Mike M. Masaoka served as National Secretary (1941-1943) and Washington lobbyist (1945-1953) for the Japanese American Citizens' League. He was a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and served as president of the Japan-America Society. He was active in issues of immigration reform and compensation for victims of wartime internment. The collection includes scrapbooks, yearbooks, correspondence, court and congressional documents, articles, oral history transcripts, and autobiography of Mike M. Masaoka which document his life as a Japanese American citizen. This collection documents the history and problems of Japanese American immigration, evacuation and internment during World War II, efforts to seek redress for damages, the Japanese American Citizens' League, minority issues of Japanese Americans, Japanese trade and culture, and Hawaiian statehood., Section I contains material relating to Masaoka's personal life. These reflect his activities as a youth in Salt Lake City (scrapbooks, school papers, and yearbooks); his travels to Japan during the 1950s (an itinerary, and souvenirs); and awards and recognition given to him in the later part of his life. Included is a copy of his autobiography, They Call Me Moses Masaoka. There are also materials related to the Masaoka family, several transcripts of interviews of Masaoka, and business documents., Correspondence to and from Mike Masaoka is arranged chronologically in Section II. Included is correspondence written by or addressed to Masaoka as an official of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). The correspondence, besides covering topics of a personal nature, is concerned with various issues important to Japanese Americans, including the topics of sections IV through XI. Correspondence found attached to another document remains with that document. Beginning in 1946, Masaoka maintained a handwritten record of daily activities, and these notebooks and note cards are located in Section III. These logs have been arranged chronologically, but are not indexed., Section IV of the collection contains items concerned with the immigration activities and citizenship status of Japanese Americans. The materials discuss the early immigration of the Issei, battles over deportation, and renunciation of citizenship during the Second World War and later. Masaoka's jobbying activities in these areas made a significant impact on Congressional lawmaking during the 1950s, and this is reflected in documents produced by the U. S. Congress. Items concerned with the Second World War evacuation of Japanese Americans from the west coast of the United States are gathered in Section V. Included are documents produced by the War Relocation Authority, the government agency created to handle the evacuation, and papers reflecting the activities of internees and government workers in the relocation centers. Any material, regardless of date, memorializing or discussing the War Relocation Authority, relocation center activities, and the impact of internment on Japanese Americans during the Second World War and afterwards, is located in Section V., Section VI contains documents recording the activities of Japanese Americans in the United States armed forces, especially during the Second World War. Masaoka was one of these people, serving in Europe as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and was later involved in veterans groups. Included are commemorative materials and documents reflecting the activities of veterans' organizations, memorial service memorabilia, and articles discussing the involvement of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in the Second World War. Documents produced as a result of efforts to gain reparations for losses suffered by Japanese Americans as a result of relocation and internment during the Second World War are located in Section VII of the collection. Included are documents produced by the Japanese American Citizens League as a result of their efforts in lobbying for reparations. A significant portion of this section is devoted to documents stemming from the activities of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians., Section VIII contains records of, and documents published by, the Japanese American Citizens League, with which Masaoka was involved most of his life. These records are of a general, administrative nature. Documents which discuss the activities of the Japanese American Citizens League in specific areas, such as redress or immigration & naturalization, are filed in other sections of the collection. Materials in Section IX consist of documents discussing and recording the experience of Americans of Japanese descent in areas outside of those covered in other sections of this collection. Topics include discrimination, demographics, culture, ethnicity, and general history. These subjects are reflected in articles, court documents, state election guides, exhibition brochures, and historical reports. The activities of political and cultural organizations are also represented. Section IX also contains documents reflecting the experiences of other religious, national, and racial minority groups in America., The documents in Section X are concerned with Japanese trade, government, culture, and relations with the United States. Japan's diplomatic and economic relations with the United States are discussed in the form of articles and treaties. Many of the items in this section reflect on Masaoka's lobbying business, which actively pursued Japanese clients. Section XI contains documents relating to Hawaiian statehood, while Section XII contains miscellaneous and oversize documents. Honors won by Masaoka in forensic competition, and medals relating to his military service, are also included here. Addenda to the collection includes correspondence, veterans organization materials, Japanese American Citizens League papers, yearbooks, and scrapbooks., Includes two issues of University of Utah's yearbook, Utonian, for 1937 and 1938.