Friday,
December 15, 2006
Internment of Italians in WWII: Humiliation
Caused Code of Silence
The
ANNOTICO Report
Even
moreso the fact that all the Documents concerning
Italian Internment were classified "Secret", that made many in
following generations dismiss such stories as myths, until the declassification
was finally forced 50 years later.
Blog Critics Magazine
Written
by Allessandro Nicolo
December 08, 2006
Earlier this year
I was engaged in a conversation about history regarding the Italian community
and its extraordinary contribution to the North American experience. During the
course of the discussion I casually alluded to a period (taking for granted
that people would know about this) in Canadian history when Japanese, German, Ukranian, and Italian Canadians were interned in military
camps and branded as enemy aliens during World War II. The person admitted that
he knew of the Japanese experience, was not surprised of the German one, but
was clueless that the Italians were also targeted.
It is also an odd fact that history books in
The tragedy is that it did not just happen here in
During this period, Italians were subjected to strict curfews, and in some
places in the
Among those who perished was Silvestro d'Ambrosio, a confectioner and restaurateur from
Pushing irony to its limits, not only did Italian immigrants form the
largest ethnic group at the time; they also represented the largest ethnic
group in the
In fa i! rness to both the Canadian and
American governments, it was time of war and there were fascist organizations
operating within our borders. According to Angelo Principe, author of The
Darkest Side of the Fascist Years, Italian-Canadian fascist newspapers
served as mouthpieces for the Italian consulates, spreading fascist propaganda
throughout Italian-Canadian communities. His study was based on detailing the
histories of the three largest Italian-Canadian newspapers at the time; L'Italian in
The names of some
of these organizations also made this abundantly clear. These included the
Italian Fascio Abroad and the National Organization
for the Repression of the Anti-Fascists here in
This is not to condone most of the exaggerated actions the government took, but
this should be kept in mind nonetheless. It can also serve as a lesson on
today's war on terrorism.
In times of war, the delicate balance between national security and individual
civil liberty is difficult to strike for democratic governments. Liberal
democracies tend to over estimate the enemy rather than under estimate. The
cost of over estimating is cheaper. Luckily, civil libertarian fears
notwithstanding, liberal democracies are capable of suspending liberties and
reverting back. We've seen this in B! ritain
under Churchill during the Second World War, and the suspension of habeas
corpus with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
The humiliation and anger suffered persisted well after the war, which in part
explains the code of silence that prevailed among some Italians who simply
wanted to forget this chapter in the community's history. Italians considered
it pointless to try and seek compensation and justice fro m! what
was perceived to be a racist Liberal Party, the governing party under Mackenzie
Lyon King at the time. This perception was further solidified when Liberal
party members of Italian descent were interned.
There exists little accessible literature and information during this period. It
is hoped that articles such as these may help to raise awareness about this
forgotten era. Part of our collective responsibility in the present is to
transmit oral history for posterity. This helps to define not only the Italian
community, but Italians as Canadians as well. I often lament about
I have always found it curious that national broadcasting organizations such as
the CBC speak only of Japanese internment camps. It is a story that all North
Americans should be educated on. Howeve r! , why are
the Germans, Ukranians, and the Italians persistently
overlooked? Perhaps articles such as this can help to rectify this
omission. Maybe then people will not be so surprised when they are told of this
period in Canadian history over drinks at a cocktail party.
Facts:
In all, approximately 1,521 Italian aliens were arrested by the FBI for curfew
violations in the
Sources:
Una Storia Segreta
U.S Department of War
Sun Media
Scotsatwar.org/Captain Archibald Ramsey
'Isle of the Displaced', Joe Perry
'The
'The Darkest Side of the Fascist Years.' The Italian Canadian Press: 1920-1942,
Aneglo Principe
'Barbed Wire and Mandolins', Sam Grana
The
ANNOTICO Reports
Can
be Viewed, and are Archived at:
Italia
Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net