Congressional Record: September 17, 2003 (Senate)
Page S11644-S11647

 
                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

[...]


       POM-293. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the Legislature of the State of New 
     Hampshire relative to Italian-American citizens of the United 
     States during World War II; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 27

       Whereas, more than 500,000 Italian-Americans served in 
     World War II for the United States of America; and
       Whereas, recently it has become known that up to 600,000 
     members of the families of those who served in World War II 
     were placed under wartime restrictions which included random 
     arrests and searches of their person and property, curfews, 
     forced relocation, so-called ``prohibited zones,'' and 
     internment camps; and
       Whereas, these individuals were placed under such 
     restrictions solely based on their Italian-American heritage; 
     and
       Whereas, Italian-Americans nationwide were affected by 
     these wartime restrictions; and
       Whereas, the United States government has acknowledged the 
     wartime campaign against Japanese-Americans, but to date has 
     ignored the plight of Italian-Americans affected by wartime 
     decrees; and
       Whereas, the full extent of the United States government's 
     wartime restrictions on Italian-Americans is not known 
     because the Federal Bureau of Investigation refuses to 
     declassify World War II documents describing the nature of 
     these events; and
       Whereas, the United States Department of Justice is 
     conducting an inquiry for the purpose of documenting the 
     mistreatment of Italian-Americans during World War II: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate 
     concurring,
       That the United States Department of Justice complete its 
     inquiry into the mistreatment of Italian-Americans during 
     World War II with all due speed and release the results of 
     such inquiry to the public; and
       That the Federal Bureau of Investigation take the necessary 
     steps to allow public access to the documents regarding the 
     mistreatment of Italian-Americans during World War II; and
       That copies of this resolution shall be sent by the house 
     clerk to the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, 
     the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the 
     chairpersons of the Judiciary Committees of the United States 
     House of Representatives and Senate, and the New Hampshire 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____