S.F. clergymen pledge to aid local evacuees

`.F : Clergymen

Pledge Aid to

Local Evacuees

Open Letter Sent

To Japanese Ministers

And JACL Chapter

In an open letter'to American cit-

izens of Japanese ancestry, Protest-

ant and Jewish clergymen of San

Francisco Sunday `offered their en-

couragement and sympathetic un-

derstanding to the many nisei who

are leaving soon for evacuee centers

and pledged their aid in the prob-

lem of restoration to normal life

after the war. .

The letter was addressed to Ja-

panese clergymen of this city and to

the Japanese American Citizens'

ileague and was signed by 28 lead-

ers of church denominations in San

Francisco. The letter read as fol-

lows:

|

|To Our Fellow-Citizens of

Japanese Ancestry: _

On the eve of your departure from

San Francisco to your new life made

necessaty by-the-circumstanco-of

wat, we want you to know that your

friends and fellow-Americans among

lthe clergy of this city will follaw:|

`you with their prayers and best

wishes.

We believe the Federal authori-

ties are just as anxious as all of us

are to make this serious dislocation

in your lives as tolerable as possi-

ble. Before this war is over we shall

all be called upon to make unpre-

cedented sacrifices, and shall be

tested as we have hardly been test-

ed before.

We know that the thing which

`troubles you most is the reflection

{that may be cast upon your loyal

American citizenship. That is what

troubles us, too, because we have

known so many of you to be de-

cent, law-abiding, and self-respect-

ing people. who have made a gen-

uine contribution to our community

life.

We pledge ourselves to do `all in

our power to preserve this right

which is `yours, so that when a day

of healing and peace returns, you

may exercise freely your full right

as American citizens. We also hope

that you will not only keep your)

|faith in American - ideals, but do)

| what you can to influence your

ifriends and relatives in that direc-

| tion.

We stand ready as individuals to

be of help to you. A letter to any

one of us will find a willing re-

sponse. -

May God bless and keep us all

true to the best in the American

tradition. eyes

SIGNED: fie

Harold S. Brewster, ..St. James

Episcopal; Donald Brookman, Trin-

ity Episcopal church; Elliot M. Bur-

stein, Congregation Beth Israel;

John A. Collins, St. Peter's Episco-

pal; C. S. S. Dutton, First Unitari-

an; Alfred G. Fisk, Howard Pres-

_pyterian; Donald F. Gaylord, Grace

United; Alfred Glass, Trinity Cen-

iter Presbyterian;

| Morris Goldsteiu, Congregational

|Shereth Israel; Lewis J. Julianel,

| First Baptist; Herrick J. Lane, Oli-

| vet Presbyterian; John C:-beffler,

|St. Luke's Episcopal; Paul Little,

All Saints' Episcopal; Edgar. Av Low-

ther, Temple Methodist; Julian C.

McPheeters, Glide Memorial Meth-

odist; Edward C. Parsons, Bishop of

California, retired; Jason Noble

Pierce, Congregational;

Irving S. Reichert, Congregational

Emanu-El; Philip A. Solbjor, Cen-

tral Methodist; Russel B.:0x00B0Staines,

Episcopal Church of St. Mafy; R.

|Marvin Stuart, Trinity "Methodist;

| Walter Carl Subke, 7th(R)Avenue

Presbyterian; Henry 3B. Tifomas,

|Eipiscopal Churck of the Advent;

Ezra Allen Van Nuys, Cafvalry

`Ptesbyterian; Edwin L. -Wedther- |

wax, Emmanuel Evangelical} "Saul

EY White, Congregation Beth Sho-

lom; Jemes H, Woodruff, West Side

Christian; George F. Wortley, Rark-

Presidio Community. Be