About Us
The German American Internee Coalition (“GAIC”) was formed in 2005 by and for German American and Latin American citizens and legal residents who were interned by the United States during World War II. We are former internees, or their families and friends. We come from all walks of life and from countries around the world. We would like you to know our story. GAIC is a nonprofit corporation registered with the New Hampshire Department of Charitable Trusts.
Our Mission Statement & Goals
GAIC is dedicated to making public the little known United States World War II policies that led to internment, repatriation and exchange of civilians of German ethnicity, both in the United States and Latin America.
- We will educate the general public about the U.S. government’s detention and internment of over 11,000 German American and Latin American citizens and residents during World War II.
- We will reach out to former internees, their families and supporters. We will gather their stories, share information, and support their efforts to make their stories known.
- We will seek full U.S. government review and acknowledgment of the civil rights violations endured by the German American and Latin American communities.
- We will work collaboratively with other internee groups who have similar purposes. As we work toward these goals, we also hope that our efforts result in better protection of the civil liberties of future vulnerable ethnic groups.
The German American Internee Coalition formed in 2005 to educate the public about our experiences, after United States officials declared U.S. and Latin American civilians of German background “enemy aliens” during WWII.
Feared collectively because of our German ethnicity, our civil liberties were abused by the U.S. government. Similar indiscriminate presumptions should not be made today. Ethnicity, religion, nationality or appearance is not enough to declare whole groups of people unwelcome in the United States. February 2017
What’s New?
Santa Barbara Historical Museum to host two exhibits about internment
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is hosting two exhibits on WW II detention and internment in the area. Only the Oaks Remain: the Story of Tuna Canyon Detention Station and The Detention & Internment of Santa Barbarans During WWII opened February 1, 2018 at 136...
Good Neighbor Renditions and the Enemy Alien: the Latin American Civilian Internees of World War II and the Integrity of the Good Neighbor Policy
"Good Neighbor Renditions and the Enemy Alien: the Latin American Civilian Internees of World War II and the Integrity of the Good Neighbor Policy," a University of Colorado, Boulder honors undergraduate thesis by Casey VanSise, "...uses the case of WW II “renditions”...
“World War II Internment of a German-American Couple in Hawaii” now online
Alfred and Susan Schmidt married in Germany in 1932, moved to the U.S. the following year, eventually working their way to Honolulu. In 1940, he and his wife became naturalized American citizens, changing their name to Smith. Their experiences with internment at...
“World War II Internment of a German-American Couple in Hawaii”
Fiset, Louis; “World War II Internment of a German-American Couple in Hawaii” June 2012, American Philatelist, Journal of the American Philatelic Society. It is reproduced here by permission of the author.
Ft. Meade guard tower. Image from sketch by German internee Paul Lameyer, courtesy of his grandson, Randy Houser.
History
