Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- National Japanese American Student Relocation Council and King, Gertrude
- Abstract:
- The papers primarily consist of correspondence, reports, memoranda, pamphlets, and serial issues, relating to internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and to placement of Japanese-American students in colleges. Also includes records of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC) and collected materials directly related to the Japanese American evacuation and relocation.
- Extent:
- 8 manuscript boxes (3.2 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Gertrude King papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Gertrude King Papers primarily consist of correspondence, reports, memoranda, pamphlets, and serial issues, relating to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and to placement of Japanese-American students in colleges. The papers also include records of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC) and collected materials directly related to the Japanese American evacuation and relocation.
Gertrude King joined the NJASRC less than two months after its formation on May 29, 1942 and remained until April 1944. During that time and in the years following, King maintained correspondence with several of her colleagues within the NJASRC and outside of it. The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence between King, her colleagues within the NJASRC, various individuals and groups that worked with NJASRC, colleges and universities, government organizations, relocation centers, and students. Along with correspondence both of an official and personal nature, the collection also includes several administrative and procedural documents for the NJASRC, including reports, college and student information lists, newsletters, memoranda, procedures, and personal notes regarding her work with the students directly and within the organization.
King also collected materials and documents relevant to the agencies she worked with her role in with NJASRC as well as materials related to the Japanese American evacuation and relocation during World War II and in the months immediately following.
The original order of the materials as they were when initially acquired was retained as much as possible. The final arrangement for the papers is as follows: Correspondence, National Japanese American Student Relocation Council Records, and Subject File and Collected Documents.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In the three months following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the subsequent declaration of war on Japan and its allies, restrictions on Japanese Americans went into effect. Earlier restrictions first curtailed the activities of Japanese Americans, culminating with Executive Order #9066, where President Franklin Roosevelt authorized relocation of West Coast based Japanese Americans, immigrants and citizens alike. As a result, Japanese American students in the areas directly impacted by Executive Order #9066 were forced to withdraw from universities and colleges in which they were enrolled.
In response, a student relocation committee consisting of members from the national Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Association, West Coast college and university presidents, and other educators formed to assist Japanese American students already enrolled in higher education so that they could continue their studies. Within two months, the War Relocation Authority authorized the formation of a nationwide committee to address the issues facing Japanese American students that were pursuing or wished to pursue higher education. As a result, on May 29, 1942, the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council [NJASRC] officially formed.
Within the NJASRC, the front line of student relocation and assistance was the Permit Department. This department assisted students in securing permits to leave their assigned relocation center in order to attend school. The Permit Department also worked directly with the students and universities to place qualified students in schools best suited to their needs, within communities where they were least likely to face extreme prejudice and persecution.
One of the most vocal and active members of this department was supervisor Gertrude (Trudy) King (1916-1969). During her time with NJASRC (June 1942-April 1944), Trudy King made a lasting impression on her colleagues and the students she helped to relocate, as evidenced by the extensive correspondence with both sets of individuals during and following her time in the NJASRC, even past the point when the NJASRC closed its doors in June 30, 1946.
Additional information regarding Gertrude King and the NJASRC was obtained from From Concentration Camp to Campus: Japanese American Students and World War II, by Allan W. Austin, University of Illinois Press, �2004.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2002, with an increment in 2018.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Gertrude King papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563