ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 188
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED JANUARY 8, 1998
By Assemblymen ROCCO, DORIA, Talarico, Asselta, Geist, Lance, Assemblywoman Crecco, Assemblymen Gusciora, Moran, Augustine, Garrett and DeSopo
An Assembly Resolution calling on the Congress of the United States to pass H.R.2090 and on the President and State Department to cease urging the United Nations Security Council to give permanent seats to Germany and Japan to the exclusion of Italy.
Whereas, Thousands of Italian-born immigrants and Italian-Americans suffered a grave injustice at the hands of the United States Government during World War II and now the nation of Italy is poised to suffer an injustice because of the misguided foreign policy of that same government; and
Whereas, The freedom of more than 600,000 Italian-born immigrants and their families was restricted during World War II by federal government measures that branded them as "enemy aliens" and required them to endure travel restrictions and the seizure of personal property; and
Whereas, While thousands of Italian-Americans were performing exemplary service in or dying as a result of heroic action in this country's armed forces, thousands of other Italian-Americans and Italian-born immigrants were arrested on suspicion of treasonous activities and hundreds were interned in military camps; and
Whereas, This occurred at a time when Italian-born immigrants were the largest foreign-born ethnic group in the United States; and
Whereas, The distressing details of this shameful policy have remained shrouded in secrecy for 50 years and have never been acknowledged by the federal government; and
Whereas, H.R.2090 of 1997, sponsored by Congressman Lazio of New York and officially titled the "Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act," orders the preparation of a government report detailing the personal property loses, civil liberty infringements and other injustices suffered by Italian-Americans during World War II; and
Whereas, The bill also requires the President of the United States, on behalf of the Government, to formally acknowledge that these events represented a fundamental injustice against Italian-Americans; and
Whereas, Now the nation of Italy is being subjected to injustice because of the adoption of a misguided policy by the United States to urge that Japan and Germany be given permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council to the exclusion of Italy; and
Whereas, Since World War II, Italy has emerged as the world's fifth largest economy, a vital contributor to the international geopolitical peace process and in the words of President Clinton "...one of our closest allies and strategic partners in the world community"; and
Whereas, Despite these facts, the policy being pushed by the United States government clearly treats Italy as an inferior nation and reduces it to second-rate status on the world stage; and
Whereas, This House believes that it is fitting and proper for it to call attention to the injustices that have been visited upon Italian-Americans in the recent past by the United States Government and its current attempts to carry out an injustice against the nation of Italy; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House calls on the Congress of the United States to pass H.R.2090, officially entitled the "Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act," and it calls on the President and State Department to cease urging the United Nations Security Council to give permanent seats to Germany and Japan to the exclusion of Italy.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the presiding officers of the Congress of the United States and every representative thereto elected from this State, and to the President of the United States, the Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
STATEMENT
This resolution calls on the Congress of the United States to pass H.R.2090, officially titled the "Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act," and it calls on the President and State Department to cease urging the United Nations Security Council to give permanent seats to Germany and Japan to the exclusion of Italy.
Calls on Congress to pass H.R 2090 and on the President and State Department to cease urging the UN Security Council to give permanent seats to Germany and Japan to exclusion of Italy.