Japanese American internment during WWII was actually a good thing? (war, greatest)

[mr bolo]

If you think about it the internment of Japanese Americans or a persons of Japanese ancestry was not as bad as people thought

because the times were a lot different back then , internment was also for their own personal safety, I believe mobs of angry Americans would of burned their houses down and assaulted many innocent people if they were not interned in the camps

this was back when they were still lynching blacks in the south, the racism and mentality of the times is not like today, not very PC back in 1940

so they were actually safer in the camps at that time in history

Today many people still think the same as back in 1940, Ive heard many discussions of what would you do if China went to war with the USA? and a lot of Americans said they would burn all the Chinese business's down and not trust any Chinese or Chinese American, sounds very similiar to how they thought of the Japanese during WWII

[Grandstander]

The forced sale of their private property, was that for their safety as well?

[NJGOAT]

"For their safety" was one of the excuses used by the administration to justify the internment. The fact remains that there was zero justification for the forced interment and the siezure and sale of property of thousands of AMERICAN CITIZENS against their will. The internment of Japanese Americans is a black mark in our history and cannot be justified other than through focusing on the feelings and emotions of the time. I understand the reasons it was done in the context of the times, but I cannot agree that there was any positive attribute that would justify the action.

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

If you think about it the internment of Japanese Americans or a persons of Japanese ancestry was not as bad as people thought

because the times were a lot different back then , internment was also for their own personal safety, I believe mobs of angry Americans would of burned their houses down and assaulted many innocent people if they were not interned in the camps

Right. Which explains the rampant pograms outside of the west coast Exclusion Area. And in Hawaii, where most of the Japanese-American population was not interred (in part because it would be rather difficult to inter over 1/3rd of the population). Oh, wait, there were no such rampaging mobs killing Japanese-Americans en masse.

this was back when they were still lynching blacks in the south, the racism and mentality of the times is not like today, not very PC back in 1940

Not rounding people up and throwing them into camps = political correctness?

so they were actually safer in the camps at that time in history

Today many people still think the same as back in 1940, Ive heard many discussions of what would you do if China went to war with the USA? and a lot of Americans said they would burn all the Chinese business's down and not trust any Chinese or Chinese American, sounds very similiar to how they thought of the Japanese during WWII

We've had numerous wars in Asia since World War II. Care to point to the widespread destruction of non-interred Korean, Vietnamese, Iraqi and Afghan businesses in the U.S. during those conflicts?

Or, in perhaps the best analogue (in terms of a visceral shock to the system of the nation), 9/11 - do you think the few instances of attacks on Muslims (and perceived Muslims - I'm thinking of the murder of the Sikh in Arizona) mean that millions of Arab-Americans (and, of course, all turban-wearing Sikhs) should have been rounded up? You know, 'for their own good'?

[mr bolo]

I heard some Japanese living in Hawaii actually helped supply information to Japan to help plan the attack on Pearl Harbor

thats how they knew the lay out , which ships were docked at the time, etc

containing them in the interment camps was also to prevent espionage or anything that would help the Japanese military powers

even though many were American born Japanese many still had relatives or ties with Japan

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

I heard some Japanese living in Hawaii actually helped supply information to Japan to help plan the attack on Pearl Harbor

But you have no actual evidence of it.

Here is a story that it was actually German spies who provided the necessary intelligence to Japan:

German spies aided Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor! | Washington Times Communities

thats how they knew the lay out , which ships were docked at the time, etc

That was easily observed by actual Japanese diplomats in Hawaii at the time:
Takeo Yoshikawa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"When he heard the "East wind, rain." code phrase on the short wave radio bringing the news from Tokyo signaling an attack against America, Yoshikawa destroyed all evidence of his activities. When the FBI picked him up on the day of the attack there was no incriminating evidence of his espionage. Yoshikawa eventually returned to Japan in August 1942 in a diplomat prisoner exchange. It was not known for some time that he was the chief Japanese agent in Hawaii."

containing them in the interment camps was also to prevent espionage or anything that would help the Japanese military powers even though many were American born Japanese many still had relatives or ties with Japan

So why German-Americans put into camps? Pro-Germany activity among German Americans was far greater than any pro-Japan activity among Japanese-Americans.

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

I heard some Japanese living in Hawaii actually helped supply information to Japan to help plan the attack on Pearl Harbor

And I heard that Elvis is living with JFK in retirement in a suburb of Buenos Aires.

Actually, I don't know - perhaps that occurred. But the only Japanese spy of which I am aware doing what you assert was in fact a Japanese diplomat stationed in the islands. He didn't find the local Japanese-Americans at all cooperative:

"[T]hose men of influence and character who might have assisted me in my secret mission were unanimously uncooperative..."

Takeo Yoshikawa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Again, he was a Japanese diplomat - he was not an American, citizen or otherwise.

The Niihau Incident (post-, not pre-Pearl Harbor, but certainly used to justify the blatant deprivation of the rights of Americans) did occur. But again, most of the Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were not interred. And we survived just fine, didn't we?
Niihau Incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

thats how they knew the lay out , which ships were docked at the time, etc

containing them in the interment camps was also to prevent espionage or anything that would help the Japanese military powers

even though many were American born Japanese many still had relatives or ties with Japan

So your "It wasn't really so bad, in fact it was good for them!" post was really just a preface to laying out your the-ends-justify-the-means argument. No surprise there. And all based on vague "Well, I heard..." allusions and claims of anti-Japanese violence that simply have no parallels where and when interment did not occur.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

I heard some Japanese living in Hawaii actually helped supply information to Japan to help plan the attack on Pearl Harbor

thats how they knew the lay out , which ships were docked at the time, etc

The intel that the Japanese gained came primarily from three sources...

1. The Japanese, Germans and Italians all maintained a consulate in Hawaii. The employees at the consulate fed intel to their respective nations and this was shared. In 1941 the German and Italian consulates were removed, but the Japanese one was allowed to stay as the US had broken their encryption and was reading their communiques.

2. A German agent in Hawaii fed intelligence to the Japanese.

2. A Japanese agent was inserted into Hawaii in spring 1941 and posed as a tourist. He gathered intelligence around the island. This was then given to the consulate who passed it on in comminuques back to Japan or handed it directly to Japanese ships visiting the port.

No Japanese Americans were involved in gathering intelligence in Pearl Harbor. Overall, the only effective intelligence gained was that the bulk of the fleet would be in port on Sunday. Anything else of value was already known ahead of time or easily ascertained via visiting Japanese ships. The intelligence gathered allowed the attack to commence (the Imperial General Staff would have most likely called off the attack without relatively up-to-date intel) but was not good enough to provide an up-to-date disposition on the American carriers.

containing them in the interment camps was also to prevent espionage or anything that would help the Japanese military powers

even though many were American born Japanese many still had relatives or ties with Japan

Yet, there were plenty of Japanese communities, not subject to internment (such as those in Hawaii) and there is no record of any sabotage or work being done for the Japanese government. The closest you can get is the Niihau Incident where some Japanese on Hawaii helped a downed Japanese pilot. You are simply repeating excuses used at the time to justify the interment. It was done as a measure bred out of racism, not for any practical or necessary purpose. The US government has investigated the issue deeply and has admitted it was a grievious wrong.

[Listener2307]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

But you have no actual evidence of it.........

In fact, the first Japanese plane brought down found Japanese Americans willing to help the pilot. You should read the story - it's great stuff.

Nishikaichi then sought and received the assistance of three locals of Japanese descent in overcoming his captors, finding weapons, and taking several hostages. In the end Nishikaichi was killed by the wife of Niʻihauan Ben Kanahele, (who was wounded in the process), and one of Nishikaichi's confederates, Yoshio Harada, committed suicide.The incident and the actions of Nishikaichi's abettors contributed to a sense in the American military that every Japanese, even those who were American citizens or otherwise thought loyal to the United States, might aid Japan, and ultimately may have influenced the decision to intern Japanese Americans during World War II. Ben Kanahele was decorated for his part in stopping the incident.

Niihau Incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just part of the anti-Asian sentiment at the time. And there was plenty of it.

It never ceases to surprise me that on one hand people recognize that internment of the Japanese was wrong on many levels, but on the other they still rate FDR as "The Greatest"......

[Teddy52]

Yes, the interment of Japanese Americans was wrong, but that was the last war we scored a decisive victory.

Something to think about.