Thomas F. (hardtack) -
This is an excellent personal story seen through the eyes of a young American girl who just happens to be a Japanese American. Although I've read other accounts of how the United States government reacted to the Japanese attack on Hawaii by removing West Cost Japanese Americans, this much more personal account really raised my blood pressure. At one point I had to put the book down and go for a long walk, not picking it up again for days.
All stories of fifth-column activities by Japanese Americans at the beginning of World War II were later proven to be based on simple racial prejudices and sorry excuses for our government being caught by surprise. For example, the story that Japanese who came to live in the United States didn't want to become citizens, due to their "loyalty to the Japanese emperor," overlooks the fact it was an American law which prevented them from obtaining citizenship. Only their children, born here, could become citizens.
On the West coast we had a number of racially bigoted whites, who needed someone to look down on, despite the fact these Japanese Americans were hard workers and good citizens. And DeWitt, the American Army general in charge of the West Coast, might as well have been in the German SS due to the remarks he made.
Sadly, President Roosevelt went along with the economic and racial prejudices of many Californians who wanted their Japanese competitors taken out. Sadly still, he kept that position until he realized a case, filed by Japanese-American lawyers, and headed for the Supreme Court, would be ruled against the U.S. government's betrayal of the U.S. Constitution. So he made the political decision to release the Japanese Americans from their camps and took credit for it, despite the fact they were in camps due to his giving his approval.
Some so-called Americans tried to do the same to the Japanese Americans in Hawaii, but when the government realized this would cause the economic collapse of the Hawaiian economy they refused to imprison those loyal Americans.
At the same time, you had to wonder why the government wasn't rounding up Italian and German Americans who originally came from those countries, my grandfather included. This was because the government realized the sons and grandsons of those people were giong to constitute a large percentage of the U.S. armed forces.
Yet, white Americans, like Charles Lindbergh, who made pro_Axis speeches at German-American Bund Rallies were left alone. We swore what we did to the Japanese Americans would never happen again. Yet, all you need do is read the daily news to see violence, in the streets and on college campuses, being taken against other Americans simply because they have different political views.
The one bright spot in this this story were the accounts of white Californians who did all they could to support their Japanese-American neighbors. Yet, this was somewhat spoiled by a number of Californians, also supposedly friendly neighbors, who used the evacuations to profit from their Japanese-Americans "friends and neighbors." Greed has no nationality.
All stories of fifth-column activities by Japanese Americans at the beginning of World War II were later proven to be based on simple racial prejudices and sorry excuses for our government being caught by surprise. For example, the story that Japanese who came to live in the United States didn't want to become citizens, due to their "loyalty to the Japanese emperor," overlooks the fact it was an American law which prevented them from obtaining citizenship. Only their children, born here, could become citizens.
On the West coast we had a number of racially bigoted whites, who needed someone to look down on, despite the fact these Japanese Americans were hard workers and good citizens. And DeWitt, the American Army general in charge of the West Coast, might as well have been in the German SS due to the remarks he made.
Sadly, President Roosevelt went along with the economic and racial prejudices of many Californians who wanted their Japanese competitors taken out. Sadly still, he kept that position until he realized a case, filed by Japanese-American lawyers, and headed for the Supreme Court, would be ruled against the U.S. government's betrayal of the U.S. Constitution. So he made the political decision to release the Japanese Americans from their camps and took credit for it, despite the fact they were in camps due to his giving his approval.
Some so-called Americans tried to do the same to the Japanese Americans in Hawaii, but when the government realized this would cause the economic collapse of the Hawaiian economy they refused to imprison those loyal Americans.
At the same time, you had to wonder why the government wasn't rounding up Italian and German Americans who originally came from those countries, my grandfather included. This was because the government realized the sons and grandsons of those people were giong to constitute a large percentage of the U.S. armed forces.
Yet, white Americans, like Charles Lindbergh, who made pro_Axis speeches at German-American Bund Rallies were left alone. We swore what we did to the Japanese Americans would never happen again. Yet, all you need do is read the daily news to see violence, in the streets and on college campuses, being taken against other Americans simply because they have different political views.
The one bright spot in this this story were the accounts of white Californians who did all they could to support their Japanese-American neighbors. Yet, this was somewhat spoiled by a number of Californians, also supposedly friendly neighbors, who used the evacuations to profit from their Japanese-Americans "friends and neighbors." Greed has no nationality.
