[ml/nj]

Locking up Americans was wrong but why is this being discussed now? Two entirely different wars in two very different times.

Go back and read the Los Angeles and San Francisco newspapers from that time. There were numerous articles about a Japanese fifth column in this country. Maybe they were all planted stories? But if they were not, Roosevelt was absolutely right to do what he did. And let's not forget: We won that war.

The main reason this war is different is that we have more than one fifth column active here now.

ML/NJ

[cyborg]

Well there were large contingents of Nazi sympathizers here on Long Island during the same time and they were never locked up. Actually, the neo-nazis still have a small presence here on LI. I don't make excuses and pretend that racism didn't play a part in making it MUCH easier to lock up Japanese people. FDR would NOT have won friends if he started locking up white people. I'll bet money on that one.

[Mears]

The newspapers then were the same as they are now,they printed what they wanted to print and ignored what they wanted to ignore.

The Japanese Americans were treated poorly and German Americans were treated well.

It was racism,pure and simple.

[Oztrich Boy]

But if they were not, Roosevelt was absolutely right to do what he did. And let's not forget: We won that war.

Wonder why FDR didn't lock up Dwight Eisenhower to help the war effort.

[muawiyah]

What do you mean by "we"? Almost all of these people being locked up were American citizens.

We wouldn't even have been able to fight the war if all the American citizens of German origin had been locked up.

Not a single act of sabotage or espionage has ever been attributed to any of the Japanese-Americans. On the other hand, the military unit in which they served in the old segregated US Army, the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, was the most highly decorated unit per man in the history of the nation.

They have a website where you can visit. Check out the number of men who received the Purple Heart. It is positively breath-taking.

The various stories appearing in the Los Angeles and other papers attacking the Japanese-Americans were most likely planted there by the wealthy individuals who purchased land and other property owned by Japanese-Americans at forced tax sales.

BTW, the $35,000,000 was supposedly as much as 5 cents on the dollar for value lost.

If you're a California resident and you occupy land ever owned by a Japanese-American, you might see to it that your title insurance is valid and up to date. Someday somebody's going to figure out how to get it all back!