The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) opposes the planned closure of the National Archives at San Francisco in San Bruno, Calif., and the potential loss of accessibility to invaluable historic records.
JANM’s staff of historians, curators, and educators refer to the National Archives and Records Administration’s incredible body of historical records to complement its collection and corroborate its scholarship. The National Archives at San Francisco’s case files of the Japanese American incarceration, including the alien enemy files, greatly expand the museum’s understanding of the World War II experience.
Other records deepen its understanding of immigration history through Angel Island and the impacts of enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The original case file of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which affirmed birthright citizenship outlined in the 14th Amendment, is just one of the irreplaceable documents at the San Francisco branch that is relevant to current events today…