A Defense of Internment
“Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities.”
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Executive Order 9066
February 18th, 1942
On February 19, 1942 due to wartime measures, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 allowed military commanders to exclude any or all people from designated military areas. This power was used to relocate approximately 110,000 Japanese American settlers on mainly the West Coast. With constant demeaning and terrorizing that occurred within America against the Japanese settlers, one incident put the American’s anger over the top, the Niihau Incident . In this incident, a Japanese Plane was shot down, and three local Japanese Americans saved its pilot. An act like this is what spurred even more anti-Japanese attitude within America, and ultimately gave America a reason to begin interning Japanese Americans. Americans should believe though, that the treatment of Japanese settlers in the United States during World War II was just and necessary. For many reasons, this holds true. First, people of Japanese descent living in America were in severe danger as seen by the many anti “Jap” acts that were going on. Second, the living conditions and overall treatment of the Japanese in the camp was fair and satisfactory. Third, the United States knew of Japanese secret code MAGIC, and they could not afford putting this knowledge in the wrong Japanese hands. Fourth, there was evidence to believe, provided by code MAGIC that there were Japanese spies living in America. Finally, America had to in some way respond to Pearl Harbor for the mental health of its own citizens and protect their home soil. It is easy for people in hindsight to say that the internment of the Japanese Americans was unjust, but in wartime, this internment was necessary for the
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Executive Order 9066
February 18th, 1942
On February 19, 1942 due to wartime measures, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 allowed military commanders to exclude any or all people from designated military areas. This power was used to relocate approximately 110,000 Japanese American settlers on mainly the West Coast. With constant demeaning and terrorizing that occurred within America against the Japanese settlers, one incident put the American’s anger over the top, the Niihau Incident . In this incident, a Japanese Plane was shot down, and three local Japanese Americans saved its pilot. An act like this is what spurred even more anti-Japanese attitude within America, and ultimately gave America a reason to begin interning Japanese Americans. Americans should believe though, that the treatment of Japanese settlers in the United States during World War II was just and necessary. For many reasons, this holds true. First, people of Japanese descent living in America were in severe danger as seen by the many anti “Jap” acts that were going on. Second, the living conditions and overall treatment of the Japanese in the camp was fair and satisfactory. Third, the United States knew of Japanese secret code MAGIC, and they could not afford putting this knowledge in the wrong Japanese hands. Fourth, there was evidence to believe, provided by code MAGIC that there were Japanese spies living in America. Finally, America had to in some way respond to Pearl Harbor for the mental health of its own citizens and protect their home soil. It is easy for people in hindsight to say that the internment of the Japanese Americans was unjust, but in wartime, this internment was necessary for the