Internment of Japanese Americans: As Fear Increases, Civil Liberties Decrease (2 of 8) “The means of defence agst. foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home.” (James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 29, 1787)   December 7, 1941 – Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in staggering losses and catapulted America into WW II. 2,403 Americans killed, another 1,178 wounded. 188 Aircraft destroyed and 158 damaged. Four battleships damaged and four others sunk. The USS Arizona began her service as a memorial to those we lost that day…and as a tomb for over 900 of our Sailors and Marines who were lost with her. It’s both understandable and reasonable that Americans were angry. It’s neither understandable nor reasonable that the media and government created a crisis that would be used to unconstitutionally deny civil liberties to over 280,000 Japanese-Americans, 122,000 living on the west coast of the U.S. and the158,000 in the Hawaiian Islands. Yet that is exactly what happened.1 The West Coast Of The U.S. After Pearl, the press lost no time in coupling the fears of an invasion and sabotage with racism to whip America into a panic. A few examples: Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1942: “a viper is nonetheless a viper wherever the egg is hatched,” so a U.S. citizen “born of Japanese parents . . . grows up to be a Japanese, not an American.” San Francisco Chronicle February 21, 1942: “We have to be tough, even if civil rights do take a beating for a time” John B. Hughes (Mutual Broadcasting Company) ran a month long series attacking Japanese-Americans and spreading rumors of espionage and fifth column activities.2 Henry Mclemore (Hearst syndicated columnist): “I am for immediate removal of every Japanese on the West Coast to a point deep in the interior. I don’t mean a nice part of the interior either. Herd ’em up, pack ’em off and give ’em the inside room in the badlands. Let ’em be pinched, hurt, hungry and dead up against it. . . Personally, I hate the Japanese. And that goes for all of them.” Westbrook Pegler (February, 1942): “The Japanese in California should be under armed guard to the last man and woman right now, and to hell with habeas corpus until the danger is over.” State and federal officials, with few exceptions like Attorney General Biddle, were quick to join the parade, if not lead it, again just a few examples: December 15, 1942 Secretary of the Navy Knox speaking about Pearl to the press “I think the most effective Fifth Column work of the entire war was done in Hawaii with the possible exception of Norway.” There was never a fifth column or a single saboteur in Hawaii or the continental U.S. January 6, 1942, Congressman Ford (LA-R) wrote the Secretaries of War, Navy and the FBI Director that: “all Japanese, whether citizens or not, be placed in inland concentration camps…[if] an American born Japanese, who is a citizen, is really patriotic…by permitting himself to be placed in a concentration camp, he would be making his sacrifice and he should be willing to do it if he is patriotic…” California ordered all Nisei – second generation American citizens – barred from civil service positions, Los Angeles County fired all Nisei, and Portland revoked the licenses of all Japanese nationals doing business in the city. The list of officials demanding Japanese-Americans be interned is long, however, one of the most vocal was Lt. Gen. Dewitt, Commander Fourth Army and Western Defense Command. He relentlessly pursued a policy of removing Japanese-Americans from the west coast and interning them in prison camps.3 Independent of the hysteria, the FBI arrested people on their A-B-C List, which were: “A – aliens who led cultural or assistance organizations; B- “‘slightly less suspicious’” aliens; and “‘C’”- those who were members of, or donated to ethnic groups, such as Japanese language teachers and Buddhist clergy.” By February 16, 1942, the FBI had arrested 2,192 Japanese; 1,393 Germans; and 264 Italians. FBI Director Hoover believed these arrests removed any threat alien nationals poised to the U.S., and therefore, there was no reason to remove Japanese-Americans from the west coast. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) concurred with Hoover’s assessment.4 However, DeWitt and the War Department ignored Hoover and the ONI’s assessments, overcame Attorney General Biddle’s opposition, and convinced President Roosevelt (D) that it was a “military necessity” to forcibly remove of Japanese-Americans from the west coast. As a result, President Roosevelt (D) signed Executive Order 9066 (EO 9066) on February 19, 1942 authorizing the forced removal and detention of all people from the west coast deemed a threat to the U.S. Under the authority of EO 9066 DeWitt designated all of California, the western portions of Washington and Oregon, and the southern part of Arizona as exclusion zones or restricted areas. Initially DeWitt ‘encouraged’ Japanese-Americans to “voluntarily” relocate from the exclusion zones, which over 4,800 did. However, most could not relocate, even if they wanted to, because the government froze their assets.5 On March 24, 1942 the first forced relocation of Japanese-Americans occurred from Bainbridge Island, WA and on the 29th, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation no. 4 (Proclamation 4) prohibiting Japanese-Americans from leaving the Exclusion Zones without authorization. Proclamation 4 was quickly followed by 107 “Civilian Exclusion Orders” ordering Japanese-Americans to be removed from the Exclusion and Restricted zones and sent to prison camps. Those forced to relocate were allowed to bring only “‘that which can be carried by the family or the individual’” including bedding, toilet articles, clothing and eating utensils.” The people were given about 6 days’ notice to report for relocation, causing them to sell property they couldn’t carry at far less than market value. By the end of the summer of 1942 an estimated 122,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed to ten prison camps located in some of the most isolated parts of the country. Though they differed in size and specifics, the camps were built to the same general plan. For example, Heart Mountain, Wyoming consisted of 30 blocks each of which had … Continue reading Internment of Japanese Americans: As Fear Increases, Civil Liberties Decrease