Cover Page

Letter to President

Executive Summary

Overview

Recommendations &
Proposed Actions

Site Specific Information
& Recommendations

Manzanar

Tule Lake

Granada

Topaz

Heart Mountain

Minidoka

Gila River

Poston

Jerome

Rohwer

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

War Relocation Centers
Recommendations and Proposed Actions

In order for the various Departments and agencies that manage sites associated with the internment period to plan and take appropriate actions to better identify, commemorate, and/or preserve significant remaining sites under their jurisdiction, we recommend the formation of an interdepartmental coordinating council, that would include the appropriate agencies within the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Justice and Defense. We recommend that you consider the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to serve as the appropriate entity to convene and/or provide overall guidance to this interdepartmental council.

The full array of authorities and actions available to the President, Cabinet Secretaries and agencies should be considered as appropriate to achieve more complete identification, recognition, and preservation of as many as possible of the sites associated with the WWII internment of Japanese American citizens.

At present, only one of the Relocation Centers, Manzanar, is fully preserved, as a unit of the national park system. Only one, also Manzanar, is commemorated as a National Historic Landmark (although the Rowher Cemetery is a NHL, the Center itself is not).

Of the ten Relocation Centers, only six are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The additional recognition of significance that Register listing and NHL designation would bring to the sites would be an important element in their long-term preservation. The Department is committed to working with the respective State Historic Preservation Officers, and interested individuals and organizations, in securing appropriate nominations of these sites.

For sites on federal lands, the President has authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to proclaim national monuments. For any site, the Congress can enact legislation to provide additional recognition and/or preservation direction. At a minimum, the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, provides considerable incentives for historic site preservation, and disincentives for historic site destruction, both for sites already listed, and for those determined eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Each of the Relocation Centers has distinctive resources that illustrate different aspects of the Internment story. Some have structures still standing, while others have no more than a few concrete slabs and the memories of those interned there to mark their existence. Some have significant resources committed toward preservation and interpretation, while others have virtually nothing to document the grave injustice done to the Japanese-Americans imprisoned at these sites.

Recognizing the distinctiveness of each of the sites, the Department will work closely with national, State and local organizations to provide additional protection to these historically significant resources. The Department will focus on increasing the level of Interpretation, Historic Recognition, and Consultation for the sites. In addition, DOI will continue to coordinate with any ongoing or proposed legislative efforts for specific sites.

In addition to the site specific recommendations included in Appendix A, the Department will:

Interpretation

Develop a web site to help increase the American public's awareness of the Relocation Centers. The web site will be a strong interpretive tool, especially for those who might not have the opportunity to visit the sites in person. The web site will be designed with a home page that will provide an introduction and links to other pages discussing the historic context of the Centers. Historic photos will be used to illustrate these pages. These pages will discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Executive Order No. 9066;
• Historic perspective on the prelude to the relocation of the Japanese-American people;
• Construction of the Centers;
• Living conditions and way of life in the Centers;
• Closing of the Centers after the war; and
• Aftermath for the Japanese-American detainees.
• Links to a map showing the location of the Centers and individual pages for each property, as well as links to other organizations' existing web sites. The pages for each Center will contain information about the property and will use historic and current photos as illustrations.
• Bibliography providing resources for users to obtain additional information about the sites.

Develop an interpretive concept plan for all ten Relocation Centers. The plan will:

• Identify the interpretive story elements that are common to all ten Relocation Centers --the discrimination against Asian Americans in 19th and 20th centuries, the overarching civil rights issues, national security during wartime, impacts on Japanese-American culture, etc. The plan would develop a strategy for developing consistent and cost effective interpretive/educational products that would be used to interpret those story elements at all ten Centers. The plan will be developed in consultation with interested parties, including appropriate State Historic Preservation Officers and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
• Identify the interpretive story elements that are specific to the individual Relocation Centers and develop strategies for developing interpretive/educational products that fit each Relocation Center's individual situation and resources.
• Inventory existing human, data, and cultural resources to support the interpretation of the Japanese-American internment story, identify resource gaps, and outline a strategy to support research and other efforts to enlarge the resource base.
• Identify current advocacy and interest groups involved with the Japanese-American internment story and related resources. Working with those groups, outline roles, responsibilities, and potential partnership opportunities for interpreting the story.

Historic Recognition

Update existing information for those Centers that are currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places, pursue nominations to the National Register for those not currently listed, and pursue designation as National Historic Landmarks for those Relocation Centers that meet existing eligibility criteria, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer, and/or Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and/or the Indian tribe for each Relocation Center. NHL designation will increase the public's awareness about the War Relocation Centers, help assure that future federally funded or permitted actions protect important resource values, and enhance the potential for preservation grants from private as well as public sources. Information about many of these grants is included in Appendix C.

Consultation

Continue to consult with State, Tribal, and Congressional representatives for the Relocation Centers, as well as national and local organizations with an interest in these sites.

Field representatives from each of the Bureaus have consulted with State and local organizations to develop the recommendations for this report. In addition, a December 2000 teleconference arranged by the White House, provided DOI the opportunity to discuss the report and ask for additional information from over a dozen organizations and individuals committed to preserving the sites. These groups have provided a great deal of information that DOI has incorporated into this report. (Appendix D)

Appendix C contains a comprehensive list of individuals and organizations involved in Relocation Center preservation efforts. Appendix A provides more detailed information about specific