Analysis: Presidential Proclamation 2526: Alien Enemies—Germans.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched an air attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over the next few days, the United States plunged into World War II as it (along with Britain) declared war on Japan on December 8 and Germany and Italy declared war on the United States on December 11. Amid this turmoil, President Franklin D. Roosevelt first issued a proclamation under existing US law permitting the detainment and internment of Japanese nationals residing in the United States. Two additional orders, including Presidential Proclamation 2526, expanded these authorizations to include German and Italian citizens. Over the next several years, the US Department of Justice oversaw thousands of cases in which so-called enemy aliens were brought in for hearings to determine their loyalty to the United States. Some of these foreign nationals were interned in detention camps; others were released, but subjected to additional restrictions on their rights and movements.