The History of Japanese Internment Research
An Executive Order approved by President Frederick D. Roosevelt on April 24, 1942 (Murray, p.10-11), ordered all Japanese in Western United States to gather only previsions they could carry and to report to Japanese processing centers so that they could be relocated to internment camps. This experience burdened on the Japanese resulted in an indefinite stay at these camps and detailed years of harsh living conditions. These internees commonly lived in rough terrain, barbed wires, patrolling gunmen, and lack of resources. They were offered jobs within the camps but most of these jobs paid little to nothing. This unfair, unconstitutional exclusion order violated the rights of these Americans and the debate for the cause and reasons for the internment have been and will be discussed for years. The reason for the internment was a direct response to the December 7, 1941 attack of Pearl Harbor. This day of “infamy” caused uproar within the military and private groups in the U.S. Politicians like General Dewitt petitioned for a mass evacuation of Japanese to camps, believing them all to be potential sympathizers to Japan. They were supposedly interned because of “military necessity” but what this term, coined by General Dewitt really expressed was the hidden racism that lay between the fabrics of American society.
History can sometimes play tricks on us and can sometimes be reported in error or be misinterpreted. Research on the internment of the Japanese has been very difficult to report because of the nature of Japanese culture and the many different personal, social and political view points. For instance, many Japanese felt shame for being interned as if being punished by a country they had full allegiance with. Sometimes War Relocation Authority (WRA) reporters would try to interview internees and were often met with fear and resentment. For instance, you were in a camp being seen taking to a WRA agent,...