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?
3 Nov 1942, Memo: Policies of Deportation to U.S. and Repatriation. Determining “Dangerousness”
Memorandum regarding the Activities of the United States Government, 3 Nov 1942, 3, RG 59, Subject Files, Box 180, location 250/49/23/7, Records of the Special War Problems Division, NA — discusses policies of deportation to U.S. and repatriation/how to determine...
9 Nov 1942, Hull to Biddle Memo: Discusses Problems with Repatriation Process.
Hull to Biddle, 9 Nov 1942, 740.00115 EW 1939/4570, RG 59 Central Decimal File, 1940-1944; Box 2835—250/32/19/02 — discusses problems with repatriation process.
German Nationals Repatriated from South and Central America” and “German Nationals Repatriated Direct from South and Central America
"German Nationals Repatriated from South and Central America" and "German Nationals Repatriated Direct from South and Central America" Records of the Special War Problems Division: Subject Files, 1939-1954; Entry A1 1357, Boxes 116 and 120, NA — Lists 1813...
25 April 1946, German Nationals Deported by the Other American Republics Who Were Deported Via the United States
German Nationals Deported by the Other American Republics Who Were Deported Via the United States, 25 Apr 1946, folder 711.5, Ecuador: Quito Embassy Confidential File, Box 35, RG 84, NA -- Lists 3317 individuals, mostly in family groups, sent to Europe to be exchanged...
Ft. Meade guard tower. Image from sketch by German internee Paul Lameyer, courtesy of his grandson, Randy Houser.
History
