Ĭivilian ownership of firearms was prohibited except to those specially authorized. ĭays after martial law had gone into effect, the United Press reported that “cases of non-cooperation” were “severely dealt with” according to military authorities. The Army demands the aid and assistance of every person in the Territory… If you are ordered by military personnel to obey a certain command, that order must be obeyed instantly and without question. The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin both published an order directed at every inhabitant of the island: The newspapers that were allowed to reopen with licenses were forced to print military orders and military-controlled news. Photo materials were restricted to limit photography. Use of civilian short-wave radio was restricted. Travel between the islands was restricted. The military government monitored the content and morale of the population this way. All long-distance telephone calls to the mainland were required to be spoken in English and censored. All outgoing mail was read and censored by the military. The local telephone company was taken over by the military. US Army M3 Stuart light tanks in maneuvers, Beretania Street in the Honolulu business district, Hawaii, 30 August 1942.
#BLACKOUT MARTIAL LAW HAWAII LICENSE#
Any publication not printed exclusively in English was denied a license and considered illegal. All newspapers and radio stations were shut down for a time. The Military Governor required that newspapers be made illegal unless they were granted a license to operate. Stringent censorship of the media went into immediate effect.
#BLACKOUT MARTIAL LAW HAWAII REGISTRATION#
Using the extensive registration program, the military drew up intelligence reports on 450,000 Hawaiians. Įveryone over the age of six years was fingerprinted, registered, and ordered to carry around military-issued ID cards. All persons of Japanese descent had to be in their homes by 8:00 p.m. The streets were ordered to be cleared between the hours of 9:00 p.m. The Military Governor’s subsequent orders were designed to “discourage concerted action of any kind.” Saloons were ordered to be closed, as well as schools, theaters - anywhere there might be a “concentration of people.” Ĭivilians were given strict curfews. Roosevelt on the declaration of martial law and suspension of the write of habeas corpus. Poindexter relayed his decision to the mainland, which was affirmed with approval from the President of the United States :Ĭommunication between Hawaiian Civilian Governor Poindexter and President Franklin D. Offenders will be severely punished by military tribunals or will be held in custody until such time that the civil courts are able to function. In order to assist in repelling the threatened invasion of our island home, good citizens will cheerfully obey this proclamation and the ordinances to be published others will be required to do so. I shall therefore shortly publish ordinances governing the conduct of the people of the Territory with respect to the showing of lights, circulation, meetings, censorship, possession of arms, ammunition, and explosives, the sale of intoxicating liquors and other subjects. General Short, in his first proclamation as Military Governor on December 7th, 1941, stated that : Civilians had no freedom of speech, self-defense, assembly, or protections from from unreasonable search and seizures, inter alia. Constitution was suspended and civilians no longer guaranteed any individual rights or protections from the government. The transfer of power meant that all civilian courts would be closed, and all government functions - federal, territorial, and municipal - would be placed under military control. Short - the newly declared “Military Governor” of the islands.
An entire new system of justice and order was instituted and controlled at the absolute discretion of Lt. In declaring martial law, all forms of civilian law were suspended. Poindexter reluctantly ceded power to the military - temporarily, or so he thought. Being coerced through tactics discussed below, Gov. The air raid successfully sunk or grounded 18 ships and killed 2,403 Americans.Īs the smoke billowed from the harbor, Lieutenant General Walter Short met with Territorial Governor Joseph Poindexter to convince him to declare martial law. The dark period of Hawaiian history began on December 7, 1941, with the massive surprise attack of Japanese bombers on the U.S. HAWAII - Islanders suffered under nearly three years of martial law from 1941-1944 so oppressive that it was later described by a federal judge as a “military dictatorship.” All manner of civilian liberties were replaced by oppressive military orders enforced by American soldiers. (Courtesy of the Hawaii War Records Depository hwrd2174-10b, Archives & Manuscripts Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library) Front page of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, declaring martial law in Hawaii, Dec.
0 kommentar(er)
