Our volunteer Penny got a big surprise when she was processing Enemy Alien Case Files, 1941-1948, in Record Group 85, Immigration and Naturalization Service – L.A. District.  There were several envelopes that had been returned to sender, and inside these envelopes were three razors and a pocket knife!  

Apparently, the razors and the knife had been confiscated from the detainees and, after they had returned home, the Department of Justice attempted to return the property to its rightful owners, but the post office returned the items as undeliverable.  The envelopes included the property owners’ names – they were Fujii Shujii, Seikichi Yoshizumi, Toni Ozawa, and Sakuzo Yutani.  

Seikichi Yoshizumi was born in Japan in 1892 or 1893 and came to the United States around 1908. He was married to his wife Shizuye and they had four children--Katsumi, Nakako, Kenji and Sanji.  They lived in San Pedro, Terminal Island, and on Crescent Avenue in Los Angeles.  Mr. Yoshizumi was a fisherman and later was a partner in and manager of a fishery.  

Mr. Yutani was born in Japan in 1882 or 1883, and came to the U.S. via Seattle in 1915.  He was a farmer and later a fisherman working on sardine and tuna boats for the Sea Bright Cannery at Terminal Island. According to a 1942 interview, Sakuzo had two sisters and a 30-year-old son living in Japan.  He was married to Iyono, and they were incarcerated at the Colorado River Relocation Camp in Poston, Arizona.  After their release, they lived in Clovis or Fresno.  Mr. Yutani’s Enemy Alien Case File is located here at NARA-Riverside.

October 6th is German-American Heritage Day, which commemorates the arrival of German immigrants in 1683 and the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania – the first German settlement in the thirteen colonies.  

On this day, we would like to honor those men and women of German descent who were designated as “enemy aliens” during wartime.  

Among those was Hermann Wille, born November 8, 1895, in Mulheim, Germany.  He came to the United States in 1916 and settled in Tucson, Arizona. He worked as a painter and a railroad car inspector.  He was married to Shirlea Sheppard in 1920.  Mr. Wille submitted several declarations of intention and petitions for naturalization over the years, until finally in 1933 he was granted U.S. citizenship.  He registered for the “old man’s registration” for the draft in 1942 at the age of 46.

Mr. Wille’s registration of affidavit of alien enemy form from 1918 has been digitized and is available for viewing in the National Archives catalog.  According to that document, he had a brother, Fritz, who was listed as a male relative in arms against the United States and its allies during the present war (WWI).

“GERMAN-BORN SOLDIER GIVEN TWO YEARS,” Barrie Examiner. June 11, 1942. Page 1. --- Had Unlawful Registration Card and Failed to Register as Alien ---- CAME TO CANADA, '29) --- Convicted of unlawfully having in his possesin a registration certificate which was not issued to him, a 30-year-old soldier. Eric Horace Brandt, was given a term of two years in Portsmouth Penitentiary by Magistrate Compton Jeffs yesterday morning, and on a, second charge of failing to register as an alien between December. 1941, and  April of 1942, was given twelve: months to run concurrently.

When apprehended on April 15, he was in A-9, Canadian Armoured Corps (Advanced) Training Centre. (at Camp Borden, under the name of Reuben Schilski.

Constable James N. Clish of the" R.C.M.P. Toronto, detailed to investigate the case, told that he found that Brandt was born in Germany and came with his parents to Canada in 1929. After war broke out he enlisted in the Canadian army while living with his family at Lashtown. Sask.. in February, 1940, but was discharged in June, 1940, on a nominal excuse of being under age. At that time he was suspected of being pro-Nazi.

Witness stated that in November, 1941, he received permission to. move to Vancouver, but turned up later at North Battleford. Sask.. stayed overnight with a friend, Reuben Schilski, took the friend's registration certificate, and enlisted at Lloydminster under that name.

While at Camp Borden he had been in Toronto and registered at the Metropole Hotel as Roy Davis.. His father was believed to be in the German army.

The accused, of slight, build and normal appearance, told in detail his actions since 1927, when he claimed the family came to Canada. To the statutory question regarding church affiliation his reply. was, "My father is a Lutheran." He also told that he had been notified to return to Germany before war broke out with the assurance that after six months' labor camp and two year's army camp, he would be allowed to return to Canada, but he had decided to stay here. He had written asking for a guarantee of return but had received no reply.

To a question of Crown Attorney Frank Hammond, he stated that he had not taken the matter seriously but could easily have gone back to the German army if he had wished.

Mr. Hammond's view of the case was that the background gave it more serious proportions. The young man was not acting foolishly and if he had been doing so we could not afford to take a generous view:

"He is a potential danger," the Crown said.

Die Abschiebung Deutscher aus Australien

Rücktransport nach Deutschland (1919/1920) Titelbild: Abgeschobene Deutsche auf der “Kursk“, 1919, Quelle: Australian War Memorial, HO4148, public domain Deutsche in Australien am Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges Nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg wurden 6150 Personen, überwiegend Deutsche und Deutschstämmige, aus Australien abgeschoben. Ebenso betroffen waren Staatsangehörige Österreich-Ungarns. Von den 6150…

"Enemy alien"

This is from my history textbook