Thomas Ray Bodine papers, 1941-1982

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Summary

Creators:
National Japanese American Student Relocation Council and Bodine, Thomas Ray, 1915-
Abstract:
Correspondence, writings, notes, memoranda, reports, newsletters, printed matter, and photographs, relating to relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II, and to the placement of Japanese-American students in colleges.
Extent:
11 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 3 envelopes (5.0 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Thomas Ray Bodine Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Correspondence, writings, notes, memoranda, reports, newsletters, printed matter, and photographs, relating to relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II, and to the placement of Japanese-American students in colleges.

Biographical / historical:

On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Thomas R. Bodine was in training for foreign service with the American Friends Service Committee. As a result, rather than being sent overseas, he was assigned to Seattle, Washington, to aid the Japanese-American population on the West Coast. He arrived in late January, several weeks before President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 (Feb. 19, 1942). During the months of January and February, the Seattle Friends Committee (as well as other West Coast Friends committees) was active in helping Japanese-Americans relocate voluntarily to the interior of the country, and performed an important role in advising and informing the Japanese-American population about the events which culminated in the order of March 2, 1942, excluding all persons of Japanese ancestry from the area.

Through the spring and early summer, as Japanese-Americans were collected in assembly centers and subsequently transferred to more permanent relocation centers, the Friends Committees provided many important services such as preparation for evacuation, transportation, provision of food and supplies, and agitation for improvement of camp conditions. Even before internment was an established fact, efforts of religious, educational and other service organizations focused on relocation of individuals from the camps. The attempt to relocate college students was formalized on May 29 1942, with the establishment of the National Japanese-American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC). In June, Thomas Bodine went from Seattle to the West Coast office of the NJASRC, located in Berkeley, which had been set up to deal with the logistical arrangements for student relocation. In December, 1942, following internal administrative problems, he became the West Coast Director. In February of 1943, the decision was made to centralize the program in Philadelphia to allow closer contact with the War Relocation Authority, as well as educational institutions and cooperating service organizations on the East Coast. At that time, Thomas Bodine became the NJASRC Field Director, traveling to the various relocation centers as the liaison between counselors and students and the main office. He continued in this position until 1945, when he was reassigned to duty overseas in France.

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], Thomas Ray Bodine Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US