Scope Notes
While the records of the RASRL cover the years 1919-1966, the major component of the Confidential Research Files cover the period 1941-1959. The records within this series are maintained in the order developed by RASRL, alphabetically by subject. The items within
each file were numbered beginning with the number 10. Though the items are described and foldered numerically in ascending order, they were frequently stored in descending order. To overcome the confusion resulting in this dual arrangement order, archival staff have
reordered the physical arrangement to put the items in ascending numerical order; where needed, the order within the inventory has also been revised.
Prior to accession by the Archives, occasional items were removed from the original file to another subject file for research purposes of the RASRL. Documentation of each transfer was provided by the researcher and left intact by the Archives.
Generally the contents of the Confidential Research Files are arranged in alphabetical order and thus the numerical order of the boxes tends to coincide with alphabetical order. The exceptions occur because some items in the collection were either on legal size paper or in
larger format. These items were pulled from the original files in order to be stored following better preservation practices. Thus boxes 4, 9, 14, and 15, which are legal size, and f1 and f2 which are oversize boxes, contain repeated file labels. Finally, a few artifacts and
photographic materials were removed and stored in the Vault (box V1). File titles for the Confidential Research Files are transcribed to the acid-free folders as they appeared on the original files of RASRL. Titles or information provided by the archival staff are enclosed in
square brackets []. This collection is particularly rich in materials that reflect the rapid social and societal changes of the 1940's and post-War period. "Hawaii represents a microcosm of the world, which made it a useful laboratory and social observatory" (Hörmann, 1955).
The CRF includes term papers, excerpts from journals and diaries, interviews, and summaries of discussions with individuals, as well as newspaper clippings and documentation on political, industrial, and community groups. The section on "The Sugar Strike" and labor issues following the War includes materials addressing the perspectives of
the ILWU (International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union), the local citizenry, and the sugar industry. Other organized bodies with documentation in the Confidential Research Files include American Friends Service Committee, the War Relocation Board,
Post-War Employment Planning Commission, and American Veterans Committee.
Informal groups also find representation. The section on AJAs (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) includes letters and transcripted conversations of members of the U.S. Army 442nd Battalion and other AJAs about their experiences during the War. The section on Diaries includes accounts written by a wide variety of residents of Hawaii on the effects of war on their lives and on the relations among various ethnic groups here. A section in the papers documents the Hissho Kai, Japanese aliens living in the United States who were not convinced that Japan had lost World War II. Included in these papers are two sheets of Japanese characters written by an advisor to Hissho Kai (not yet translated). One of the items is painted on paper made in the U.S.; the other item is painted on an unidentified type
of paper, without watermarks.
Confidential Research Files Box/Folder Inventory A1989:007
War Brides' Interview Project Inventory A1989:008
