Uncommon "Parole" for Interned Japanese American
Citizen's Indefinite Leave Card
Notes: A card granting American citizens interned in relocation camps during the Second World War "parole" to leave the camp for work or educational purposes. This card was issued to Fumiko Ida Saito, formerly of Alameda, California, while she was interned at Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah (here referred to as "Central Utah"). She was granted leave to go to Boston, Massachusetts. According to the Japanese American Internee files hosted by the National Archives, she was authorized to leave the camp to seek work as a designer.
Under the Citizen's Indefinite Leave program, Japanese Americans deemed sufficiently loyal and self-sufficient were allowed to leave the relocation camps as long as they stayed away from the West Coast, where their presence was still prohibited.
Saito apparently dig go to Massachusetts as her Social Security number was issued there. After the war, she moved to the Pacific Northwest. In 1950, the census showed her working as a public health dental hygienist in Shelton, Washington. She died in West Linn, Oregon, in 2009.
The card's blank spaces are filled in with typed information. A head-and-shoulders portrait of Saito is affixed to the front. A fingerprint is inked on the back along with typed instructions to keep the War Relocation Authority advised of her address and that she should stay out of evacuated areas. 3-3/4 by 2-1/2 inches.
Edition + Condition: A very good example. Corners slightly worn. This card has been laminated, which is not typical. The wear to the corners suggest that the lamination was applied sometime after the card was issued; however, there is some evidence that the War Relocation blindstamp at the center of the card was applied after it was laminated.
Item No: #362549
Price: $500