Guide to the Records of the American Friends Service Committee, Midwest Branch, Advisory Committee for Evacuees
1942-1963

Historical Note

In July 1942, the U.S. War Relocation Authority announced a policy that permitted qualified inmates to leave incarceration centers to accept permanent jobs outside of designated war zones. Applicants were required to have a means of support and a place to live. Cities in the Midwest such as Chicago were suddenly faced with finding housing and jobs for a massive influx of Americans of Japanese descent coming from West Coast camps. Local social service agencies began to organize to meet the need, and it soon became apparent that an overall coordinating body was need.

The Midwest Branch of the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker social service organization) took on this responsibilty by organizing the Advisory Committee for Evacuees. Membership in the committee included representatives from eighteen social service agencies as well as other interested individuals concerned about the problems faced by the displaced Japanese Americans. The committee was chaired by Rolland W. Schloerb of the Chicago Federation of Churches. Edwin G. Morgenroth of the Midwest Branch of the AFSC served as Executive Secretary.

The committee cooperated closely with the War Relocation Authority, which reviewed applications to be released released from the camps and conducted background checks. The AFSC accepted applications for employment and acted as a clearing house for jobs, housing, and educational opportunities. It maintained hostels in Chicago to provide temporary housing for former inmates as they arrived from the camps. The AFSC also attempted to promote community acceptance of displaced Japanese Americans and to minimize problems of adjustment.

Because of the success of this arrangement the War Relocation Authority asked the AFSC at the national level, to perform similar services for college students needing to transfer to schools out of the west-coast war-zone. This resulted in the formation of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. The Midwest Branch of the AFSC was also designated as a field office for this organization.

Scope and Content

The records in this collection appear to be from the Executive Director's office of the Advisory Committee for Evacuees. Boxes 1 and 2 and 25 contain minutes of the committee's meetings; correspondence with the War Relocation Authority; correspondence regarding specific programs sponsored by the committee; reports and newsletters of agencies and organizations working with Japanese Americans and files which document the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council's efforts to match nursing students with openings in Chicago-area programs. Boxes 3-24 contain case files (application for housing and employment), and a card file that documents contacts with inividuals (including a narrative account of services provided). Many cards include comments on how individuals were received by the community.

Restrictions on Use

Much of the material consists of case files and contact records that identify individuals by name. Users must guarantee privacy of these individuals in a written agreement. Copying and quotation are permitted for boxes 1 and 2 and 25 only. For additional information, contact the repository.

Restrictions on Access

Boxes 1, 2, and 25 are of these records are open to all users. Boxes 3-24 are open only to scholars working in their fields of expertise.

Acquisition Info

No records document the gift of this material to the University of Washington Libraries. The best guess is that these are the records of the Advisory Committee for Evacuees, possibly formed under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee at an organizational meeting in Chicago on July 28, 1942. The records are assumed to have come to the University via the Council of Churches of Greater Seattle.

Inventory