Letter from Clementina Sauro, to W.R. Jackett, December 11, 1940

Letter from Clementina Sauro, to W.R. Jackett (Advisory Committee on Orders of Restriction and Detention), December 11, 1940.

Rev. Libero Sauro was arrested on September 7, 1940 and held at Don Jail before being transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp.

From his arrest, Clementina was relentless in her mission to have her husband released. She wrote many letters on his behalf, including letters to M.J. Coldwell and J.S. Woodsworth, her husband's colleagues at the United Church, and others. She also hired and worked with lawyers to facilitate Sauro's hearing and work towards his release.

Under the DOCR (Defence of Canada Regulations), after 30 days, internees could formally object to their detention to an advisory committee appointed by the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice then appointed a judge to review the internee’s case. This meant an examination of the RCMP’s evidence against the internee, meetings with the internee, and interviews with witnesses who could attest to the internee’s character. After this, the judge either recommended an internee’s release or continued internment to the Minister of Justice.

As Clementina suggests the evidence against Sauro included his involvement with the Order Sons of Italy. However, this organization does not appear to have been banned by the government and continued its operations during the war (although much reduced). We know that the outcome of the hearing noted in this letter was the unconditional release on December 27, 1940 of Libero Sauro.

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials donated by the Sauro family.