Francis Biddle Direct Examination

What is your name?

·         Francis Biddle

How old are you?

·         I am 56 years old

What do you do for a living?

·         Currently I am the attorney general for the US Justice Department

How many years have you been the attorney general?

·         4 years

What does an attorney general do?

·         The attorney general advises the government on a federal level on legal matters.

What job did you have before becoming the attorney general?

·         I was the solicitor general for the US Justice Department.

What does the solicitor general job consist of?

·         The solicitor general represents the government in Supreme Court cases.

Why did you support President Roosevelt’s decision on going to war with japan?

·         Because I felt that the bombing on Pearl Harbor was a very tragic incident.

When executive order 9066 came out what made you agree to it?

·         I was and still am very against executive order 9066. I finally signed the order because I was pressured by my associates to do what they thought was right. I also experienced internal pressure when having to sign the order because I was in a place where I could wither sign the order and please the public or not sign and be looked down upon. In the end I did agree because of those external pressures.

Why did you think that executive order 9066 was wrong?

·         It is wrong because the removal of people with a Japanese descent from the west coast was unnecessary because the proper measures had already been taken to prevent a fifth column in the US.

How do you feel to this day about the decision that you made about executive order 9066?

·         I really regret signing the order. I regretted it back when I first signed the order, and I regret it to this day. 

In your professional experience as the attorney general who advises the government on matter of constitutionality do you feel that the civilian exclusion orders were constitutional?

·         No because they violate the 5^th and the 14^th Amendments. The Fifth Amendment can only be suspended if the person is in the land or naval forces and the military during the times of war or public crises.  The 14^th amendment was violated because the Japanese in the internment camps were not allowed a due process of law as required in the 14^th amendment. Also  These are unconstitutional and do not pass the strict scrutiny because executive order 9066 is too broad. It could be used to deprive anyone in the military zones of their individual rights. Not just the Japanese.