The Japanese Relocation During WW2: Executive Order 9066 Revisited

"The first to present his case seems right, 
till another comes forward and questions him."
--Proverbs 18:16

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

It's practically a given that there are two sides to every story. This is why we need to re-examine our basic beliefs now and then, because much of what we have accepted as fact is nothing more than conclusions drawn from hearing only one side of a story.

This blog post aims to suggest that our harsh criticism of the Japanese "internment camp" program during World War Two may be unwarranted. 

In 2018 I wrote a blog post addressing Executive Order 9066, calling it "one more cause for shame" as Americans. On the surface, this conclusion seems reasonable. Upon deeper investigation, a strong case can be made that the real events that occurred reveal a remarkable degree of compassion and generosity of spirit and little to be entirely ashamed of.

James Nickel, a friend from California, suggested I look into this further and by doing so I learned much that I hadn't previously understood or known about. What follows are notes gleaned from Dwight D. Murphey's essay "The Relocation of the Japanese-Americans During World War II."

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To re-think any issue or learn about it in depth requires a commitment of time. What follows are some of the primary facts of which I was unaware, shedding new light on what had previously been in shadow.

For continuity sake I will follow Murphey's outline. First, what actually happened? Then second, why was it done and was it really necessary?

EdNote: The complete article is 25 pages in length with 96 footnotes. What follows is an attempt to represent fairly the findings of Mr. Murphey's research. 

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What actually happened?

Click to enlarge. Public domain.

Immigration laws at the beginning of the 20th century permitted Japanese to freely immigrate to this country. This became restricted after 1908 and was cut off completely in 1924. The 1940 U.S. Census showed that there were 126,946 persons of Japanese origin in this country, 79,642 born here and thereby considered U.S. citizens.

As tensions escalated with Japan near the end of the 1930s, American intelligence agencies had begun compiling a list of people whom they considered dangerous in the event of a war with Japan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. arrested and incarcerated 3000.

Two months after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the establishment of military areas where all people could be excluded. This was extended to all parts of the West Coast in which no Japanese were then permitted to reside. 

This is what led to the creation of camps where the Japanese would be moved. The evacuees were moved to location centers further East. Here are some of the things I learned from reading the Murphey essay.

1. The centers were run by Japanese Americans, not some kind of U.S. Gestapo. 

2. The centers were not surrounded by barbed wire, like a prison camp. They had stores, movies, activities...

3. The college-aged children continued their education, and 4300 were attending more than 300 universities around the country by the war's end.  

4. Only one of the relocation centers became an actual internment camp. This was used for the small minority of Japanese Americans.

5. The centers were intended as places where people could stay until they found other places around the country to relocate to. In 1943, 16,000 left the centers and in 1944 18,500 more left to begin anew in other parts of the country.

6. Extensive efforts were made by the army to safeguard the property of those who were evacuated. Similarly, neighbors and friends helped take care of their properties until they returned. (At the end of this blog post is a letter to the editor expressing gratitude for the kindnesses they received in this difficult time.)

Why did this happen? Was it really necessary?

The context for this decision needs consideration. The U.S. fleet, our first line of defense, had been nearly destroyed. And invasion fleet from Japan could have arrived on our shores unimpeded. A Japanese submarine shelled an oil field in California in February. Five Japanese planes flew over L.A. 

In hindsight it could be argued that the evacuation was not necessary. Looked at another way, California and the Northwest were quite vulnerable. The water supply could be sabotaged as could the power grid. A "systematic campaign of incendiarism" could do massive damage.

Those who argue that the relocation was unnecessary, Murphey demonstrates, are either unaware of the facts or deny them. U.S. codebreakers identified hundreds of communications dealing with U.S. espionage activities. 

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In addition to encouraging me to review Dwight Murphey's essay, James sent me several clippings from the local newspaper including the letter to the editor below. He accompanied the clippings with this note:

"I recognize the disconnect most people have with WWII and the relocation camps. You have to live in that season to grasp what was going on, as you note. I think the newspaper articles from the Reedley Exponent show that the majority of the townspeople sought to help the local Japanese, their neighbors, in any way they could given the exigences of the times."

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A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Reedley Exponent
20 August 1942

To the good people of Reedley, California

We wish to thank you one and all in behalf of ourselves as well as for many Japanese evacuees who had made their home amongst you for regretfully such a short period of time.

What has prompted me to write this letter of appreciation to you good residents of Reedley is that you were so kind and tolerant towards us in this time of unrest and turmoil. Of course it is understood that we residents of California have naught to do with this war, yet being Japanese of Americans of Japanese ancestry we do not feel happy that the two countries closest to our hearts are at war and feel that we may have been at fault for the outburst of this deplorable international complication.

However, while our sojourn in Reedley the residents of Reedley, the good people on whose property we resided, the civic authorities as well as the federal officials (by which I mean the postoffice officials at Reedley) whose patience we sorely tried with our innumerable questions, all to these good people we wish to thank you for your sympathy and understanding you had shown us.

One does not realize what a friendly smile means to a stranger who, not knowing the attitude of the people of such community, are compelled to usurp their have, until and unless one finds themselves in a similar predicament. And such a kindly attitude was shown me and to many others, not on one but on many occasions and for which we wish to thank you from the depths of our hearts.

May God bless you all for your friendliness to us bewildered evacuees, and may His teachings continue to flourish in your good community.

Dr. & Mrs. F. T. Inukai

Related Links

My blog post addressing Executive Order 9066

Introduction to the Dwight D. Murphey Rebuttal

The Dispossession of the American Indian and Other Key Issues in American History  (Dwight Murphey's essay on the Japanese American relocation is found in this book.)

Final Note: This is not an attempt to whitewash all that happened. It is, however, an attempt to suggest that the current narrative that is most pervasive does not present an accurate picture of what occurred and why.