The Public Opinion of the Japanese American Internment During World War Two:

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A: Plan of Investigation The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 led President Roosevelt to issue Executive order 9066. The order called for war time relocation of Japanese Americans into internment camps without trial. With what justification can it be claimed that the general public opinion in favor of the Japanese American evacuation and internment camps was solely due to the United States government? The role of the United States government will be defined as: accounts of withholding evidence, the use of media, and decisions made by the justice system. Investigation into these elements as well as records of public opinion withheld before and after the attack will determine if ignorance towards and favorable opinions of the Japanese were influenced solely by the government. B: Summary of Evidence On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy led an attack on the United States Naval Base in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. The same day US Attorney General Francis Biddle directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to arrest any suspected enemy aliens, and by the end of the day 737 Japanese civilians were arrested without trial. On December 8, the United States declared war on Japan and was brought into World War Two. Following the attack a great fear of more attacks by the Japanese swept over United States citizens. Executive Order 9066 was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This gave authority to the Secretary of War Lieutenant General DeWitt, and military commanders to evacuate any persons from designated areas for “protection against sabotage and against espionage”. Persons who outwardly opposed the evacuation were almost nonexistent, and those who did oppos... ... middle of paper ... ...nt Cases. Wesleyan University Press, 1989. Kashima, Tetsuden, Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commision on Wartime Relocation and the Internment of Civilian. University of Washington Press, 1977. McClain, Charles, The Mass Internment of Japanese Americans and the Quest for Legal Redress. New York: Garland Publishing, 1994. Robinson, Greg, By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans. Harvard University Press, 2001. The Journal of Historical Review: The Japanese Camps in California. Volume 2, No. 1, Spring 1981. United States National Archives, Executive Order 9066. Washington DC, February 19, 1942. Weber, Mark, The Japanese Camps in California. “The Journal for Historical Review”, 2, No. 1, 1981. http://www.ihr.org. Weglyn, Michi, Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America’s Concentration Camps. New York, 1976.

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