The National Archives building is located in San Bruno, just south of San Francisco.
The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) opposes the planned closure of the National Archives at San Francisco in San Bruno, Calif., and the potential loss of accessibility to invaluable historic records.
JANM’s staff of historians, curators, and educators refer to the National Archives and Records Administration’s incredible body of historical records to complement its collection and corroborate its scholarship. The National Archives at San Francisco’s case files of the Japanese American incarceration, including the alien enemy files, greatly expand the museum’s understanding of the World War II experience.
Other records deepen its understanding of immigration history through Angel Island and the impacts of enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The original case file of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which affirmed birthright citizenship outlined in the 14th Amendment, is just one of the irreplaceable documents at the San Francisco branch that is relevant to current events today.
Records from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard reflecting Pearl Harbor and the Pacific Theater of World War II, Bureau of Indian Affairs records, and land management files have direct relevance for Californians and the nation as well as provide context for JANM’s historical work.
JANM has joined a community coalition that is communicating with elected officials to pursue avenues to halt the planned closure of the National Archives at San Francisco and digitize Japanese American records at the facility.
“JANM strongly urges the National Archives and Records Administration to reconsider the decision to close the federal records center in San Bruno, Calif.,” said JANM Curator of History and Director of Collections Kristen Hayashi. “Being able to access these files tangibly underscores the democracy that this country was founded upon, which is something that we cannot take for granted nor risk to lose.
“We encourage the National Archives to continue to preserve the documents that tell our nation’s past as well as make these invaluable records accessible to the American public. These are among the agency’s most important charges and we trust that they will continue to uphold them.”