{"id":71,"date":"2022-10-18T16:51:59","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T16:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/?page_id=71"},"modified":"2022-11-29T23:29:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T23:29:07","slug":"civilian-prisoner-exchanges","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/","title":{"rendered":"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” content_placement=”top” css=”.vc_custom_1668531246578{margin-top: -89px !important;margin-bottom: -16px !important;background-color: #f3ecdd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Civilian Prisoner Exchanges<\/strong><\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” gap=”30″ content_placement=”middle” parallax=”content-moving” type=”vc_default” css=”.vc_custom_1668125160656{margin-bottom: -100px !important;background-color: #f3ecdd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1669612778079{background-color: #7b658c !important;}” el_id=”header”][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1665066889632{margin-top: -30px !important;margin-bottom: -30px !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Deported to War Zones<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]When the German government learned that some of its overseas citizens had been seized in Latin America and interned in the United States, it ordered the seizure of U.S. and Latin American citizens living in Europe. Complex negotiations followed, resulting in several exchanges of civilian prisoners.<\/p>\n

The State Department policy was to exchange only harmless people of German or Japanese ancestry. The U.S. did not want to return aliens who might aid the Axis war effort. Repatriates to Germany signed an oath not to perform military service. Some died as civilians, killed by Allied bombs. Others, suspected by German authorities of being U.S. spies, were imprisoned.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”zoomIn”]<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhat would I do in Germany? Everything there was destroyed. My parents were dead. I had nothing there\u2026 My wife, my children were\u2026in Guatemala. I wanted to\u2026come back right away and start working again.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2014 Hugo Droege,<\/strong> German internee who was sent to Germany against his will.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInRight”]\"Registration<\/p>\n

Registration of German U.S. residents during their return to Germany in an exchange for U.S. civilians and POWs, ca. early 1940s.<\/strong> Courtesy of Arnold Krammer.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css_animation=”zoomIn”]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe exchange took place\u2026in early February 1945\u2026 [We] were brought to the border on the back of a flatbed truck in small groups. We waited for hours in the cold until it was our turn to cross\u2026 We slowly made [our] way\u2026amidst bombings\u2026we had to walk because the railways were destroyed\u2026 Within two weeks\u2026the Gestapo arrested father and took him away to an unknown prison, suspecting him of being an undercover spy\u2026 We did not know if he was alive until the end of the war.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2014 Ensila Eiserloh Bennet,<\/strong> German internee recalling her childhood deportation experience.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp”]<\/p>\n

\"Japanese<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japanese Peruvian boys wearing ID tags being processed for deportation, ca 1943.<\/strong>National Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp”]<\/p>\n

\"A<\/strong><\/p>\n

A soldier and two other men lift an elderly Japanese man onto the train platform for deportation, ca. 1943.<\/strong> National Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]From 1942 to 1945, at least 2,000 persons of German ancestry and at least 37 Italians, including women and children, from the U.S. and Latin America were sent to Europe in at least six exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean at the height of the war. Two Swedish ships \u2013 the Gripsholm and the Drottningholm \u2013 were used to transport \u201cenemy aliens\u201d to Europe.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInRight”]<\/p>\n

\"The<\/strong><\/p>\n

The neutral Swedish flagged MV Gripsholm transported approximately 4,800 civilians of German and Japanese ancestry from the U.S. and Latin America to the war zones of Europe and Asia in exchange for U.S and Latin American civilians and prisoners of war held by Germany and Japan. There were at least six exchange trips with Germany and two with Japan. <\/strong>National Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Japan also agreed to prisoner exchanges, which took place at Portuguese ports in India and Africa. But Japan soon discovered that the U.S. was not returning the Japanese nationals requested. Japan was concerned about reports of forced repatriation. Japan did not want to accept \u201crepatriates\u201d who did not want to return. There was also difficulty in finding ships. Two exchanges occurred using the Gripsholm in 1942 and 1943 involving more than 2,800 persons of Japanese ancestry, some of whom were citizens of the U.S. or Latin American nations. Some deportees were drafted into the military service of Japan and died in combat. Others lost their lives in air raids as civilians. The United States conducted a search for Japanese nationals in Belgium, Romania, Italy and elsewhere, but negotiations for further exchanges failed.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp”]<\/p>\n

\"A<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Japanese family walking out of a U.S. customs booth, ca. 1943.<\/strong> National Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp”]\"These<\/p>\n

These Japanese men are tagged and being prepared for exchange, ca. 1943. <\/strong>National Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp”]<\/p>\n

\"Double<\/strong><\/p>\n

Double file line of Japanese Peruvian men walking, followed by armed MPs, New Orleans, Louisiana, ca. 1943. <\/strong>National Archives.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css_animation=”zoomIn”]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandparents owned a department store in Callao, Peru. And during WWII, they were among the first Japanese Peruvians to be taken hostage. They were used in one of the exchanges for American civilians\u2026 We never got to see them again.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2014 Rose Shibayama Nishimura,<\/strong> Japanese Peruvian internee.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1666111084020{margin-bottom: 15px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_btn title=”< PREVIOUS<\/strong>” style=”custom” custom_background=”#330033″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.njahs.org%2Fenemy-alien-files%2Fonline-exhibit%2Fbehind-barbed-wire”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_btn title=”NEXT ><\/strong>” style=”custom” custom_background=”#330033″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.njahs.org%2Fenemy-alien-files%2Fonline-exhibit%2Fpicking-up-the-pieces”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner disable_element=”yes”][vc_column_inner][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” content_placement=”top” css=”.vc_custom_1668531246578{margin-top: -89px !important;margin-bottom: -16px !important;background-color: #f3ecdd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]   Civilian Prisoner Exchanges [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” gap=”30″ content_placement=”middle” parallax=”content-moving” type=”vc_default” css=”.vc_custom_1668125160656{margin-bottom: -100px !important;background-color: #f3ecdd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1669612778079{background-color: #7b658c !important;}” el_id=”header”][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1665066889632{margin-top: -30px !important;margin-bottom: -30px !important;}”][vc_column_text] Deported to War Zones [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” gap=”35″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]When the German government learned that some of its overseas citizens had been…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":43,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-71","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"yoast_head":"\nCivilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner "Civilian Prisoner Exchanges" online.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner "Civilian Prisoner Exchanges" online.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NJAHS - Enemy Alien Files\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-29T23:29:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/\",\"name\":\"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-18T16:51:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-29T23:29:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner \\\"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges\\\" online.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg\",\"width\":476,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Registration of German U.S. residents\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Online Exhibit\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/\",\"name\":\"NJAHS - Enemy Alien Files\",\"description\":\"My WordPress Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/njahs.org\\\/enemy-alien-files\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit","description":"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner \"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges\" online.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit","og_description":"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner \"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges\" online.","og_url":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/","og_site_name":"NJAHS - Enemy Alien Files","article_modified_time":"2022-11-29T23:29:07+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/","url":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/","name":"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges - Enemy Alien Files Online Exhibit","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-18T16:51:59+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-29T23:29:07+00:00","description":"View the Enemy Alien Files Exhibit banner \"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges\" online.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Registration-of-German-U.S.-residents-476x600-1.jpg","width":476,"height":600,"caption":"Registration of German U.S. residents"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/civilian-prisoner-exchanges\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Online Exhibit","item":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/online-exhibit-enemy-alien-files\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Civilian Prisoner Exchanges"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/#website","url":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/","name":"NJAHS - Enemy Alien Files","description":"My WordPress Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787,"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71\/revisions\/787"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/njahs.org\/enemy-alien-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}