Texas historians preserving WWII internment camp

CRYSTAL CITY, Texas — Historians in Texas are working to gather stories from the thousands of people kept at U.S. confinement camps during World War II.

The roundups began in earnest almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry in the war 69 years ago.

Japanese, Germans and Italians, both foreign nationals and foreign-born American citizens considered threats, were rousted from their homes and shipped to internment camps.

As many as seven camps may have been in Texas where historians are working to gather stories preserve the few visible signs of the camps.

The state's largest camp was at Crystal City, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio. It's unique for its 250-foot diameter swimming pool, designed by an Italian detainee from Honduras and built by fellow detainees.