government policies in the name of “national security.”
See the Traveling Exhibit
The University of Maryland, Hornbake Library
February 20 – March 15, 2023
Hours:
Mon – Fri, 9 AM to 5 PM
Boise State University, Albertsons Library, Room 105
September 1 – September 30, 2023
Hours:
Mon – Thurs, 7 AM to 10 PM
Friday, 7 AM – 7 PM
Saturday, 10 AM – 7 PM
Sunday, 10 AM – 10 PM
Boise Public Library, Library! at Hillcrest
October 1 – October 6, 2023
Hours:
Monday, 10 AM – 6 PM
Tuesday – Thursday, 10 AM – 8 PM
Friday, 10 AM – 6 PM
Saturday, 10 AM – 2 PM
Sunday, Closed
Southwest Texas Junior College Library, Crystal City Branch
October 28, 2023 – January 2, 2024
Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 8 AM – 7 PM
Friday, 8 AM – 12 PM
Saturday, Closed
Sunday, Closed
The Enemy Alien Files traveling exhibition presents the experience of immigrant residents and citizens of Italian, German, and Japanese ancestry in the U.S. and from Latin America during WWII. It explores the treatment of over 31,000 targeted as “enemy aliens,” including their exclusion, forced removal, internment, use in prisoner exchanges, and deportation.
About the University of Maryland, Hornbake Library
Located at 4130 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740, the Hornbake library houses the Special Collections and University Archives of the University of Maryland. The collection and archive provides access to material related to the history of the University of Maryland, the State of Maryland, literature and rare books, and American history, especially as it relates to labor, mass media, and the performing arts. It also houses a premiere collection of post-war material produced in Japan.
From February 19th through March 30th, the Hornbake Library is hosting Enemy Alien Files. Nine miles from the heart of the District of Columbia, the exhibit hopes to show the human impact of decisions made at the highest levels of American government at some of the darkest moments in our history. The story of the thousand incarcerated as ‘enemy aliens’ during the second world war is now a short trip from our nation’s capital.
About the Boise State University, Albertsons Library
From September 1st through September 30th, the Albertsons Library is hosting Enemy Alien Files in Room 105. Located at 1865 W Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, ID 83705, Albertsons Library serves as the vibrant, nurturing hub of Boise State where people and diverse ideas flourish. The library offers a variety of services and resources, including online databases, journals, eBooks, books, public computers, printers, scanners, 3D printers, audio/ video equipment, green screens, electronics, prototyping kits, vinyl cutters, archival materials, and quiet and collaborative study spaces.
About the Boise Public Library, Library! at Hillcrest
From October 1st through October 6th, the Boise Public Library is hosting Enemy Alien Files at their Library! at Hillcrest location at 5246 W. Overland Road, Boise, ID 83705. Boise Public Library traces its roots to February 18, 1895, when the women of the Columbian Club opened a subscription library and free reading room in City Hall. For 10 years, the Club kept the reading room alive while helping to secure funds from Andrew Carnegie to construct a true public library. Andrew Carnegie awarded library grants to 1406 communities in the early 1900’s with the provision that the communities supply land and on-going maintenance. Columbian Club members persuaded Boise city fathers to provide the matching funds necessary for the administration and maintenance of a Carnegie library. Boise’s Carnegie Public Library opened its doors on June 22, 1905.
About the Southwest Texas Junior College Library at Crystal City
From October 28th through January 2nd, the Southwest Texas Junior College Library is hosting Enemy Alien Files at their Crystal City location at 215 W Zavala St, Crystal City, TX, US, 78839. The Southwest Texas Junior College Library supports and enriches the instructional, research, and public service missions of the College through the stewardship of scholarly information and the delivery of information services. As a dynamic center of academic study, their constituents will consider the Southwest Texas Junior College Library as the preferred provider of learning and research information delivered in the best user-friendly and service-oriented manner.
Bring the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit to Your Community
The Enemy Alien Files: Hidden Stories of WWII is a comparative and multicultural presentation of the little-known stories of over 31,000 German, Italian, and Japanese immigrants residing in the U.S. and seized from Latin America as “enemy aliens” during WWII. Through stunning photographs, oral history quotes, and narrative text, it examines the “enemy alien” experience of surveillance, forced removal, indefinite detention, and deportation, impacting families and communities across two continents. Visitors will draw lessons from the past to understand and respond to current day challenges to our democracy, liberty, and human dignity. Bringing the Enemy Alien Files: Hidden Stories of WWII to your community offers guests the invaluable experience of ensuring this history does not remain hidden.
What You Receive
The Enemy Alien Files exhibit consists of 26 banners contained in 13 lightweight retractable banner units designed for easy set-up and storage. Venues also can take advantage of additional programming opportunities provided such as the 45-minute video, “The Enemy Alien Files: Hidden Stories of World War II” to enhance visitors’ experience and deeper learning on the subject.
For more information, contact the National Japanese American Historical Society at 415-921-5007 or email us.