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Show : Nisei Draft Approved by War Department Plans Completed for Reinstitution of Citizens Of Japanese Descent WASHINGTON, D. C Plans have been completed for the reinstitution reinstitu-tion of general Selective Service procedures for American citizens of Japanese descent, the War Department Depart-ment announced last week. Under the War Department plans Japanese Americans considered acceptable ac-ceptable for military service will be reclassified by their Selective Service Serv-ice Board on the same basis as other citizens, and called for induction in-duction if physically qualified and not deferred. Last February the 442nd Combat Team composed of Japanese American Amer-ican volunteers was formed. In a letter to the Secretary of War commenting com-menting on the formation of this unit, the President said: "No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the right to exercise the responsibilities, of his citizenship regardless of his ancestry. The principle of which this country was founded and by which it has always been governed is that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart; Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry." "The excellent showing which the combat team has made in training and the outstanding record rec-ord achieved by the 100th Battalion Batta-lion 'a former Hawaiian National Guard Unit' now fighting in Italy were major factors in the present plan," the War Department stated. |