CHAPTER 6 - INTERNMENT CAMPS FOR AMERICANS
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High-ranking officials of the United States military believed Japan might invade the West Coast. While such concerns may seem unrealistic today, military strategists were still reeling from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The most popular song of the day was Remember Pearl Harbor:
Concerned that Japanese-Americans were more loyal to Japan than to the United States, American military leaders convinced FDR to sign Executive Order 9066. The order authorized the "appropriate Military Commander" to determine whether anyone posed a military risk to the country and, if so, authorized the military to exclude those persons from affected geographic areas. The entire State of California, half of Oregon and Washington and a third of Arizona were affected and were declared "war zones on the Pacific Frontier." Every person of Japanese descent living in those "zones" was suspected of disloyalty. As governmental directives ordered Japanese-Americans to leave their homes and businesses, these American citizens - including children - were evacuated to desert internment camps. Transported by buses and trains, they were placed under the control of the War Relocation Authority. Living conditions in the camps were abnormal and disruptive. How does a free citizen get used to living in confined spaces and behind barbed wire? |
