interview with Dr. megan Sethi, American Historian
PERSONAL INTERVIEW VIA E-MAIL
1. How were Japanese-American internment camps different from German concentration camps? Were there any major similarities?
The main difference between Japanese-American internment camps and some German concentration camps was that Japanese-American camps were not "death camps" - they did not contain the infrastructure and apparatus for mass murder, as some of the German camps such as Auschwitz did. In addition, the inmates of American camps were not forced to labor and deprived of basic necessities to the same degree as the inmates of German camps. As for similarities, both the American and German concentration camps were heavily guarded, surrounded by guarded watchtowers and barbed wire, and the residents of both American and German camps were held there against their will.
2. Why weren't German and Italian Americans put into as many camps as Japanese Americans? How may have the time period influenced this decision?
Some German and Italian Americans were interned, but not to the same degree that Japanese Americans were. The main reason, I feel, was the long-standing animosity toward Japanese Americans that fueled suspicion of this group almost from the moment the United States entered the war. Since the late 19th century, a strong anti-Japanese sentiment had been quietly brewing, particularly on the West Coast (where most Japanese-Americans lived). Combined with the desire for revenge after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this racial hatred resulted in the internment of many more Japanese Americans than German or Italian Americans.
3. Was President Roosevelt justified in signing Executive Order 9066? If so, why?
No - this was one of the great shames of the 20th century. At the time, I'm sure that FDR felt this was the right decision, given the pressures he was under, but nothing can justify the forced imprisonment of thousands of innocent American citizens.
4. How effective was the media in justifying the internment of Japanese Americans?
The media largely agreed with internment, and in many cases fanned the flames of racism that fueled the desire to isolate and imprison Japanese Americans. The press vilified and targeted all Japanese Americans with the brush of traitor. Henry McLemore, a Hearst syndicated columnist, said in January, 1942, “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.” And as an editorial in Life magazine in May 1945 put it: “Americans had to learn to hate Germans, but hating Japs comes natural—as natural as fighting Indian wars once was.”
5. Is it possible for an event like this to happen in history again? Why or why not?
Although we would like to think we learn from our mistakes in the past, it is of course always possible for such events to reoccur. Such gross violations of Americans' civil rights are fortunately rare, but given the right circumstances, something like Japanese American internment camps could someday happen again.
The main difference between Japanese-American internment camps and some German concentration camps was that Japanese-American camps were not "death camps" - they did not contain the infrastructure and apparatus for mass murder, as some of the German camps such as Auschwitz did. In addition, the inmates of American camps were not forced to labor and deprived of basic necessities to the same degree as the inmates of German camps. As for similarities, both the American and German concentration camps were heavily guarded, surrounded by guarded watchtowers and barbed wire, and the residents of both American and German camps were held there against their will.
2. Why weren't German and Italian Americans put into as many camps as Japanese Americans? How may have the time period influenced this decision?
Some German and Italian Americans were interned, but not to the same degree that Japanese Americans were. The main reason, I feel, was the long-standing animosity toward Japanese Americans that fueled suspicion of this group almost from the moment the United States entered the war. Since the late 19th century, a strong anti-Japanese sentiment had been quietly brewing, particularly on the West Coast (where most Japanese-Americans lived). Combined with the desire for revenge after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this racial hatred resulted in the internment of many more Japanese Americans than German or Italian Americans.
3. Was President Roosevelt justified in signing Executive Order 9066? If so, why?
No - this was one of the great shames of the 20th century. At the time, I'm sure that FDR felt this was the right decision, given the pressures he was under, but nothing can justify the forced imprisonment of thousands of innocent American citizens.
4. How effective was the media in justifying the internment of Japanese Americans?
The media largely agreed with internment, and in many cases fanned the flames of racism that fueled the desire to isolate and imprison Japanese Americans. The press vilified and targeted all Japanese Americans with the brush of traitor. Henry McLemore, a Hearst syndicated columnist, said in January, 1942, “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.” And as an editorial in Life magazine in May 1945 put it: “Americans had to learn to hate Germans, but hating Japs comes natural—as natural as fighting Indian wars once was.”
5. Is it possible for an event like this to happen in history again? Why or why not?
Although we would like to think we learn from our mistakes in the past, it is of course always possible for such events to reoccur. Such gross violations of Americans' civil rights are fortunately rare, but given the right circumstances, something like Japanese American internment camps could someday happen again.