Italians in America during WWII

Site Issues 2007 Archive Room
#1

This is a subject near and dear to my heart because my Great Grandmother was one of those of Italian descent who was forced to leave the home that she owned in Martinez, CA and move outside of town because she was not yet a U.S. Citizen. She had immigrated to this country from Roaschia, Italy in 1912 at the age of 17. She came from a very poor family in Italy and decided to immigrate because she “was tired of having to carry water 2 miles up hill” every week, lol. Both of her sons were actually fighting in the war for the U.S. Army when they forced her to leave town. They were not drafted, but had chosen to enlist. She spoke very little English and did not read or write, but she was determined to get her American Citizenship so that she could return to her home. She did gain her Citizenship and was finally allowed to return home before the war was over. Both of her sons came home from the war, so at least she was spared heartache on top of everything else.

This is not a “plug” for the DVD, I just thought that this was informative and a good way to introduce the topic to the thread. The following text is from the website: http://www.prisonersamongus.com/story.htm

Prisoners Amoung Us

This feature-length documentary explores Italian ethnicity in America from several unique and distinctly personal perspectives. In the decades preceding WWII, hundreds of thousands of Italians flocked to these shores in hopes of starting new lives in a land that promised freedom and opportunity. They immigrated through the Great Hall of Ellis Island, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, and spilled out into the streets of New York City and beyond in anticipation of a kind of renaissance.

Some made their way to the west; others remained close to the eastern seaboard. And many clung to each other in urban havens, favoring the familiarity of their customs and language. Their stories are told by historians and through the diaries, letters, poetry, and powerful memories of first-, second-, and third-generation Italian-Americans. They share with us that struggle to embrace one’s heritage while laying hold of an entirely new culture.

With the outbreak of a second world conflict in Europe, an already tenuous landscape changed. And when Italy joined with Hitler as an Axis power, Italians in America, quite young in their assimilation process, were faced with yet another dilemma. Lines of loyalty were now less clearly drawn; their sense of identity, already in flux, was thrown into turmoil. Paranoia in this country ran the gamut from street-side prejudice to formal declarations of war upon non-citizen Italians.

This sentiment reached a crescendo in December of 1941 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Proclamation Number 2527. This law branded the 600,000 non-naturalized Italians as potential “enemy aliens,” stripping them of their right to privacy and empowering the Attorney General “to direct the conduct to be observed toward the aliens who become so liable.” Furthermore, the document allowed discretion in “the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted….”

The liberties taken by government agents, under the guise of “security,” is a largely unknown chapter of our history. Through first hand accounts, the film will reveal the raids on Italian homes, the internment of some of the male heads of these households and the psychological rebound suffered by the victims. Remarkably, many sons of these “enemy aliens” volunteered for service as American soldiers and sacrificed themselves on the battlefields of Europe and the South Pacific. In fact, Italian-Americans suffered the highest U.S. casualties of any ethnic group.

But our story is not confined to this. It is a little-known fact that about 50,000 Italian POWs were actually encamped on American soil during WWII. Unlike those immigrants who chose to leave their shores and live among Americans, these Italians fought under Mussolini and his fascist policies. Having been captured in action, they were shipped to camps in the United States. Here they were exposed to a very different kind of internment than that of the Allies imprisoned in Europe. Ultimately, the most cooperative enjoyed vacation-like benefits. It is interesting to note that while some rejected their captors and retained their fascist loyalties, many decided, following the war, to return to this country and become naturalized citizens. We share some of those stories, several as on-camera interviews with former POWs.

Finally, there is a thread that is drawn through all three aspects of Italian ethnicity in America (those who immigrated, became citizens and sought refuge in tiny “Little Italy” enclaves around the country; those who, because of their ideology, lack of citizen status, or ignorance, incurred discrimination - some to the point of internment; and those Italian soldiers who spent WWII in prisoner of war camps in this country), which displays a kind of irony. In spite of its bumps along the way, ours is a country of resilience. Without attempting to over-simplify or categorize the psychology of our nation, we do, it seems, have the ability to re-think our prejudices and shift ourselves into a position of tolerance. The remarkable fact is that many of those who we have suppressed have returned to us volumes of fortitude, character and culture, which ultimately enriches us as a nation.

Thus, the assimilation of Italians into our culture, through the several avenues defined in this film, has, as so many others have, enriched our nation. Those Italians who have survived the struggles associated with assimilation, have now been allowed to maintain as much or as little of their heritage as they are comfortable with. We, as a country, are benefactors. Our story, overflowing with interviews, historical detail, photographs, literature, music, poetry and analysis, will reveal a chapter in history heretofore unknown to most, and will do so with integrity and sensitivity, in tribute to those who have written it.

#2

Here is a picture of my Great Grandmother Anna Viale and myself in 1974 at her home in Martinez, CA. As you can see, she worked very hard during her life. She came to this country at the age of 17 with pretty much the clothes on her back (and her husband, my Great Grandfather Giorgio Viale, of course). During her life she was a maid, a cannery worker, a wine bottler, a fruit harvester, and during Prohibition she was one of the most successful bootleggers in Martinez, CA, because she made whiskey when everyone else was making wine. My Great Grandfather died in 1930, so she was also a single mother because she never re-married. She died the year after this picture was taken.

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#3

This sentiment reached a crescendo in December of 1941 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Proclamation Number 2527. This law branded the 600,000 non-naturalized Italians as potential “enemy aliens,” stripping them of their right to privacy and empowering the Attorney General “to direct the conduct to be observed toward the aliens who become so liable.” Furthermore, the document allowed discretion in “the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted….”

Quite interesting, I knew about the jap internation camps and so, but none related with the situation of italians in that era.

#4

Yeah, ditto for me. I’ve heard of Japanese Americans getting interned, but not of the Italians. Much like Francesca1973’s great grandmother’s sons, many Japanese Americans enlisted in the US armed forces for the war.

#5

For comparison, just over 20 per cent of all Italians resident in Australia were interned during WWII.

http://www.naa.gov.au/the_collection/defence/internment_camps/internment_introduction.html#residents

It wasn’t a happy life for a lot of them, unlike many Italian POW’s who came here from North Africa and worked on farms and endeared themselves to the local people, who sponsored many of them to come back as migrants after the war. (Possibly so that some Australian children could see their fathers. :D)

#6

Ciao Farancesca!
Your story is realy interesting… an example of thousands italian come in USA…

Roaschia is in Piemonte near Cuneo, right?

#7

Those with German ancestors took some heat in WWII, but not at the same level as in WWI. Anti German feeling approached hysteria in 1917. My Grandfather & several of his neighbor farmers with German surnames had their barns or other buildings burned that autum & winter. Fortunately things calmed a bit by the smmer of 1918.

#8

Francesca thanks for sharing, your Great Grandmother looked like mine in the 70’s Boy they were great people with big hearts and Man they could cook on Sundays forget about it, you were there all day eating with the family it seemed like it would never end LOL Boy I miss those days .
For you non Italians the Sunday meal was served in courses first was the antipasto or a salad ,bread and butter and wine (bread was served through the whole meal as well as the wine ) then the Pasta with gravy and the meat was next Meatballs ,Sausage, and or Braciole then desserts ,coffee,Sambuca con mosca with the coffee beans in it (to me it was called the 3 bean salad ) and then it was just sitting back and enjoying the rest of the day with the family playing horse shoes, yard jarts, bocce ball ,cards etc.With our family that meant 10-20 people on any given Sunday .
That to me is what life was all about now we are lucky to spend 20 min at the dinner table what a shame .

#9

Hi everyone. I haven’t been on the list much lately, but I haven’t forgotten anyone! Nice to see that this thread picked up. I’ve been learning more and more about WWII since joining this list because I’ve continued in my volunteer work returning lost WWII dog tags to veterans. Maybe I should start a thread about each gentleman’s story for the list. I’ve come across some really great stories in the past few months. With regard to Italian eating habits:

Gutowski: Well, our family didn’t do the entire courses thing, but my Grandmother Rita was a great cook. She made fried zuchini, gnochi, lasagna, antipasto, 3 bean salad and more that I’m not remembering. I remember being called the “hollow leg” when I was a kid because I’d eat 3 helpings of everything. If someone couldn’t eat something, they’d say, give it to Chessy (my nickname). Our family was a bit scattered, but during deer hunting season, Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and 4th of July, we all got together and had a great time. In later years, most of the family was off the booze, so wine wasn’t a huge focus, but we definitely had the bread. We played all the games you mentioned, but the favorite past time was definitely cards. Rummy and Hearts being the ones we played the most. Unfortunately, I don’t remember Noni all that well, since I was so young when she died. Now that my Grandparents are gone, we don’t do the huge family get togethers anymore, which I really miss. I don’t know if life just got to complicated for folks to cook like that anymore, or if we just got lazy. Maybe a bit of both.

Burns, yes, Cuneo is in the Piemonte region. I don’t know much else about it, since I’ve never had the chance to go there. I would love to go someday. My Uncle Jerry went back to the house that my GGrandmother was born in! Nobody lives in it now, but it’s still in the family and we still have 2nd and 3rd cousins living near Cuneo. When my Great Grandparents came over, they left from Le Havre in 1912. I even have a picture of the ship, thanks to ancestry.com and a genealogist friend of mine.

#10

Gutowski: Well, our family didn’t do the entire courses thing, but my Grandmother Rita was a great cook. She made fried zuchini, gnochi, lasagna, antipasto, 3 bean salad and more that I’m not remembering. I remember being called the “hollow leg” when I was a kid because I’d eat 3 helpings of everything. If someone couldn’t eat something, they’d say, give it to Chessy (my nickname).

My granny made the best pasta of the entire country, also his partrigde with sauce and potatoes are a legend.

By the way welcome back Francesca. :wink:

#11

:smiley: Thanks for the welcome back. I’ve missed you guys almost as much as I miss my Grandmother’s cooking!