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?
1947 U.S. State Department, Immigration & Naturalization letter to Crystal City, TX internee
This 1947 letter to an internee held at Crystal City, TX, offers a thirty day parole from the Camp to prepare to depart the United States.
Department of Justice, 1942 Regulations for Enemy Aliens
Department of Justice, 1942 Regulations for Enemy Aliens A booklet with cover letter, lists “conduct to be observed by alien enemies.” (courtesy of an internee family)
White to Lafoon memo, 30 Jan 1946
30 Jan 1946 Memorandum in "Statistics," Box 70, Special War Problems Division, RG 59, NA — numbers/ethnicities of Latin Americans brought to the U.S. and countries from which they came
Nov 1945 U. S. State Department memo to Latin American countries
This U.S. State Department memorandum requests that Latin American countries with citizens or residents being held as enemy aliens in the United States, let U.S. officials know whether they want to resume responsibility for these individuals, or allow the U.S. to...
Ft. Meade guard tower. Image from sketch by German internee Paul Lameyer, courtesy of his grandson, Randy Houser.
History
